Sparkplug

[speeding_ant]

Sorry I'm so dumb, I am trying..

I had an RG150, brilliant bikes.. When they work! I found it a struggle to find the right spark plug. As it is a 2 stroke, I beleive you can get different spark plugs for different uses/weather etc. I noticed a difference going from a colder plug to a hotter plug for instance. I never did notice a difference in how it started until it got to winter.. It got hard to start as soon as it got cold. The hotter plug is good for winter I beleive and the colder plug is good if you thrash it/using bike in summer. I beleive there are two little white bubbles on the RG, one is the fuel filter and the other is part of the fuel-oil mixer/pump. You want it replaced if it is dirty, otherwise it can limit how much petrol is entering the engine.

I wouldnt muck around with the oil mixture yourself.. Sometimes they need re-adjusting but it needs to be super accurate. If it isnt you will end up with a seized engine! Take it into a shop! Also, the plugs tend to foul up (making it very hard to start, or it wont start at all) if you dont thrash the bike every now and again. Take it into powerband for a while each ride and you wont run into that issue. Will the bike start easy if you crash start it? Also, when kicking you want to give it a slight amount of gas for the first couple of kicks, then kick like crazy. Any more and you will foul the plug..

Hope that helps

[Racey Rider]

from what others have said in the past, that plastic ball thing is part of the power valve breather system.

[speeding_ant]

from what others have said in the past, that plastic ball thing is part of the power valve breather system.

Crazy! :P how does that work? *interested*

[NotaGoth]

Someone might find this useful.

Thanks Shane..

[NotaGoth]

I had an RG150, brilliant bikes.. When they work! I found it a struggle to find the right spark plug. As it is a 2 stroke, I beleive you can get different spark plugs for different uses/weather etc. I noticed a difference going from a colder plug to a hotter plug for instance. I never did notice a difference in how it started until it got to winter.. It got hard to start as soon as it got cold. The hotter plug is good for winter I beleive and the colder plug is good if you thrash it/using bike in summer. I beleive there are two little white bubbles on the RG, one is the fuel filter and the other is part of the fuel-oil mixer/pump. You want it replaced if it is dirty, otherwise it can limit how much petrol is entering the engine.

I wouldnt muck around with the oil mixture yourself.. Sometimes they need re-adjusting but it needs to be super accurate. If it isnt you will end up with a seized engine! Take it into a shop! Also, the plugs tend to foul up (making it very hard to start, or it wont start at all) if you dont thrash the bike every now and again. Take it into powerband for a while each ride and you wont run into that issue. Will the bike start easy if you crash start it? Also, when kicking you want to give it a slight amount of gas for the first couple of kicks, then kick like crazy. Any more and you will foul the plug..

Hope that helps

Well its only been since the weathers gotten colder that I've had trouble starting it.. Would give it a little bit of throttle first kick she would always start..

Partner tried crash starting it when it wouldn't start and it would just cough as well..

Since the sparkplugs been changed its starting first/second kick without the choke even.. So I'm thinking I'm getting somewhere..

Ain't mucking around with it unless I'm sure I'm capable.. Right now I'm doing what I can before taking it to a shop... If I take it to a shop it means I have to ride all the way to Whangarei cause the guy in the bike shop up here is a dick and won't be getting anymore business from me.. I'm not impressed with how I've been treated..

EDIT: Very cold out tonight so I tested and first kick she started..

[NotaGoth]

from what others have said in the past, that plastic ball thing is part of the power valve breather system.

Ahhh thanks for that.. Will look into it further..

[speeding_ant]

Bugger about the shop! Good to hear the plugs are fixing the issue. As I said, if you have an empty straight on your way to work etc, just rev it right through a couple of gears. The engine will burn off the excess oil that starts accumulating. Also, you can gum up the reed valves quite bad if you don't, and that requires even more maintainance..! If the bike continues to foul after doing that for a week or so then I'd get someone who knows what they are doing to check the mixture and make sure its set correctly. I do know that I had issues when the weather changed, the RG didnt really like it.. Its probably just something as simple as you being a nana and not riding it how it should be ridden haha.

Another question.. Do you keep the bike outside or in a garage?

[NotaGoth]

Bugger about the shop! Good to hear the plugs are fixing the issue. As I said, if you have an empty straight on your way to work etc, just rev it right through a couple of gears. The engine will burn off the excess oil that starts accumulating. Also, you can gum up the reed valves quite bad if you don't, and that requires even more maintainance..! If the bike continues to foul after doing that for a week or so then I'd get someone who knows what they are doing to check the mixture and make sure its set correctly. I do know that I had issues when the weather changed, the RG didnt really like it.. Its probably just something as simple as you being a nana and not riding it how it should be ridden haha.

Another question.. Do you keep the bike outside or in a garage?

I'm a newbie rider, why ride beyond what I'm capable off?? I would like to make it home to my family.

Bike is underneath a large deck, have no garage space available til I shift house.. (My own fault I know)

[NotaGoth]

Shame about the bike shop year.. But thats what happens when they sell me different boots from what I actually ordered and didn't bother telling me til I rung up bitching about what was going on..

Oh and when they told me that a certain KBer was a dumbarse and that they didn't know ANYTHING about bikes and that I should just bring my bike for them to look at really iced the cake... Specially when I know for a fact this certain kber is EXTREMELY BRIGHT... And alot of others will agree..

[speeding_ant]

I'm a newbie rider, why ride beyond what I'm capable off?? I would like to make it home to my family.

Bike is underneath a large deck, have no garage space available til I shift house.. (My own fault I know)

sorry if I hit a sore spot there.. No harm meant! What I was meaning is basically, if you had a long straight, no cars/houses etc then accelerate once a day, even just from 2nd to 3rd then you can save yourself a lot of hassles in the long run. Plus you will learn about the bike, how it accelerates whilst in power band etc. And it's fun!

Good way for a shop to keep a customer eh? Slagging off a fellow biker.. nice

[NotaGoth]

sorry if I hit a sore spot there.. No harm meant! What I was meaning is basically, if you had a long straight, no cars/houses etc then accelerate once a day, even just from 2nd to 3rd then you can save yourself a lot of hassles in the long run. Plus you will learn about the bike, how it accelerates whilst in power band etc. And it's fun!

Good way for a shop to keep a customer eh? Slagging off a fellow biker.. nice

Nah its fine... SOMEONE talked me into having a bit of a play along a rather long stretch of road on one of our rides.. And I did.. Dunno what the big fuss about the powerband thing is.. Will continue to do that.. Does give you a bit more of a feel for your bike when your able to have a bit of a play..

Yep great way... People forget about what happens when they end up with a unhappy customer.. Know of a fair few who have had issues there..

[speeding_ant]

Nah its fine... SOMEONE talked me into having a bit of a play along a rather long stretch of road on one of our rides.. And I did.. Dunno what the big fuss about the powerband thing is.. Will continue to do that.. Does give you a bit more of a feel for your bike when your able to have a bit of a play..

Yep great way... People forget about what happens when they end up with a unhappy customer.. Know of a fair few who have had issues there..

Haha yeah, but considering its a 150cc its not bad power though.. Quite sedate compared to say.. a RGV250. Just think of how simple the engine is and how messy it actually is. If all the parts don't get used they get gummed up, requiring a lot of time consuming cleaning. Go hard! Its not like you'll break the speed limit in an big hurry

I've had bad experiences with a bike shop around the welly region. Not impressed. Any bike shops that do give good service though, I'd reccomend to anyone! It pays to give good service

[90s]

NGKB9ES spark plug in it.. The one I took out is a NGK BR8EIX,

Hi Kittie,

glad you are getting the bike sorted. You could save yourself some trouble identifying bits of the bike if you download the manual:

http://www.zballantine.com/RG150

Good on you for getting down'n'drrty with the mechanics.

Also you will note the correct spark plug for this bike is the NGKB8ES (as per manual) and the IX that Haldane's put in there last service is the top-line version - about an extra $10 or so over the ES version.
You probably had built up some film over the plug which could have been burnt-off by the odd blast as earlier post have indicated. You can always scrape plugs if you see they have some gunk over them, although for the cost of plug you may as well replace it. It kicked on that plug first time for me all last winter, so maybe it was just tired.

Hope you have a lot more fun on the bike (or start to have some more).

[NotaGoth]

Hi Kittie,

glad you are getting the bike sorted. You could save yourself some trouble identifying bits of the bike if you download the manual:

http://www.zballantine.com/RG150

Good on you for getting down'n'drrty with the mechanics.

Also you will note the correct spark plug for this bike is the NGKB8ES (as per manual) and the IX that Haldane's put in there last service is the top-line version - about an extra $10 or so over the ES version.
You probably had built up some film over the plug which could have been burnt-off by the odd blast as earlier post have indicated. You can always scrape plugs if you see they have some gunk over them, although for the cost of plug you may as well replace it. It kicked on that plug first time for me all last winter, so maybe it was just tired.

Hope you have a lot more fun on the bike (or start to have some more).

Hey!!! Wow thanks btw.. I had tried finding the manual but couldn't figure out where you said it would be..

I have been trying and have succeeded.. The RG is running well again...
Fixed broken earth wire, replaced sparkplug which was black and yucky and also blew into the fuel line (I have a feeling I may have blocked it when I ran the tank dry when I first got it) Still gotta pull the fuel filter out completely and see what its like.. But anyway.. She now starts and runs just fine.. So.. My dirty/greasy hands and broken finger nails paid off!!

Will take it for a few good runs on some straights like I have been told.. Have also been told to regularly check the sparkplug and give it a clean.. Easy access so no harm in doing that once in a while..

I definately will... Just ask Dan, the dimply smile I end up with whenever I've been on my bike is priceless.. He loves it.. And I love it!

Thankyou

EDIT: Fuse has also been replaced

[NotaGoth]

Also the old sparkplug I managed to unscrew with my fingers...Which I was told could be a contributing factor to my problems.. Eg not tight enough bike will lose its compressions when you kick it over.. Someone can correct that or fill me in a little more if need be..