So you have bought that Honda CH250 you have always wanted! It's your color with low mileage and looks like its been cared for reasonably. You safely transport it home but now what? Regardless the mileage and history of the bike, there are a few things right off the bat you should do to be sure you know what you have. Part of owning your scooter is being familiar with it and seeing just what it does or doesn't do in performance. Here's a guide:

Buy a Service Manual: The service manual is the guide book for general maintenance and assembly procedures. While the owner's manual has some of the service procedures, it doesn't have all of them. Get an original Honda OEM service manual and become familiar with it for general service procedures. Most service procedures are easily done by the owner and will keep your scooter in top running condition.

Remove the Plastic: The service manual includes a section on body cover removal. Now you will know where those hidden tabs and fasteners are so you or someone else won't break them off. Remove all plastic panels SLOWLY and CAREFULLY! Clean all the plastic with mild detergent and water.

Clean the Frame and Engine: Wash the rest of the scooter like you did for the plastic. Use a mild engine degreaser to get that engine looking sharp. Examine the bike for any damage, missing  bolts and screws or other parts in need of repair.

Change All Fluids: Regardless of condition or history, change all scooter fluids immediately. If your find has been stored 15 years those fluids are 15 years old! The engine holds .85/qt. oil with no oil filter. Change it every 1K miles with a synthetic oil. Replace the coolant with a 50/50 mix of silicate-free extended-type antifreeze and distilled water. Clean and replace coolant in the overflow bottle also. Drain the breather separator hose of accumulated fluid. Remove the left side crankcase cover and...

Perform Drive Pulley Service: The variator, which drives the belt to the rear clutch assembly, has weight rollers inside greased for optimum performance. Disassemble the variator and replace all weight rollers as a set if any appear to have excessive wear or flat spots. Use lithium based grease to repack the weight rollers. Examine the drive belt for cracks on the inside track and replace if necessary. One bolt holds the rear clutch assembly. Remove outer clutch hub and check it and the clutch shoes for excessive wear. Remove clutch assembly and use your finger to roll the inner and outer bearings. They should move freely and smoothly. Re-grease bearings and re-install. Then...

Change Final Drive Oil: One of the most neglected services is changing the Final Drive oil. The Final Drive, also known as the transmission, has about .25 cents worth of 10w40 oil in it. Not changed every 5K miles, it can lead to excessive wear on the transmission gears. While the fill hole is accessible without removing the crankcase cover, the drain bolt is not. So while the left cover is off, change the oil as well. Better yet, use a good 75w90 synthetic gear oil for better protection.

Change Belt case and Air Filters: Examine the air filter and replace it if dirty or oily. There is a cut-out foam filter leading to the belt case which tends to dry rot. It is washable and reusable if not dry-rotted in which case replace. If your CH250 is a 1985 model, change the gas filter. Best tip is to put an in-line gas filter on all models if no so equipped.

Fuel and Carburetion: If the scooter has sat many months or even years, drain the gas tank and carburetor bowl of old fuel and replenish. Rust in the gas tank can be removed with ZEP Rust/Calcium/Lime remover or CLR and water. Replace the autobystarter (electric choke) on the carburetor if startability problems exist.

Add a Fuel Filter: Honda, in their design of the CH250, decided that they would
add a fuel filter to one year and model and, pulling the winning entry out of a
hat, the lucky scoot was the 1985 CH250. That's it. Anybody who has wrenched a
fuel delivery system or rebuilt a carburetor will tell you to ALWAYS have a fuel
filter in line between the fuel control valve and the carburetor within the
system. I prefer Honda OEM replacements for scooters. The OEM inline fuel
filter for the 1985 CH250 is 16910-GB2-005 filter (7.95 from ServiceHonda.com)
and 16915-GB2-000 for the rubber protective strainer (3.20). When you have the
opportunity to remove the side covers, cut the gas line, push on the filter and rubber strainer, and move on. Takes two minutes. Also, you can go to any auto
supply store and find a motorcycle generic replacement less expensive which is
suitable. But have a replaceable and serviceable fuel filter.


Randy Pozzi (Rev. 6/2006)