my 250r starts right up in neutral but if you put it in first and hold the clutch in it will not start? is this normal and what could be the problem?

 

I was always taught that on a kicker you want to be in neutral AND hold the clutch in. The idea is that any extra drag from the clutch pack, can be just enough to make things more difficult.

 

all my kickers have always started in gear with the clutch pulled in. all our banshees from the 80s, 90s, 00's,
my 86 250R, and my 04 450R all start in any gear. I think they mention this in the specs of the bikes as well...my old warrior, even though not a kicker, would start in any gear or reverse...a 300EX will start in any gear (wont even talk about reverse on that bike..what a pain in the @ss system!). a raptor will start in any gear... pretty sure a YFZ will as well...

havent seen a bike with a real manual clutch yet that wont. it seems to be kinda counterproductive on a high performance bike to NOT allow it to start in gear when the clutch is pulled in. it would be like having a stick in a car and not allowing you to start it if you stall it at a red light with just merely the clutch pressed in and turning the key...

I guess on a bike, in the strictest sense of "safety," it would be ideal to look for neutral then start it... i know some bikes HAVE to be in neutral to start, but those are usually kids', beginners', and some utes.

 

sounds to me like your clutch cable needs a little adjusting.