Hello everyone!
I am new to this site... I am 28 years old and ride a 1986 250R quad that I purchased for $1200 a few years ago that I totally restored. I am color-blind and never really mess with electrical stuff on my wheeler. It has been acting up lately where when I would be riding and it would start missing real bad. I changed plugs, gas, cleaned carb, ect... Just got worse. The last time I went riding at night it was missing and it shot sparks out by my right knee. Not sure what the problem is.. It's got to be electrical though, right? Any information or advice you may have for me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you All!!!
Adam

 

Welcome to the forum, check where the wire harness grounds to the frame for a loose ground, also check the wires that plug into the coil that goes to the spark plug. I have an 86' atc250r that would do exackly what you are discribing and it was, where the coil is mounted to the frame the wires that plug into it one of the wires insulation cracked cause it is soo old and brittle and would ground out on the frame. The spark was actually jumping out the crack about an 1/8" to the frame and grounding. Most of the time it would start missing and sometimes it would just kill. Luckily I found the problem just before I went crazy wondering what was wrong. If you saw sparks something is bare and grounding out.

 

Hey,
Thanks a lot for the advice sdm111!!! I haven't had a chance to work on it yet, but it definitely sounds like the problem. I really hope so! At least it's an easy/cheap fix if that is the problem. Should be up and running for this weekend if so.
Thanks man, and thanks for replying so fast too! I really appreciate it!

Snatchman