Motorcycle Repair: Kawasaki GPX start + exhaust problem, kawasaki gpx 250, electrode

Question
Hey buddy - Thanks so much for your help...

On my Kawasaki GPX 250 for some reason she having a real hard time going.  By going I mean she'll start-up fine and if I try to take off she'll just cut out.  I doesn't matter if she's been idleing for ten minutes she still does it.  The only way I've found to get around it is to put the choke on full and then she's all right but if I try to keep the rev's up with the throttle she'll just cut.  Any ideas?  She's just been getting worse and worse for the last month or so.  It never was a problem at all.  Now it does it even if I let her sit for an hour after driving for an hour.  

I also notice a popping sound coming from my exhaust.  It does sporadically when idling and almost always when I stop giving her throttle.  (this never happened before either)

Thanks 4 any help

Justin

Answer
Hi Justin.
 How is your air filter?  Is it overdue for replacement?

Does the bike sit in storage over the winter?  If so, then when was the last time the carbs were properly cleaned?

How do the plugs look?  Are the electrode ends normal looking, blackened, oily, or white?

When was the last time the engine was tuned up?  Is it over due?  It should be getting tuned about every 6 months or less, depending on how often you ride it.

The popping sound could be from the bike running too rich and off idle, and/or the carbs could be out of synch as well as the valve and ignition timing being off.

Get your repair manual out and make sure that everything is correct and let me know what you find.

Good luck.
FALCON