I just did my buddy's several year old 250, and I think it is very similar -- laid forward motor and three range tranny, right? It was bad gas -- it stank like paint thinner. Anyway, the gum and deposits get everywhere in the carb, and it is easiest to take it off completely. If it is the same as the one I worked on, you have 2 hoses on the sides -- these are vent and gas supply. The two cables are throttle and choke. Pull the carb loose from the intake and airbox boot, and swing it up so you have good access. The throttle comes off by removing the plastic cover, loosening the cable clamp nut, and pulling the cable off. The choke comes off by unscrewing the end of the cable housing from the carb. Be careful, this is a plastic thread on the cable side -- I almost cross threaded it when I installed it. Once the carb is off, pull the float bowl, and then you have three jets to deal with, plus the float needle valve. If you've messed with cycle/atv carbs before, they are all pretty much the same. If this is your first time, just be patient and keep track of all the little parts. pictures help, or notes. There is also an idle mixture screw to clean, I just remembered. It is toward the front of the carb, and has spring, washer and o ring attached, so don't loose them. Screw the screw in till it bottoms, softly, and make note of the turns. Then uncsrew it and clean it. Spray the screw, and then up into its seat with carb cleaner and then compressed air like sanny said. Replace by screwing in to bottom, and then out however many turns it was originally. The jets (three of them) are in the center. I would remove and clean them one at a time to prevent confusion. Same cleaning procedure. Take care not to ding the jets, as they are brass, and any burrs or shape changes, however slight, will change how the machine runs. Carb spray and compressed air are your friend. In a pinch, I have used a toothpic as well, as the wood is softer than brass. clean up in the seat and air passages for the jets as well. check the needle, you may be able to clean it in place. If not, you will have to take the diaphram off the top to get it out. Treat the diaphram carefully, it is fragile. Make note of the needle and retainer position, as well. There is a little hole down by the needle retainer, and if you get that blocked with the retainer during reassembly, it will keep the slide from opening. All that is left is the float valve. The pivot rod drives out to the side, and the float valve unclips from the float. Clean the valve and its seat and passage. It goes together the opposite of how it came apart. At this point, you are ready to put it back together. It is not as complicated as I've made it sound. Just take your time. I learned motorcycle carb cleaning by not once draining the carb on my dirt bike in the fall. Live and don't learn. That's my motto. Good luck.
Mike
