New KDX owner - just started the tear down.

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 02:03 pm Apr 12 2013

Hey guys

So I bought a 199x KDX200 for $450. It needs some TLC but she rips. I began to tear her down today and clean her up as best as possible and get it back to a decent running / preforming bike. FIRST OFF, can anyone confirm the year of this bike. Vin # - CJKADXNE1XRA03----

The guy I got it from bought it 7yrs ago, rode it about 10 times and it sat & sat & probably sat some more. He didn't do anything but gas it up & go I am assuming. The bike was painted black and looked horrible. I removed all the plastics and began stripping it with aircraft stripper. I was originally hoping to get the original oem green back, but its faded with stress marks so I think I will sand them down and re-spray them kawi green (does anybody know the closest spray can green?)

After removing the plastics, I broke the air filter box free from the carb (that was a bit*h!!) Found a lovely little rats nest inside the air filter box along with some eaten acorns

I then got to work with the simple green. Simple green'd everything I could.. First time using this stuff and boy does it do its job. I see what all the hype is about.

In the process of removing the plastics, I realized the rear fender is beyond repair. I'd like to get a new one, but I am thinking of doing the ol KX500 swap to get a more mx style look (plus the front & rear lights are dead with no wires running to / from them).

This KX500 fender should bolt up easily with some drill holes?

I noticed a nice exhaust leak near the header when I had it running this morning. The header is stock & dinged up, but I don't think I can afford a new one right now. Is it worth taking off & trying to re-seal it with a new gasket?

What else should I be looking to do? I kind of want to take the carb off and give it a nice clean, but I have never done that before and don't want to get in over my head with this tear down.

Any help is appreciated! Ill get some pictures of the bike how it sits atm, I wish I took some pictures before-hand, but it was so darn ugly with that black chipped paint I couldn't bare to grab the camera.

HELP ME WITH THIS BUILD!

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 04:02 pm Apr 12 2013

"X" marks the spot
the tenth digit in your VIN is an X which means you are the proud owner of a 1999 KDX
year really isnt as important and shape since these bikes changed little from 96-06

i've been told grabber green is a very close match
if you cant find a decent KX500 rear fender maier makes a MX style fender specifically for the KDX but it runs about 70-80 bucks

with the rodents subletting the airbox it wouldnt be a bad idea to clean out the carb, just dis assemble it, shoot some carb cleaner through the whole thing and re-assemble (dont soak it in anything since there are O-rings that cant handle this)

as for the exhaust, there should be 2 sealing rings on the head pipe and a brass gasket in the cilinder
if those are missing or faulty RTV sealant has been know to do the trick

now, post a pic of your little ugly duckling so we can witness the transformation

Post by **bufftester** » 08:18 pm Apr 12 2013

year really isnt as important and shape since these bikes changed little from 96-06

+1 actually they didn't change at all except for decals and colors.

The grabber green is close (you can pick it up at any NAPA/Autozone/etc), but a little darker, if you look about half way down the page on this thread http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 6&start=20 you can kind of see the difference. Honestly since my bike is complete now I don't notice the difference at all.

Definitely clean the carbs, they aren't hard to do and it makes all the difference in the world. Pull it apart, remove the jets, and spray carb cleaner in every hole and cranny. Keep in mind that if you squirt it in a hole, it should come out somewhere else (if it doesn't you know where the gunk is!) Great info here http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=1156 on dialing the jetting in afterwards.

If the leak is at the cylinder, like Diy said a little RTV can hook you up. Make sure BOTH of the springs are there as well as check the pipe hangers, the rubber bit on them has a tendency to split over time.

Likely you'll need to at least replace fork seals (easy) and check your rear shock linkage bearings, they are the most abused/neglected items on these bikes, but can cause a lot of headaches (right ICRage? lol).

Welcome to the family btw, and definitely post up some pics...we all like to ogle on here!

cjrincon03 · Post by **cjrincon03** » 09:37 am Apr 13 2013

Welcome! Your going to love this bike! Cleaning the carb is sooo easy. If the previous owner didn't maintain it, I bet you'll have a little trouble getting the carb bowl screws out( 4 Philips heads you should replace with Allen heads later). If you start twisting on these screws and they act like they are stripping, STOP and grab needle nose vise grips or smaller channel locks and very gently lock on the edge of the screw head and crack em loose then finish with your screwdriver!

Post by **bufftester** » 02:37 pm Apr 13 2013

Welcome! Your going to love this bike! Cleaning the carb is sooo easy. If the previous owner didn't maintain it, I bet you'll have a little trouble getting the carb bowl screws out( 4 Philips heads you should replace with Allen heads later). If you start twisting on these screws and they act like they are stripping, STOP and grab needle nose vise grips or smaller channel locks and very gently lock on the edge of the screw head and crack em loose then finish with your screwdriver!

+1

I swear they made those screws out of butter

Post by **KDXGarage** » 09:38 pm Apr 13 2013

Google JIS screws and screwdriver.

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 11:29 am Apr 28 2013

Holy cow.. sorry guys, I forgot all about this thread. I was posting over at thumpertalk, but I think I will stay here being this is a KDX forum.

Its a 1994. Rides pretty solid, but there are some issues I need to address..

Experiencing clutch drag.. Going to open up & take a look at the clutch basket (possibly today?) but I am a bit hesitant. Cant find neutral, bike will stall in gear with clutch in.

Forks are leaking oil.. Never messed with fork seals or anything in my life so again, I am hesitant. Thinking of having a shop do it, but don't want to pay out the a$$.

Those two are the biggies..

I gotta get a new rear fender, stripped most of the paint off (except the gas tank) with aircraft stripper.

Here are some pics.

How she is now

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 12:11 pm Apr 28 2013

Hmm..

Cant get that center bolt out after the clutch cover

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 12:41 pm Apr 28 2013

no help here on the clutch, im still trying to awnser your first post, that is definatly NOT a 99 like i said before
is there any chance you added a digit in the VIN you gave us? if the 11th digit (R) is actually the 10th it would make it a 94...the only year it had the inverted blue forks like yours does

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 01:02 pm Apr 28 2013

It is a 94. It starts with JK not CJK. The blue upside down forks were for 93 - 94, 10th # is an R.

Im lost at this center bolt, I have been reading I might need an impact gun which I don't have. I drained the oil and saw alot of gunk & metal shavings so I am glad I stopped riding this.

I have confidence I can figure out my clutch issue weather I can sand down the basket or if I have to bite the bullet and get a new basket.. My real worry is the front forks. Any idea's? They both are definitely leaking. Do I attempt to put new fork seals in or bring it to the shop? How bad is it to ride the way it is? I am riding trails, mostly taking it easy nothing aggressive.

Dekon · Post by **Dekon** » 07:27 pm Apr 28 2013

I bought an electric impact gun from Harbor Freight Tools, worth it's weight in gold for when I broke my '89 down. Also, if you don't already have one, get a shop manual. I did my fork seals myself, was easier then I thought it would be.

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 06:50 am Apr 29 2013

Shop manual.. I know, there just so much dang money at the stealership, I am going to see if I can find a .pdf somewhere

So your saying shell out the bucks on an impact gun because most likely i'll be using it a lot? Does anyone know what size compressor I need to run an air impact? I got a small compressor, I mean, all I really need to do is break it... I have an electric one I can use but not until next weekend

Dekon · Post by **Dekon** » 12:00 pm Apr 29 2013

There is the Cyclepedia manual on the home page of this site. It is $27 for a year. I would like to bet that after you get it, you could probably print the whole thing from their site. Just a thought.

As for the compressor, I think you really need a larger one to run the gun, not sure on that though.

Post by **Julien D** » 12:03 pm Apr 29 2013

Yep. Cyclepedia, just make sure you have the whole thing printed before your year is up.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

Post by **bufftester** » 05:10 pm Apr 29 2013

Cyclepedia +10 Print it out.

Fork seals are easier than you think, in truth there is nothing real complicated on these bikes (apart from figuring out why Kawasaki quit making them :-)).

Impact wrench +1 Electric is cheaper and suitable. You'll use it for clutches, fork tear down (lower valve removal) various frozen fasteners (I've had my harbor freight electric one for 3+years and going strong think I paid like 40$ for it).

My dad has a 93 and has put almost 6500 miles on it, it's a workhorse just like the rest of its bloodline with routine maintenance. IMO 3 absolutes are 1. Shop Manual, 2. Torque wrench and 3. As much riding as possible.

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 06:48 pm Apr 29 2013

Curious - Would the aftermarket KX500 maier rear fender fit with relatively low modification on my bike? (94 kdx200)?

I have read that the kx500 rear fender fits with drilling some holes. I would assume the same goes for the maier one?

KarlP · Post by **KarlP** » 08:41 pm Apr 29 2013

Can't help on fender, but I can share some experience with impact guns - go electric!

I tried several air ones and have a pretty good compressor. You need a good compressor and at least 3/8" air line. If the air line gets too long you start loosing umph. The electric one works better on everything from car wheels to lawn mower blades to clutch nuts.

I was selling a car and decided to swap the wheels with another car - 8 wheels, 40 lug nuts off and on, I borrowed my buddies electric. Then I bought one.

Jenger · Post by **Jenger** » 06:59 am Apr 30 2013

Hm I am amazed.. Never used an electric one before, I saw harbor freight has one for $49.99

Actually, me and my father own a business and we were looking for an electric impact because we've ran into a few situations where one would of helped. Maybe I can convince him that the business really needs one

Such crappy weather these last 2 days and I have been working like crazy. Hopefully I get the majority of the work done by this weekend.

Two more questions for you, being a first time 2 stroke owner, which mix oil do you guys use? Or whats preferred (if there is one)? Same for engine oil, when I fill this bad back up, what & how much should I use?

KarlP · Post by **KarlP** » 01:54 pm Apr 30 2013

I don't know about the $49 model, mine was $230.

I ain't touching the oil question.......

Post by **bufftester** » 04:25 pm Apr 30 2013

I have that 49$ one (tho paid 40 for it 3 years ago) and it works fine for me. The oil/premix question is one of those 10 foot pole ones lol. Engine oil just make sure it's not the energy saving type, plays hell with wet clutches. I use a a qt of 10-40W and change about every 10-15 hours of ride time, oil is cheap insurance. Been using honda 2T oil lately (was given a case of it) at 40:1.

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