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will be looking at several kdx bikes this weekend. One is a 250. Most of the reserch I have done is on the 200 and 220. A 250came available and I would like to look at it too. Is this a decent trail bike .What will be the biggest difference in trail manners compaired to the 200 and 220

considerably more power and a whole lot more weight. Stick with the 200.

juliend wrote:whole lot more weight.

Not according to this

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... 0%2098.htm

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... r%2090.htm

Mr. Wibbens wrote:

juliend wrote:whole lot more weight.

Not according to this

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... 0%2098.htm

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... r%2090.htm

The 250 is considerably heavier than my 200 and I can feel it! This is what the factory Kawasaki manuals lists...

E series KDX200 at 102kg (225lbs) dry - 111kg (245lbs) wet
D series KDX250 is 107kg (236lbs) dry - 124kg (273lbs) wet

As for my input on the KDX250, IMO, the chassis is not up to par with other KDX's of the period. It is heavy, it turns way too slow, and the seating position does not allow you to slide up to the tank nearly as good as an E series 200. These all combine to make it a handful when in tight singletrack. There isn't anything you can do to correct any of those problems unfortunately. I tried moving the forks up in the triples, playing with the shock preload, clickers, etc. to no avail. All I ended up with was a bike that was extremely unstable at any speed above roughly 15mph.

Now, don't get me wrong as the bike is still a very capable machine and I enjoy riding mine. The power is way more than a 200/220. You can lug up hills on it that you would be fanning the clutch a lot on a 200/220. Just an easy twist of the wrist will lift the front end over obstacles. I have had it up to 84mph (GPS verified) on a dirt road once and it is rock solid stable at those speeds. It really does have a lot going for it but the negatives really hurt it's potential. If Kawasaki had only put it into a KX250 chassis of the time, and just added lights, they really would have had something with the KDX250.

well I bought a bike this weekend . looked at 4 total. some good some bad. I wound up with a 96 that runs pretty good with new tires. cluth in good shape. new FMF spark arestor. The guy never raced it as a matter of fact I don't think he road it hard enough. The front forks have new seals,gonna change them anyway. I am 200 lbs. Best of all it only cost me 625.00. Got to get used to the purple

how do you post pics here?

Congrats on the bike!

To post pics you need a photo hosting site like Photobucket.com. Register there, upload your pics, then copy the img link and post it up here.

thanks. got the pic to finaly work. going to start racing hare scrambles in the over 50 class after I get a couple of things done to it. look foward to getting it in the woods. needed something smaller than my 650r for the tight stuff

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osobad wrote:well I bought a bike this weekend . looked at 4 total. some good some bad. I wound up with a 96 that runs pretty good with new tires. cluth in good shape. new FMF spark arestor. The guy never raced it as a matter of fact I don't think he road it hard enough. The front forks have new seals,gonna change them anyway. I am 200 lbs. Best of all it only cost me 625.00. Got to get used to the purple

Purple sure looks better than that gay as hell baby blue they used to put on them

Nice score for $600!

I thought I would show the changes so far on my 96kdx I got a couple of months ago.
03 kx front end
new font light
seat
showa rear shock off 02 susuki
new shrouds, graphics coming.
now I won,t hear the barney bike commentse

Although I like the stock headlight better your bike looks good. I don't blame you for wanting to get rid of the purple. I don't like it either. Is that an aftermarket gas tank or did you just paint the stock tank?

You have certainly made a lot more progress than I have with mine. I've had my KDX for a little over a year. All I've managed to do to it so far is install a new back tire, new chain and sprockets, and a Dyna Ring.
I do have all the parts to change out the front end - just haven't had / taken the time to take it apart and send the clamps to RD Designs.

Nice looking bike especially for only 600 bucks.

Hey osobad, which suzuki is your shock off of and is it a big improvement over stock?

the tank is the one that came with the bike,I painted it black with plastic paint. can't tell it is not factory.
the rear shock is off an rm 125. you have to use an internal spacer because it is an inch longer than the kdx unit. you could do the same with a kx shock but the showa is a better shock and it came on rm 125 in 02. it is pretty much a bolt on just need some washers on top mount because it is slightly narrower. big improvment all the way around even compared to a revalved stock shock. improvement is on par with the kx front compared to the stock forks.

Did you made any big changes inside the shock (Oil type,valves, nitro pressure etc... ) or any Rm 125 2002 stock showa shock is good for wood/singletrack use on the kdx ??

I have a 96 as well, and like the purple shrouds better than the green ones. I think it stands out as a KDX better. And the purple ones were probably the first ones I saw in the bike mags.

And if somebody would steal it, they may pull off the stickers, but the purple shrouds would also help it stand out and might help me get it back.

osobad wrote:the tank is the one that came with the bike,I painted it black with plastic paint. can't tell it is not factory.
the rear shock is off an rm 125. you have to use an internal spacer because it is an inch longer than the kdx unit. you could do the same with a kx shock but the showa is a better shock and it came on rm 125 in 02. it is pretty much a bolt on just need some washers on top mount because it is slightly narrower. big improvment all the way around even compared to a revalved stock shock. improvement is on par with the kx front compared to the stock forks.

Interesting find on the shock. Thanks!

the rear shock can be done with a kx shock also but I wanted the showa becuase I beleive it works better and so did the guy doing my suspension. I had it revalved and set up for hare scrambles. I don't know if any of the shocks off of some of the hondas will fit. I also found out that some of the rm250 of same year didn't use the same shock. It cost the same to get showa (ebay) than a kx shock and you would want to revalve it any way so not any cost difference except to have the spacer put in. In my case it added 20.00 to the cost. The ride quality is amazing especialy at speed. The back just tracks so much better

juliend wrote:

osobad wrote:the tank is the one that came with the bike,I painted it black with plastic paint. can't tell it is not factory.
the rear shock is off an rm 125. you have to use an internal spacer because it is an inch longer than the kdx unit. you could do the same with a kx shock but the showa is a better shock and it came on rm 125 in 02. it is pretty much a bolt on just need some washers on top mount because it is slightly narrower. big improvment all the way around even compared to a revalved stock shock. improvement is on par with the kx front compared to the stock forks.

Interesting find on the shock. Thanks!

It's now on top of my list for my next mods. I'm sure I'm not the only one