KDXRIDER.NET

Posted: **06:34 pm Jan 16 2014**

Looking for some advice regarding performance, suspension and overall differences in the 2000 to 2006 Yamaha yz 250 compared to a KDX. I'am 50 and just got back to timber trail riding here in the midwest. We owned several two stoke enduros in the late 70's, but last summer my 21 year old son and I bought a '87 kdx 200 and had a blast. Now looking for a second bike for me. I am a big guy at 6'2" and 250 lbs.

I was amazed at the power and easy handling of the 200 on the timber single track with some steep ditches. Would def. buy another one. Any suggestions on a bike to consider. YZ 250, KTM 250, or stay with a kdx 200/220? The budget is to stay under $2700 and with a 2 stroke. Thanks

Posted: **08:23 pm Jan 16 2014**

The KDX is probably your best bet but all three can be found in nice condition within your budget. They have all the attributes you need if you are going to ride single track trails and can be easily modified to accomodate your height and weight.

KTM also offers bikes (the EXC series) that perform well on the trail but they are generally a bit more serious than the KDX and horribly uncomfortable. I've owned a couple of KTMs and ridden several others and I never understood why they can't build a seat. It's like they have never ridden one of their bikes before they put it in production. They do however have nice motors with good flywheel effect, enduro tuned suspension, wide ratio gearbox, 18" rear wheel, and lighting capability. All features found on the KDX.

The YZ is a motocross bike and has none of the features listed. They also have a 1/4 turn throttle and a much quicker power hit that is perfect to get you the holeshot or build speed quickly so you can clear a triple but not very friendly when you are in tight trail conditions. The bottom line is, it will wear you out quicker, you'll be a lot more sore the day after the ride, and most importantly, it won't be as fun.

It sounds like you have had a great time on your KDX. I would start watching for a later model KDX to go with the 87 model. Put some time into it getting it mechanically correct and see how it works for you. Ideally, you would need heavier springs to accomodate your weight but depending on how gnarly the trails are that you ride on and your skill level, you may like it just like it is. I'm 49 years old, a bit over 6', and weigh about 225 and I can have a blast on my son-in-law's 92 model KDX with factory springs. It is so comfortable that I can ride for a long time before I start to get tired. However, if I was going to set it up for me I would need a proper set of springs and some bar risers. Other than that, it's good to go.

Kawasaki sold a pantload of these bikes because they are such great little scooters. You can teach your mom how to ride on one and then go win an enduro with it the following Sunday. You really can't go wrong.

Posted: **11:37 pm Jan 16 2014**

Great reply by Goofaroo . Stay away from the yz its NOT a woods bike @ all Rode my friends for a few miles two weekends ago and hated it . kept stalling , Could not lug it down at all and the suspension was horrible stiff . Nothing like a KDX . I have riden 2000 model and 2013 model KTM's didnt like them @ all either , in my oppinion ill handling and would take a while to get used to . the power band is nothing like a KDX . the KDX is just a FUN bike to ride and you can ride them hard and enjoy it , Its not like work like the YZ or the KTM . Best of luck with your choice , hope this helps in some way . Jerry . Opps by the way 200 lbs 5ft 10 .

Posted: **09:48 am Jan 17 2014**

Here is what I had to say on the subject on another forum 7 years ago.

Around March I made the switch from a heavily modded 2003 KDX 220 to a heavily modded 2005 YZ250.

KDX - •Fredette racing porting, head mod, bored carb
•FMF rev pipe, torque reeds, Turbinecore II silencer
•Fredette shock revalve, Race Tech .40 kg/mm fork springs
•Skids, hand guards, etc etc

YZ - •Swedetech long rod engine with low-mid porting
•Rekluse auto clutch, Stealy flywheel weight
•FMF fatty, Pro Circuit Nature Friendly silencer
•Motosport revalve
•Skids, hand guards, etc.

The KDX was a sweet bike. Lots of fun on the tight stuff, and the perfect trail riding machine. I bought it while in Michigan, so it saw tons of tight woods. In AZ it still remained primarily a single track machine (with occasional dune trips). The biggest shortcoming was when I wanted to ride hard. The bike was too soft, too flexy (forks), and just couldn't hang. I thought long and hard about building a hybrid, and bought a running 99 KX125 with the intention of doing the project, but simply never had the time.

YZ- Great bike, awesome motor. The suspension/chassis can take everything I can dish out, and then some. Power is never an issue, but gear selection is. I hate the transmission. The KDX could crawl in 1st, yet still run 75-84 mph, depending which countershaft sprocket I was running. The YZ's lack of 6th and close ratios mean I either gear down for slow trails and run out of speed in the open areas, or gear up for speed but burn on the clutch for anything under 10 mph in 1st. Eventually I would love to do the WR426 3rd, 4th, 5th gear swap. Widens things out a bit and lets you gear lower while still gaining top speed. Many on this forum have done it, as has a guy I sometimes ride with. Sounds like no one regrets it.

So sum it up

KDX pros•Great, smooth engine, even with all the mods. Surprised many how quick it was, although I had to keep it singing near peak power to keep the big bikes in sight.
•Awesome transmission, perfect gear spread
•Great, comfortable trail bike. Once traded a guy with his CR500AF, couldn't get my bike back till the end of the ride. He liked sitting and floating through rocks rather than bashing off everything on his bike (guess who had to do that for hours?)
•Very versitle bike with few changes. I dual sported it, I duned it, I rode woods, rocks, open desert, etc

KDX cons•OLD school technology, especially the suspension. I know more could have been done, but it would have taken a chassis swap or at least forks to keep me happy. Not much changed from 1995-2006, and in 1995 it wasn't even up to speed technology-wise.
•Great engine, but I still wanted more
•Wide seat, wide tank, somewhat heavy.
•Hurt to push it fast!

YZ pros•Fast fast fast! Even a stocker will blow the KDX away, and they have usable, smooth power. Mine just has more
•Ergonomics, nice and slim, pegs feel higher (my feet appretiate that in the rocks!)
•If you want something for it, someone makes it.
•Can be pushed very hard, and doesn't mind. Hardest thing for me to adjust to is just how hard I could hit washes, g-outs, and big jumps to flat landings. Seemed the harder I hit stuff (even rocks) the better the bike liked it. My speed increased a TON when I got used to this.
•People don't laugh at your little "girly bike"

YZ cons•Transmission spread. Seems I'm always wanting to change gears based on where I want to ride.
•Kind of stiff for slower riding, but that is my setup. I've ridden 2 stokers that were more plush than mine, but then they clanked out when I picked up the pace.
•Small stock tank, no reserve for when you forget to check it before doing "one more loop".
•No coolant catch can. Would be nice, although I've yet to boil mine. Even tried one day marking a harescramble course. Almost never got out of 1st, 100 degree heat, left it idling every time I was hammering a stake or putting up arrows. After many hours of that I found I was only down maybe 1/2" on coolant.
•19" rear rim. Not bad, but I am beating mine up good in the rocks.

I will add -

0I finally dove into suspension valving myself and the YZ was then great, plush in the rocks and roots, yet able to take a pretty decent hit. Worlds better than the KDX ever was for me.
The YZ transmission can be "corrected", wide ratio gears from the WR400, 426, and 450 will fit YZ250's, I can't remember if it's the 99+ or 2002+ YZ though.
Stock YZ is pretty linear and tame for a 2 stroke MX bike. Very easy to mellow out further with timing and jetting adjustments, as well as things like a throttle cam, fly wheel weight, etc
The YZ has been fairly unchanged from 2002 forward in terms of engine. 2005 brought the aluminum chassis and lothed twin chambers (although mine worked great once redone), and 2006 is the much sought after SSS forks.
Because of the few changes over a long time, and the bike's popularity, aftermarket support is off the charts! Anything and everything is available for the YZ. Want a 265, 280, 285, 295, 300, 325, or 345cc bike? Tons of pipes, silencers, CDI's, clutches, auto clutches, restyle plastic kits, etc etc etc are available. Lighting coils are the hard thing to find.
That said, I parted out my YZ and bought a KDX this fall. Even having made it to A class racing enduro/harescramble, I found the YZ had more power than I needed 99% of the time. And even with a quiet silencer that easily passed sound checks it was still pretty loud when "on it", and my 3 year old hated that. Lastly, I've had an itch to build a KDX hybrid for about 10 years now. Sadly, the bike I got, and our current "save every penny for the new house" situation means I won't be building that hybrid yet. Heck, I might end up parting this KDX with all the work it ended up needing.

Posted: **04:23 pm Jan 17 2014**

adam728 wrote:[*]That said, I parted out my YZ and bought a KDX this fall. Even having made it to A class racing enduro/harescramble, I found the YZ had more power than I needed 99% of the time. And even with a quiet silencer that easily passed sound checks it was still pretty loud when "on it", and my 3 year old hated that: [/list]

That's kind of what I did too. I was into KX250's converted to woods racers, but as when no longer racing, I found the KDX (with USD forks) did a better job for trail riding. My last 250 smoker was also a YZ and I noticed that the really tight trails I ride were more work due to the longer YZ wheelbase. The KDX has the shortest wheelbase of any bike I've owned. Once you get the USD forks on and dialed in, the KDX handles so much better than before, and will turn like none other.
For anything other than open desert, KDX's are just easier to ride - the energy level stays up longer.

Posted: **05:16 pm Jan 17 2014**

kawagumby wrote:
adam728 wrote:[*]That said, I parted out my YZ and bought a KDX this fall. Even having made it to A class racing enduro/harescramble, I found the YZ had more power than I needed 99% of the time. And even with a quiet silencer that easily passed sound checks it was still pretty loud when "on it", and my 3 year old hated that: [/list]
That's kind of what I did too. I was into KX250's converted to woods racers, but as when no longer racing, I found the KDX (with USD forks) did a better job for trail riding. My last 250 smoker was also a YZ and I noticed that the really tight trails I ride were more work due to the longer YZ wheelbase. The KDX has the shortest wheelbase of any bike I've owned. Once you get the USD forks on and dialed in, the KDX handles so much better than before, and will turn like none other.
For anything other than open desert, KDX's are just easier to ride - the energy level stays up longer.

I actually milled the slot in the swingarm and the steel backer plate on these yz so I could run the rear wheel about 3/16" further forward. Later I lowered the front and rear 1". Combine those things with getting the suspension sorted out and it turned a LOT better than when I first got it. I kept the whole front end to go on there kdx if I don't hybrid it. With the yz forks lowered 1" they are nearly exactly the same length as the KDX forks.

Posted: **06:29 pm Jan 17 2014**

You may have noticed I use YZ forks on my KDX's. Both my H models have 02 KX125 forks (open cartridge) which I have raised about 1-1/8 inches above the triple. They work flawlessly with just a compression stack revalve. For my weight (165 w/o gear) the stock 125 springs are perfect. The YZ triples are set for standard bars, but when the fatbar adaptors are installed they raise the bar just about right to clear the fork tops.

Depending upon the kind of trails you ride, you may find the KDX chassis works better than a hybrid. If dabbing is part of the action, and sitting off and on a good portion of time, the KDX is likely the better choice. You've got nothing to lose by trying the Yamaha forks on the KDX first...the difference was mind-blowing to me. In the most tricky situations the bike would track well, and the modded KDX saved it in a few situations what would have likely been a rough get-off on a taller bike.

Your milling a slot in the swingarm to shorten the wheelbase is a pretty cool idea -

The KDX triple stem was a press fit into the YZ triples after the stem was knurled a few thousandths.

Posted: **09:35 pm Jan 17 2014**

Goofaroo wrote:I've owned a couple of KTMs and ridden several others and I never understood why they can't build a seat. It's like they have never ridden one of their bikes before they put it in production.

Man, you got that right. I had an 300 XC-W and I hated the seat. Ride 35 miles in a day and you would not want to get back on it the next day.

Posted: **09:46 pm Jan 18 2014**

Thanks for the detailed replies. I appreciate the willingness of forum members to share the experiences with us new guys.

Posted: **12:57 am Jan 21 2014**

Just to add another opinion... last summer I picked up a 96 YZ250. Around the same time a friend offered to sell me his KDX220 (FMF pipe and other engine mods, stock suspension)... so I rode both bikes and few times and loved the KDX. Even though I really liked the KDX I ended up not getting it and decided to stick it out with my YZ.

I've now been riding the YZ mostly on technical trails and also on easy trails with my daughter. Over the past months I've gotten more and more comfortable on the YZ, yet I kept thinking about how much fun the KDX was... so a few weeks ago I end up buying a '01 KDX220 (completely stock).

This weekend was my first chance to ride the KDX and guess what?... I didn't like it! The suspension seamed like I was riding on marshmallows and felt very unstable. Even though the KDX has short wheel base, it felt very difficult to turn. I didn't care too much for the ergonomics and the low end power was no longer as appealing.

So I would say that bottom line... my opinion is that its more about familiarity and what you get accustomed to. I'd guess that if I only ride the KDX for the next six months then get on the YZ I won't like the YZ. I'd like to get back into doing some long cross country riding and the YZ gets horrible gas mileage so that's my current justification for keeping both bikes. The bikes are very different, yet both can be ridden to take advantage of their intended design and performance.

that's my $0.02

Posted: **03:07 pm Jan 14 2015**

I've got both bikes myself. I love both of them. Heres my bikes.

1998 KDX200. 2003 kx500 triple clamps and forks. kx125 wheel. Kept the KDX brakes. (they bolt on easy). RB'd carburetor and head mods. Boyseen Power Reeds. FMF rev pipe and turbine core II silencer.

2006 YZ250. FMF fatty pipe, v force 3 reeds. Suspension valved for "A" rider on trails and B rider on track.

A couple of years ago I bought a stock 1998 KDX that was still on stock top end (I had to replace cylinder when putting in new Wiseco top end). I found the stock bike very lacking for aggressive riding in stock form so I did front end conversion and motor and pipe mods. Really, Really woke the bike up and the bike is really fun to ride. I can go very fast on bike in current form but I still feel that at times I ride bike to hard for the 1998 frame when on mx track sections. Before being lambasted I know bike was not made for track riding. I have over 40 hrs on top end and have never fouled a plug no matter how I ride it. I love this when following kids on their bikes. It will idle all day long. It is awesome for this. When I want to go fast though I hate how short coupled the bike is. Some may like this, but I personally think that the wheel base is the KDX's #1 fault for my style riding. For going fast the KDX won't hang with the YZ in any area except top speed due to 6 gears. Believe it or not the YZ will also lug very well and I ride some very technical places, just takes very minor clutch work but not like riding a 125. It can be set up to tractor over things, but my setup is not for that. Thats why I have the KDX. If you think you may ever get into jumping, or really fast hare scramble racing, go with the YZ 250. If you ride with your buns on the seat a lot or plan on leisurely riding most of the time the KDX every time. If your like me and you do a little of both, buy the KDX first, then when you want more bike buy the YZ 250, but budget to keep the KDX because you will fall in love with it despite its shortfalls. They are both great bikes. YZ gets ridden the most. If I had to keep only 1 bike I would sell the KDX and modify the YZ with bigger fuel tank, fly wheel weight, gnarly pipe, hand guards. Thankfully my wife lets me keep 2 bikes.

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KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

Re: KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?

KDX 200 vs YZ 250 comparison?