1994 KDX 200 - Refresh after theft recovery

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 06:43 pm May 15 2016

So in April my beloved KDX was stolen from inside my garage. A few days later the police from the town nearby called and said they found my bike! Hooray for a theft report to the NOPD working! Thanks to my wife for pressing me to go through with it. In my after theft shock my pessimism was assuming it was a pointless act. I figured the bike would be ridden hard on the streets of New Orleans East and dumped in the Mississippi river, never to be seen again.

The officer said on the phone that the thief was riding on the levee along the river and a neighbor called in a complaint. The police came out to tell the guy to get off the levee and he tried to make a run for it on city streets. He ended up running a stop sign and was T boned. The police got him, he had a broken leg and cuts. The ambulance took him to the hospital and was arrested after he was done in the hospital.

I had asked the officer how the bike looked and he said it looked like the bars were bent and the fender was scratched. I think he was trying to protect my feelings...

So I went to the towing company lot where my bike was being held to pay and pick it up. $196 later and they rolled it out from behind the fence. It was a sad sight. Right side fork was snapped, covered in blue Plastidip, and bent handle bars were all immediately apparent.

I thanked the tow lot employee and my friend and I rolled the KDX into the bed of my truck. He got into the truck and I took a moment to whisper to the bike "I'm so sorry this happened to you; I'll take care of you, baby." LOL

So begins the rehab process...

eprovenzano · Post by **eprovenzano** » 06:48 pm May 15 2016

Sorry to hear this happened... Your right though, take a deep breath as you know you can rebuild her to be better than new

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 07:01 pm May 15 2016

Thanks! That's what I'm thinking.

Life lessons and an opportunity for growth.

Onwards and upwards!!

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 07:24 pm May 15 2016

I got the bike back home and after fortifying my chain and lock situation on the fence to the backyard where the thief gained entrance I added another motion light and alarms for the garage doors.

I surveyed the damage:

bent and twisted FMF pipe
broken fork leg
missing fork guard
bent handlebar
broken throttle assembly
missing Acerbis hand guard
missing aftermarket LED headlight
bent foot peg
road rashed FMF silencer
bent radiator
broken water pump cover
bent bolt on plastic governor housing
blue Plastidip on everything
assumed that they ran the 1/4 tank of premix and then refilled with regular gas (an assumption, but I guess that's worst case scenario)

sarrant · Post by **sarrant** » 07:42 pm May 15 2016

horrible.

What exactly is going on with the fork leg? I've never seen a fork leg come apart like that. Is it a botched disassembly attempt or crash damage?

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 08:36 pm May 15 2016

In my free time I started peeling the plastidip off and dismantling the bike.

I found a set of KDX250 forks and a new front axle bolt on ebay and ordered them.

I realized that the kdx250 forks are a larger diameter than the kdx 200 forks. I ordered a kdx250 triple tree from ebay also.

I replaced the dx200 triple and forks with the 250 forks and the front wheel bolted right in.

I also ordered a used water pump housing from ebay.

I ordered a gasket for the water pump housing and the governor housing, a new clutch handle and perch, new bars as well as some replacement bolts from Rocky Mountain ATV MC.

And I continued the tear down and cleaning process. I hate rubbing plastidip off, but I'm glad they didn't spray the bike with actual paint; that would definitely be harder to clean!

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 08:39 pm May 15 2016

sarrant wrote:horrible.

What exactly is going on with the fork leg? I've never seen a fork leg come apart like that. Is it a botched disassembly attempt or crash damage?

The bottom of the fork tube broke where it was attached to the bottom casting. Moderate speed impact with a moving car did it!

You can sort of see how it tore out.

rparrish08 · Post by **rparrish08** » 09:47 pm May 15 2016

I've had bikes stolen before. It sucks. Glad you got yours back. A wrecked bike is better than no bike.

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 10:21 pm May 15 2016

thanks!

Yes I'm glad to have it back, this is one of those bikes that I don't ever plan to sell!

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 10:25 pm May 15 2016

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331843888421

has anyone used this throttle assembly?

I see it listed for the e series kdx, so it should work, but on motion pros website it says it needs a motion pro specific throttle cable,

does anyone have any input?

I also see these options:

http://www.g2ergo.com/store/domino-thro ... x200-84-06

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271147815352

I assume the Domino brand is the better choice. They don't mention any need for a different cable either.

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 10:29 pm May 15 2016

I'm also looking for radiators and coming up short for E series options.

I've found a few for the 95-up KDX on ebay, they look similar in mounting tabs and hose fittings to the OEM radiators I have on my bike.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201554162227

Has anyone run this style on an E series KDX 200?

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 11:15 pm May 15 2016

While browsing for parts online I started searching for a replacement pipe. Along the way I found a company that offers pipe repair. It was something I was interested in, so I emailed them to get an estimate. They responded promptly and quoted me $120 plus shipping to fix my pipe. This was definitely better than buying a new FMF at ~$200.

I saw on their web page that they did a contest on Instagram for free pipe repair. Post a photo and use #wreckedpipewednesday and you're entered for a free repair. What the heck, I'll give that a shot; it never hurts to try right?

I won!

http://www.piperepair.com/

Check out the pic of my instagram post near the bottom of their page!

I mailed the pipe to them last week and hopefully soon I'll have a freshly repaired pipe.

If anyone has a pipe that needs repair work done, shoot them an email and some pics. The two people I have spoken with are very helpful and friendly. From what I see on their site, they can fix some things that I would have assumed most people would consider a lost cause.

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 11:46 pm May 15 2016

Chilly · Post by **Chilly** » 09:49 am May 16 2016

Tthey should start cutting people's hands off that steal. People work hard for what they have and some low life wants to ruin it. Sad thing is the guy that did it is probably back on the streets and looking to do it again. This world needs to go to eye for an eye tooth for a tooth law. Sorry to rant and sorry to hear about your bike.

eprovenzano · Post by **eprovenzano** » 10:08 am May 16 2016

I agree I hate plastidip, but they may have did you a favor... the plastidip may have protected the plastic from further damage... As I assume your are going to do, I'd pull the head to check the condition of the piston and cylinder... You're doing a great job of rebuilding the old girl. This is a thread I'm going to follow, as it's nice to see the progress you've made already.

david · Post by **david** » 10:52 am May 16 2016

Pressure washer at the local car wash will get the rest of the plasti-dip off.

I hate thieves. The '96 ZXI in my sig was stolen in '03, I got a call from a Texas game warden that they found it.....in 2013! Yep, I got it back in relatively good condition 10 years later. I figured it had been parted out on eBay many years ago. Good luck on the rebuild.

Sullyfam · Post by **Sullyfam** » 03:20 pm May 16 2016

jaywylie wrote:
I saw on their web page that they did a contest on Instagram for free pipe repair. Post a photo and use #wreckedpipewednesday and you're entered for a free repair. What the heck, I'll give that a shot; it never hurts to try right?

I won!

http://www.piperepair.com/

Check out the pic of my instagram post near the bottom of their page!

Glad you are getting a little bit of good out of all the bad!

6 Riders · Post by **6 Riders** » 08:26 pm May 16 2016

Sorry about the bike, thieves SUCK!
At the least (or best) you get to rebuild your KDX.

I just got delivery of the D2 Moto rads in today, I'll check fitment on the E bikes and let you know if it looks even close. The radiators are VERY nice and worth the $65.00 IMO. They come complete with cap and all plugs installed.
For the throttle tube, get one for a KX 125/250 (no 'EFF' bikes), those throttles turn a bit faster and are great on the KDX (at least I like mine).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-KAWASAKI-K ... Z6&vxp=mtr
or if you want the OEM style (for a KDX)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/87-Kawasaki-KX5 ... Ha&vxp=mtr This one needs a new tube of course.

OK, I checked the radiator fitment, Left side is good, but the right Rad is longer than the E-series. It looks like it would bolt up, but the tank is lower and could interfere with the pipe. You would also need the louvers from an H series bike.

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 09:53 pm May 16 2016

6 Riders wrote:Sorry about the bike, thieves SUCK!
At the least (or best) you get to rebuild your KDX.

I just got delivery of the D2 Moto rads in today, I'll check fitment on the E bikes and let you know if it looks even close. The radiators are VERY nice and worth the $65.00 IMO. They come complete with cap and all plugs installed.
For the throttle tube, get one for a KX 125/250 (no 'EFF' bikes), those throttles turn a bit faster and are great on the KDX (at least I like mine).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-KAWASAKI-K ... Z6&vxp=mtr
or if you want the OEM style (for a KDX)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/87-Kawasaki-KX5 ... Ha&vxp=mtr This one needs a new tube of course.

OK, I checked the radiator fitment, Left side is good, but the right Rad is longer than the E-series. It looks like it would bolt up, but the tank is lower and could interfere with the pipe. You would also need the louvers from an H series bike.

Excellent! Not exactly what I was hoping to hear, but now I know about the radiator fitment. I appreciate you taking the time to try it for me!

jaywylie · Post by **jaywylie** » 08:41 pm Aug 14 2016

it's been a while since I updated this thread so here goes...

It's been super hot and I've been busy at work and just haven't wanted to be outside in the garage after work unless I needed to be.

I've stripped the bike down to the frame and repainted it using VHT "grabber green" paint. Color match is close. Not perfect, but it's the best I was able to find off the shelf for a reasonable price. 1 spray can seems to have been enough to spray the entire frame and hide the areas where the paint had worn through - particularly near the footrests.

I got my FMF pipe back from piperepair.com. They did an excellent job! It took a couple of weeks from the time I shipped to them from New Orleans, LA to Oregon. They stayed in contact to keep me aware of the progress and I am truly amazed at the finished result! 10 of 10 would recommend.

I've bought some new parts - OEM and aftermarket - to throw at the bike.
new handlebars
new throttle tube
kx throttle
new handguards
new clutch lever
kdx250 forks, triples, axle
new headlight housing
new front and rear wheel bearings
new front and rear brake pads
new air filter
new chain
water pump housing
gaskets, hardware, etc...

So I'm letting the paint dry and plan to order a few more parts, like new tires and tubes, refinish the swingarm, decide on a graphics kit, re clean everything well, reassemble, and FINALLY RIDE AGAIN!

I've missed out on this summer, but the weather hasn't been great on my days off, so I'm looking forward to riding when the temps drop just a little and it doesn't rain for weeks on end!

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