1990 KDX200 Project Bike
Posted: 01:26 am Oct 12 2018
So instead of making a new post every time I do something new with the KDX, I figured I'd just compile everything into one thread, and keep updates here. Can't really call it a build, more of a refresh or a makeover, but I hope this thread helps anyone who could use any of the info/experience I've gained working on this bike.
Bought the bike for $750, ran great but was clearly not really cared for beyond basic oil changes. The plastics were faded, wiring poorly repaired and wrapped in many places, levers broken, grips falling off, and it leaked oil... the list goes on. The first thing we did was a basic oil change/tuneup, and threw on new grips and levers.
We rode it as it was for a little while, but eventually the oil leak got so bad it had to be addressed. It would dump oil from the clutch actuator arm seal when the clutch was engaged. I figured it needed a new seal, so I ordered one. When I pulled the cover off and removed the lever and arm, I found this:
The seal was so badly worn that the actuator would rub metal on metal with the clutch cover and wore that lovely groove into it. I couldn't find one for sale at the time, so I carefully filled in the groove with JB weld, and filed it smooth. Unfortunately I didn't think to get a picture of the repaired product, but this was over a year ago and it's held perfectly so far.
Next I wanted to try and address the bikes cosmetics a bit. The plastics were terribly faded, and replacements were very expensive (at least compared to other bikes I've worked on), so I figured I'd give restoring them a try.
Before sanding:
After wet sanding with 400, then 1000, then 2000 grit:
Next to the front fender, for comparison:
The rear fender was the hardest, by far:
I also threw on a more modern fender to update the look a little:
Ultimately I think they came out pretty good. Far from perfect, but much better than before, and the only thing I had to spend money on was sandpaper:
Now that the plastics looked better, it was time to address the torn, faded seat cover. The lady really wanted her seat in black, and we wanted to shave it down a bit to better suit her height (she's 5'2", the KDX is a bit tall for her). We ended up having a custom seat cover made for it, since nothing I could find would fit the super curvy trimmed seat. Came out great:
Not long after that, I found a set of forks off a 92 KDX250 for a really good price, so I jumped on the deal and swapped the set onto the 200:
Getting the forks mounted up was pretty simple, but there were a few mods to be made. I made a thread specifically for the fork swap, check it out here for more pics and the specifics on how it was done.
Still need to make a bracket to attach the brake line to the fork guard, but otherwise the forks look and work great. After all that work, I decided that I didn't like that basic white number plate on my pretty new forks. The time had come to repair and restore the front headlight.
Bought the bike for $750, ran great but was clearly not really cared for beyond basic oil changes. The plastics were faded, wiring poorly repaired and wrapped in many places, levers broken, grips falling off, and it leaked oil... the list goes on. The first thing we did was a basic oil change/tuneup, and threw on new grips and levers.
We rode it as it was for a little while, but eventually the oil leak got so bad it had to be addressed. It would dump oil from the clutch actuator arm seal when the clutch was engaged. I figured it needed a new seal, so I ordered one. When I pulled the cover off and removed the lever and arm, I found this:
The seal was so badly worn that the actuator would rub metal on metal with the clutch cover and wore that lovely groove into it. I couldn't find one for sale at the time, so I carefully filled in the groove with JB weld, and filed it smooth. Unfortunately I didn't think to get a picture of the repaired product, but this was over a year ago and it's held perfectly so far.
Next I wanted to try and address the bikes cosmetics a bit. The plastics were terribly faded, and replacements were very expensive (at least compared to other bikes I've worked on), so I figured I'd give restoring them a try.
Before sanding:
After wet sanding with 400, then 1000, then 2000 grit:
Next to the front fender, for comparison:
The rear fender was the hardest, by far:
I also threw on a more modern fender to update the look a little:
Ultimately I think they came out pretty good. Far from perfect, but much better than before, and the only thing I had to spend money on was sandpaper:
Now that the plastics looked better, it was time to address the torn, faded seat cover. The lady really wanted her seat in black, and we wanted to shave it down a bit to better suit her height (she's 5'2", the KDX is a bit tall for her). We ended up having a custom seat cover made for it, since nothing I could find would fit the super curvy trimmed seat. Came out great:
Not long after that, I found a set of forks off a 92 KDX250 for a really good price, so I jumped on the deal and swapped the set onto the 200:
Getting the forks mounted up was pretty simple, but there were a few mods to be made. I made a thread specifically for the fork swap, check it out here for more pics and the specifics on how it was done.
Still need to make a bracket to attach the brake line to the fork guard, but otherwise the forks look and work great. After all that work, I decided that I didn't like that basic white number plate on my pretty new forks. The time had come to repair and restore the front headlight.