Hello from NC

[shunpiker]

Hi everyone,

I hope all are safe and staying healthy. Earlier this year, I purchased a second KDX220, and it was probably time for me to introduce myself around here and say hey to everyone. I’ve been a long-time street rider (old BMW airheads), and I did some amateur road racing with WERA in the 90s and early 00s (SR500 and RD400). I started dirt/woods riding ~ 2015. The transition from 100% (mas o menos) traction of the asphalt to the always-changing traction of the dirt was the biggest difference. That and the rocky, rooty hill climbs. I've progressed a lot, and know that there is still much for this wee grasshopper to learn.

I bought a 2003 KDX220 about 4 years ago, and I loved the transition from 4-stroke thump (coming from a TTR250) to 2-stroke intensity. The bike had an FMF Gnarley (woods? pipe, ~13” circumference) installed with the Turbinecore2 silencer, and I thought the power was great with the tractor-like low-end that it delivered. It was so much more manageable than I expected, and this old, slow guy loved it. What a super-duper woods bike!

So, I contacted a friend/acquaintance that I knew owned a 220 that he wasn’t riding, and I purchased that bike several months ago. It has the stock pipe and silencer on it. Wow… I love the mid-range and top-end punch it has (it's peppier than my 2003 bike)! I had to clean a couple of grams of sand out of the 2002's carb to get it to run well. Strangely enough, the fuel and the inside of the tank were both relatively clean. At the end of last month, I put new bearings in the swingarm and shock linkage, and then I raced it in my first (charity fund-raiser) enduro. It's been a good bike.

Quick questions:
Neither bike has a side stand. Should I be concerned about water/mud getting into those empty bolt holes on the swingarm?
Is it okay to mix various brands of Type-F (and put in the transmission)? I've got 4 bottles with about 200ml in each of them; would be great to use all 4 at one oil change.

On the 2003 KDX (that I’ve had for a while), I've just this week disassembled the top end to clean the (grody) exhaust valve. I didn't have a good photo of either bike, so I'll share this one of what was lurking under the power valve cover.
I'll have some questions about it, but I'll keep searching or start another thread for those.

Thanks for everything!

John

[bufftester]

Welcome and congrats on the bikes. Make sure those 220s have the OEM pistons removed, well documented issue with them coming apart (and I just experienced it myself because I suck at following advice lol).

[KDXGarage]

Welcome. DO worry about water and other stuff getting into the bolt holes. After flushing and drying, a spray of oil to protect, then cover them up. tape, bolts, something

Power valve parts of any brand do carbon up with time and/or rich jetting.

[shunpiker]

Welcome and congrats on the bikes. Make sure those 220s have the OEM pistons removed, well documented issue with them coming apart (and I just experienced it myself because I suck at following advice lol).

Ha! Yes your post was well-written. I chuckled at "... "guess you should have taken you own advice" or some such rubbish."

Welcome. DO worry about water and other stuff getting into the bolt holes. After flushing and drying, a spray of oil to protect, then cover them up. tape, bolts, something

Thanks for that. It confirms my suspicions, since I didn't find any type of drain/weep hole in the swingarm. I made sure it was dry (had a fan blowing across it for about a week). I was able to find some short bolts to fit the holes on the 2002 machine, and I had already filled the 2003's with RTV sealant

[KDXGarage]

Good job. I think some people want a MX look, while few are actually racing hare scrambles, where no kick stand makes some sense.

[MoonStomper]

RE: kickstands

When I visited Jeff Fredette I noticed he leaves the OEM stand on all his bikes. Not many trees around where he lives though!