2004 KDX 200 Rebuild

[Vossman]

This little bugger took some work. Had to torch it with MAP gas to get it hot enough to loosen whatever they used to seal it.

Just need to clean the cylinder off and it’ll go in the mail to get replated.

[KDXGarage]

MAN! Thanks for the pic.

[ericr]

That sealant is tough stuff. Glad to see it worked.

[KDX20098]

Looking through this makes me want a second KDX to restore while riding the one I currently have. I love this kind of work and enjoying the results of the effort. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing the pics and info!

[Vossman]

Anybody know what these markings are for? Another member thought possibly for keeping parts together during a rebuild.


The inside of this motor is so clean so I’m thinking it had to be rebuilt. I’ll post pics when I split the cases.

[G22inSC]

Do you know the history on that motor? I'm guessing that is from a shop that serviced the motor in the past.

[Vossman]

Clutch hub and baskets look good, not really notched enough to need filing.


Clutch springs need to be replaced as they are .015 out of limits. Still need to measure plates for warp and thickness.

Cylinder and piston went off to Powerseal USA Today too.

[KDXGarage]

Good situation on the clutch parts. Good job on the replating.

[Vossman]

Springs are cheap and Ericr gave me some intel on getting new disks if I need them so .

[ericr]

Looks good. Are there any grooves on the clutch basket or are those just marks? Mine were much worse.

[Vossman]

Finally got the power valves cleaned. Tried oven cleaner and that got some off and then soaked them in military CLP and was able to brush and scrape the rest of the carbon off.

[Vossman]

Looks good. Are there any grooves on the clutch basket or are those just marks? Mine were much worse.

Just those marks, I really can’t feel anything significant either.

[Vossman]

Ready to split the cases I think. Any need to take out the bolts circled in red? Got replacement bearings and seals for everything. Gonna take a break for a bit after this. I got parts in bags everywhere, gonna clean up and organize a bit and maybe work on the frame and swingarm. Just gonna touch up the frame with ColorRite paint I think. Paintings not a strength of mine.

[KDXGarage]

How is the base of the cylinder so clean??

[ericr]

No, to those items circled in red. If you're going all the way down to bare frame, you might want to consider powder coating.

[Molly's 70]

No, to those items circled in red. If you're going all the way down to bare frame, you might want to consider powder coating.

I agree. No need to remove those parts. Just split the case & remove/replace with the new parts.

[ericr]

One more item - that little bearing below the crankshaft is for the small end of the water pump shaft. A replacement bearing comes with a water pump rebuild kit. I have a Tusk Blind Bearing puller which will pull every bearing except that one. My old one was OK so I left it in. If you come up with a way to remove it, please let us know. There are some Youtube videos on using modelling clay, paper mache, or bread to push it out with pressure from the back side.

[Vossman]

How is the base of the cylinder so clean??

Don’t know about the cylinder, I only had to scrape near the bolt holes the rest just came off after a few drops of Kroil.

As far as the frame, I don’t wanna drop $250 to get it powder coated. Sounds kind of foolish when I say it out loud. The frame doesn’t need much, just a bit where the boots rub and the parts that extend out for protection in front of the shifter and rear brake. I’ll take a few pics tomorrow of it the sunlight.
Do I need to strip the swingarm before I paint it? It’s not quite the same color as the frame so I’m thinking maybe caliper paint might match better.

[KDXGarage]

It is really clean.

Try to look at some "after" pictures of powder coated frames, not just the "right after I got it back" pictures. I won't be having any of my frames powder coated.

A friend of mine painted his Suzuki RM250 with primer, paint and clear from Colorrite. It looked factory fresh incredible.


https://www.colorrite.com/product/honda ... --2702.cfm

https://www.colorrite.com/product/suzuk ... --2703.cfm

https://www.colorrite.com/product/yamah ... --2707.cfm

One of those might be worth a try on the swingarm if you are looking to totally paint it. I think they do have silver 25. Yep:

https://www.colorrite.com/product/kawas ... 5-1523.cfm

Besides the frame gentry gray of 2004.

https://www.colorrite.com/product/kawas ... y-1527.cfm

[ericr]

Try to look at some "after" pictures of powder coated frames, not just the "right after I got it back" pictures. I won't be having any of my frames powder coated.

I forgot how clean his bike is. He's lucky to only need touch ups. I'm curious though about your opinion about powder coating. What's wrong with it vs. paint?