1988 KDX200 build thread : The gift that keeps on giving (me headaches)

[TheGarBrah]

Long Story short: Back in 2018 I was looking for a good introductory dirt bike and decided that a KDX200 would be a solid choice for a first bike. I searched craigslist and found a killer deal (or so I thought). I live in Los Angeles and I found a good looking bike about 2hrs from the city up in Ojai CA. I loaded up my van and headed to pick up the bike.

Soon as I arrive I notice that the bike I thought I was going to buy wasn't exactly what was in the pictures. Turned out the guy had 3 different bikes and the "killer deal " was for the wrong bike. Flustered and mildly pissed I told the guy I showed up to buy a bike and wasn't planning on going home empty handed. The bike I bought was literally a rolling frame and a bin with split cases and a bunch of part. I figured $120 would buy me enough of a project to where the worst thing that would happen would be a bunch of lessosn. And I was right...

Originally the bike was completely rusted , with a barely a visible hint of green paint. The plastics were in decent shape and to my surprise almost all of the original parts where there.

In the beginning I decided to keep it cost effective and DIY for my first build . Looking back I would have started things off a whole lot different.
1). I should have had everything sandblasted engine, frame, wheels, nuts / bolts, and basically everything. Its not worth polishing and sanding,etc.
2) I should have powder coated the components and just taken care of all the major work in one fall swoop. Not worth the headache trying to do this yourself. Now I know
3) While doing the engine work was a learning process and I enjoy doing it, it is NOT a good idea for anyone who does not already have experience or at the very least all the tools. DO NOT buy a dissassembled engine if you don't have to .
4). Most valueable lesson was that you should pick a part of the project you like doing the most and stick to spending most of your time on that component and then farm out the majority of the work. Trying to learn everything from scratch just equals a whole ton of headache and heartbreak. Ya gotta really be a glutton for punishment if you buy a bike in a box... now I know.

Fast forward to 2020 and I've got the engine reassembled and waiting for some minor adjustments to the crankshaft before I start full re-assmebly. Completely redid all the bearings, seals, gaskets, and added a Wiseco Piston . I soda blasted the engine myself and it came out OK so I'll most likely throw some engine paint on the case and the cylinder and possibly the head.

The paint job is rattle can Duplicolor Hyundai Silver. The Duplicolor products are WAY better than other brands that I've tried and fairly cheap from Pep boys. I upgraded most of the hardware to new components or polished existing stuff that was too expensive to replace.

I use Duplicolor engine enamel black for some of the stuff like the shock spring, handle back, levers , etc. Its got a nice gloss and easy to patch up .

Currently ordered new sprockets, chain, grips, throttle cable, new front rim, tires, decals, and paint for the plastics.

I plan on rattle can painting the original plastics and adding a couple new pieces that I'm missing.

[TheGarBrah]

One of the gremlins I had to deal with were stripped screws on the front disc break lever assembly. Man it was a huge pain in the ass removing the screws without ruining the threads. My dad ended up figuring out a decent approach to holding the assembly in a vise without slipping in the drill press.

[KDXGarage]

Looks great!

PLEASE don't paint the plastics. 99% of the ones I have seen don't turn out too well.

[Pressingonward]

Nice job! I'm rebuilding an 88 right now too. Didn't come in a box, but might as well have...

I like your fixture for drilling out the master cylinder screws. I was eyeing those last night thinking they might not come out nicely.

[TheGarBrah]

Progress has been a little slow on the KDX build due to waiting on parts on and finding extra time. I've been trying to finish up a Honda CT70 build so I can clear some shop space . I also ended up finding a honda ct110 honey hole and bought 15 of them last week so... the KDX is gonna be a little lonley until I can put back the engine.

The goal is to have the engine back together before the end of the month (pics to come) or at least have all the hardware put together. I'll tackle the paint job once all the parts are back on the bike.

I was a little concerned about how stiff my crankshaft felt after I put the cases back together so I went to my local mechanic and had a second opinion. He said it didn't feel "factory" spec and that I could split the cases and see what is wrong, or it could be a lack of lube when I was assembling and that it could loosen up a bit once there is oil in the case. He said that it will run and probably be fine, but there is a chance that the issue could shorten the life of the motor over time. I'll probably give it a shot and see how the bike runs and if it is a noticeable issue then I'll get back to disassembling the thing. Considering I put all new bearing and seals I'm kind of scratching my head on what the issue could be

[KDXGarage]

MAN! That guy (now you) had a ton of the same bikes!

Congrats from a lime green hoarder!

[kdxsully]

Nice view, story, and opinion. Lots of good info for new builders or future builders. Don’t rattle can plastics. If the crank feels like uninstalled, sometimes it just needs to be centered between the cases. Otherwise use a feeler gauge to see if the shimming is in spec (side to side)

[TheGarBrah]

Everything with the crank seems to be within factory (Clymer Manual ) spec and I'll double check the centering of the crank within the cylinder. My only guess for the issue is that the bearing might be at fault . When I placed the new bearing in the casing and installed it the bearing seemed to turn only with a considerable level of force compared to the other bearings. I was told that this was standard and wouldn't be an issue.

We shall see....

I'm going to put some time on assembly this week and update with actual build threads instead of pics of other bikes haha

[TheGarBrah]

Progress has been a bit slow lately on the bike but I have gradually been putting back the engine together and getting parts delivered. Upgraded the piston to a standard diameter Wiseco and decided to put in a new ECB clutch plate set . The front brake caliper boots look shot so I ordered a kit from powerhouse sports . I bought a new rim from ebay and am ordering new tires . Once I get the new tires I'll have the rims and engine bead blasted . I might paint the engine but I kind of like the idea of a raw looking engine and might just throw engine clear over the aluminum.

One of the questions I have is about upgrading the magneto & wiring to handle a better headlight down the line. Is there any particular thread on here that goes into the pro / cons of this process ?

Hopefully I'll have the engine completely assembled by the end of the week and start putting things back on the bike !

Painting plastics will be the last thing I do on the bike. I'm going to give the rattle can process a shot and see how that pans out. Worst case scenario is I'll redo it , but I plan on going with a SEM plastic paint kit and try and do it right the first go around

[Pressingonward]

There are a few threads around on the topic of rewinding the lighting coil for 12v and more output. A search should turn them up - I don't have any links handy. One of the stator companies offers a higher output coil iirc - maybe Ricky stator?

I plan to investigate the stock output and then do a rewind when I get my bike going (if that ever happens...) and add a Trail Tech reg/rec to convert it over to DC power so I can run an LED light and a few other farkles. There is an excellent thread over on advrider called "Stators demistifyed" if you want to learn about rewinding your own coil.

[TheGarBrah]

Managed to get a little bit of progress done on the KDX . I had painted the the engine case and upper portion back in July and then got tied up with other stuff. I bought a decent front caliper rebuild kit off ebay (expensive at $25 but it fit decent and seemingly has nice components). So I stripped down the brake calipers and threw it in an ultrasonic cleaner and then put it under the wire brush . Seems it came out ok. I'm going to try and reassemble the engine and put it on the frame this weekend and might attempt to re spoke my rims .... Havent decided how much torture I want to endure in one weekend.

I was also just thinking of having the rims sandblasted and being done with it for now... but with this much time and money already into this bike is it really going to make much of a difference .

Any suggestions on spoke kits for the bike? I've read up on different options on the forum and was just wondering if there are kits out there under $70 ?

[KDXGarage]

Looking good!

[Pressingonward]

Nice progress!

For spokes I saw a set of OEM Kawasaki spokes pop up on eBay a month or two ago, not sure if they're still on there or not but it might be worth checking.

[TheGarBrah]

Thanks KDXGarage!

In regards to spokes it seem as thought the OEM part numbers for the KX and KDX are the same from 85-88 for spokes&nipples . Now I am wondering how to tell if I really need a new set or if I just need to check mine out and see which need to be replaced. If so , where can I get solid info on how to do that. OR... maybe I just sandblast my damned rims and go from there ?

[KDXGarage]

Get some soap and a green Scotch Brite pad. Some spokes will clean right up if not too far gone. Put a couple of drops of penetrating oil on top of the spoke nipple, then keep spinning the wheel to do all of them. If you do it with the wheel off it won't leak out so easily from the nipples above.

[TheGarBrah]

Well the spokes and rims were much further gone than a soap and scrub solution could fix. I ended up seeing which spokes I could salvage and how many I would need to order and replace. Turns out it was an absolute huge pain in the ass. Easiest way would be to order a new complete set and just saw the old ones off and start fresh.

I wired wheeled what I could and will end up ordering more spokes. The rear hub will get some love and I'm debating doing rattle can job or maybe seeing what powdercoat coloring I can do with the hub. Considering a black hub.

Luckily for me the front wheel I bought off ebay is in better condition and cleaning that rim and spokes should be a little less of a headache

[KDXGarage]

Soda blast the hub.

Buy replacement OEM spokes and nipples as needed.

[javjacob]

Projects like this are a headache but you will have a really nice classic bike when finished. As for the crankshaft I would send it to Crankworks or another crank rebuilder and have it rebuilt to be on the safe side. You dont want to finish the bike only to have the crank go out and possibly tear up a bunch of other parts with it.

[KDXGarage]

Projects like this are a headache but you will have a really nice classic bike when finished. As for the crankshaft I would send it to Crankworks or another crank rebuilder and have it rebuilt to be on the safe side. You dont want to finish the bike only to have the crank go out and possibly tear up a bunch of other parts with it.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

[TheGarBrah]

At this point I'll test my luck with the crankshaft. I took it to a couple mechanics and they said that it should be fine as long as I'm not racing or doing anything to wild with the bike. Now I'm not sure what that all means, but if I blow the motor and tear everything up on the bike then I'll just deal with it and rebuild it again.

At this point I'm also considering having the frame powdercoated. I tried keeping this thing a "poor mans" type build but at this point I don't think that gonna happen with how far along I am and the time I've but into this thing. The frame looks good so far, but it might be best just to go with a powdercoat and not have regrets . Originally I was going to fix this thing up quick and probably ride it for a bit as an intro bike and then sell it and move up the ladder. But now we're in a "serious relationship" and I'm gonna keep this thing for a while .

After seeing projects like KawaGumby's I just don't see myself going the cheap route anymore, and would love to have a bike thats of the same caliber and know that I did it all myself (every damn nut and washer at least twice _