How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Discussion specific to the 1995 - 2006 KDX200 (H Series) and 1995 - 2005 KDX220R (A Series) models sold in the USA
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How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by jimboe »

I registered with KDXRider.net last year and have been gathering valuable info from many of you about setting up my own 1999 KDX200.
Now I would like to share the experience I’ve had installing a Lectron. There are a couple Lectron threads already, but they discuss a wide variety of issues and I wrote this one specifically about what it took to get their carb to fit my bike, which was NOT easy!

I invite other KDXRiders with Lectrons to comment on the challenges and solutions to their installations in hopes Lectron will make improvements and everyone who is considering one will feel confident about making the investment.

When I bought my KDX the previous owner said the stock Keihin carb had been problematic. I rode the bike a few times and it ran rich so I made several attempts to lean the jetting, but it still ran rich and made a lot of smoke and spooge, and fouled the plug.

I pulled the top end and the cylinder needed re-plating and a new piston so I sent it to Millenium Technology. I also took a closer look inside the Keihin at the needle jet block o-ring. It looked to be intact so I left it alone. In hindsight, I should have just replaced it and the other seals because the carb was 22 years-old.

I put the motor back together and broke it in per Jeff Slavens recommendations. The bike ran better, but was still rich with pretty lean jets and fouled the plug after a few rides.

I did a compression check and it was within spec at 145 psi. I did a leak-down test to make sure it wasn’t sucking transmission oil past the crankshaft seal. The leak-down test showed no leaks.

I had been considering buying a Lectron rather than continuing to mess with the Keihin because I’d seen some positive reviews. I checked their website and saw there was a Lectron for the “KDX”. The webpage stated the Lectron was larger than the stock carb and was “modified for fit on the KDX.” They did warn that an over-sized reed block (i.e. Boysen Rad or V-Force), would require additional modifications to get their carb to fit the KDX. I had the stock reed block so I wasn’t concerned.

I also looked at the SmartCarb website, but they only showed carbs for the KX models. I called SmartCarb and asked about the KDX and was told they did not have a carb to fit my bike yet, but hoped to do some R&D in the future to try and make one fit.

I ordered the Lectron for my KDX in July 2021 and received a 34mm Power Jet carb, part# 1530-KDX. It was $515 and came with a new Barnett throttle cable and metering rod adjustment tool. Lectron recommends the Motion Pro Vortex MX-style throttle, but they were out of stock so I searched the internet and found one.

My Lectron looked well-crafted. I'm a retired machinist so I recognized the good workmanship. I removed the gas tank, rear fender, and air box so I wouldn’t have to struggle getting the Lectron into the rubber manifold and air box boot at the same time. I tried to insert the carb into the manifold, but it wouldn't go. I removed the manifold from the bike and tried to push the Lectron into it, but it still wouldn’t go.

There are machined sleeves on both ends of the Lectron. I measured the diameter of the front sleeve and it was 1.800” (45.7mm). The stock Keihin diameter is only 1.650” (42mm). The Lectron wouldn’t go into my rubber manifold because it was .150” (3.8mm) bigger diameter than the stock carb. The stock carb fits into the rubber manifold like a glove. I was surprised the Lectron wasn’t machined to the same dimensions. In contrast, the rear sleeve of the Lectron that goes into the air box boot was machined to the same dimensions as the stock carb and fit perfectly there.

Lectron 2 Edited.JPG
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ABOVE: I put the Lectron and Keihin face to face to show the big difference in diameter to fit in the manifold.

I emailed Lectron about the carb being too big for the rubber manifold and the Marketing Director replied, “That’s pretty normal. Throw the intake flange in some hot water for about 15 minutes and you should be able to pop the Lectron right in there.”

Before I did that, I took a Dremel grinder with a small sanding drum and ground a small chamfer on the opening edge of the manifold to help get the Lectron started into the opening. I heated the manifold and used tire installation lube and was finally able to force the Lectron part-way into the manifold, but the carb sleeve was so big it distorted the manifold quite a bit. I worried about the 22 year-old manifold splitting open.

I checked the rear sleeve that fits into the air box boot and it was the same diameter as the stock carb and fit in the boot perfectly.

I examined and measured the inside contour of the manifold and realize the Lectron wouldn’t go all the way in not only because it was too big, but also because it hit a rubber stop molded into the manifold. The Lectron needed to go another 1/8” (3mm) deeper into the manifold to be far enough forward for the top of the slide housing to clear the bike's frame, otherwise the carb was leaned over to the left about 45º.

Lectron Not Fitting In Manifold Edited.JPG
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ABOVE: I stuffed the Lectron into the manifold as far as it would go, but it needed to go at least another 1/8" to be far enough forward to clear the frame.

Lectron Wont Fit Upright Edited.JPG
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ABOVE: This is as far upright as the carb would go because it wasn't far enough forward in the manifold for the top of the slide cap to clear the frame.

I thought about removing the front sleeve, but then the Lectron would be too loose in the manifold. I emailed Lectron again and explained that the sleeve was too big to fit in the manifold. The Marketing Director said KDXs have numerous carb-fit issues and he didn’t have any options at the time, but hoped to in the future. I told him that 1995 through 2006 KDX200 use the same carbs and manifolds so the Lectron could be made to fit all of those models. I don’t know about previous year models.

I realized that my options were to either return the carb for a refund before I modified or damaged it, or take a chance and try to solve the problem myself. I emailed back and asked if the sleeves were attached to the carb body securely enough for me to chuck the Lectron in a lathe and do some light machining on the front sleeve to get it to fit better in the manifold. He said the carb casting was machined for a snug fit with the sleeve and epoxied to secure it. He said he believed it should be secure enough for light machining.

I carefully measured the contours inside the manifold and the outside of the Keihin and came up with dimensions to modify the Lectron front sleeve. I also noticed that the Lectron front sleeve had a shallow groove in it to allow a corresponding ring in the manifold to fit in to help seal against a vacuum leak. Unfortunately, the ring was cut into the sleeve at an incorrect location for the manifold ring to fit in it. I confirmed this by comparing the groove location on the stock carb. I noticed that if the sleeve had been installed on the Lectron the other way around, that groove would have been in the correct location for the manifold ring to fit in it, leading me to believe the front sleeve was installed backwards.

I made a list of modifications for the front Lectron sleeve as well as for the rubber manifold in order for them to fit better together. My biggest fear was of the carb coming loose from the lathe chuck and flying through the air (and hitting me in the head) while I was machining it so I made a plug to insert in the carb bore and used a live center to hold the plug. My second concern was damaging the $100 rubber manifold. Here are the modifications I made:

1. Lathe: I turned down the outside diameter of the front Lectron sleeve from 1.800” (45.7mm) to 1.740” (44.2mm). I wanted to turn it all the way down to the diameter of the Keihin, 1.650”, but that would remove the majority of the sleeve and leave a very thin wall thickness.

2. Lathe: I chamfered the leading edge of the sleeve so it would go into the manifold opening easier.

3. Lathe: The existing sealing ring groove on the sleeve disappeared when I turned to outside diameter down in step one so I had to cut a new groove into the outside diameter in the correct location of the sleeve for the manifold sealing ring.

4. I used a Dremel tool with a small sanding drum as described above to sand a small lead chamfer in the rubber manifold to help insert the Lectron.

5. I also used the Dremel sanding drum to carefully sand down the molded stop in the manifold at about the same angle as the chamfer on the carb sleeve to allow the Lectron to be inserted far enough in (forward) so the carb clears the frame enough to be able to stand it upright, or nearly upright, as it turned out. I had to beware of damaging the sealing ring surfaces of the manifold lest I suffer the dreaded vacuum leak.

Lectron Carb Sleeve - Unmodified_20211101_160822.jpg
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ABOVE: This is the way the sleeve came from Lectron.

Lectron Carb Sleeve - Modified to fit KDX200 Manifold_20211101_162152.jpg
Lectron Carb Sleeve - Modified to fit KDX200 Manifold_20211101_162152.jpg (175.04 KiB) Viewed 9584 times
ABOVE: These are the dimensions for the modifications that allowed the sleeve to fit inside my manifold far enough to stand the carb almost upright. I sent this drawing to Lectron and told them these changes made the difference in fitting their carb.


Thankfully, these modifications allowed me to fit the Lectron in my bike, but there was still some minor fiddling as I put the bike back together.

* The gas tank and petcock interfered with the throttle cable and I ended up routing the cable around the outside (left side) of the petcock to ensure it didn’t get kinked or stick. Some owners have complained about the throttle cable not being the right length, but mine fits perfectly.

* The top of the Lectron rests against the frame so I cut a small piece of rubber to put between them to try to reduce vibration in the carb. I did some light filing on a corner of the top of the slide cap to reduce interference with the frame. I also replaced one of the cap screws with a counter-sunk screw for a lower profile.

* The choke knob is on the right side of the carb and the knob hit the frame when I lifted it open. I cut away part of the knob to clear the frame. It is difficult to reach from either side of the bike to open and close it. Fortunately, I only need to use the choke when the bike is cold. I open the choke, start the bike for about 30 seconds then stop the engine and close the choke. Then it’s ready to ride.

I tried to post a photo of the finished carb installed in my bike but couldn't add any more photos. I will post the photo in a posting below.

HOW DOES IT RUN???
I was happy and relieved when I started the bike and rode it around. The Lectron was a good solution to my problematic Keihin, except for the effort and risk it took to get it to fit. The bike usually starts 1st-kick and runs great!

The original metering was almost perfect. I followed the Lectron Tuning Manual for setting the idle and understanding how to adjust the metering rod and Power Jet. I have adjusted the metering rod ¼ turn leaner and turned the Power Jet adjuster a tiny amount leaner. The mixture feels and seems “right” for all throttle openings and the bike has come to life. I’m using Golden Spectro at 53:1 with non-ethanol premium. The throttle is crisp, snappy, and has nice, smooth low-end as well as good acceleration into the 2-stroke “hit” which is a blast that can lift the front wheel and/or slide the rear tire.

I have ridden various motorcycles all my long life, but this is my first real dirt bike so I am learning the basics of low-speed balance, clutch skills, and single-track maneuvering which require a lot of slow riding at the bottom of the power band. The Lectron performs well down there.

I have not had a good chance to measure my fuel mileage because I spend so much time at low speeds.

Yes, I probably could have fixed the Keihin and gotten it to run right, but it would not have ideal jetting for the varied altitudes where I ride - 2,000’ to 7,500’ in single day.

I noticed several people in the forum say they would consider a Lectron for their KDX if they were confident it would fit. I have shared the modifications I made with Lectron and encouraged them to machine the front sleeve to the dimensions I used. I recommend calling them before ordering one and asking if they made the changes to the sleeve if you don’t want to take the risks and trouble of doing them yourself. I also DON’T recommend going to the trouble I went through unless you really know your way around a lathe. Take too heavy of a cut and the carb will be ripped out of the chuck, and nothing good will come of that.

Even if Lectron does change the sleeve dimensions, KDX owners may find it necessary to do the light sanding on their intake manifolds I described to help the Lectron fit. Even still, the carb won’t fit like a glove, it will fit more like one of OJ Simpson’s gloves, but it should still work wonderfully.

Feel free to send me a personal message if you have any questions.
Good luck.
Jim
'99 KDX200, '12 690 Enduro R, '08 Multistrada 1100S, '93 900SS, '46 Aeronca Champ
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by jimboe »

Here is the modified Lectron installed on my '99 KDX200. Notice the top of the carb is against the frame, preventing the carb from sitting completely upright, and the throttle cable wraps to the left (outside) of the petcock. It clearly isn't a factory installation but it works great!

Modified Lectron Installed in KDX200.jpg
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by SS109 »

Wow, that was a lot of risk on your part to get it to somewhat fit. Kudos to you! It's sad that I know Lectron has been made aware of the fitment issues with the KDX but still hasn't done squat to rectify the issues. Eh, as long as you're happy with it is all that matters!

On a side note... '46 Aeronca Champ! I'm truly jealous! :supz:
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by KDXGarage »

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by Slick_Nick »

Looks good! With the new Billetron I think it's much more compact and should fit more easily.

That is the factory location for the throttle cable by the way.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by TwistedRoot »

Thanks for the post Jimbo. Great info.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by GATOROC »

Wow! I'm surprised at all of the issues you experienced! I've been running a Lectron on my 220 for several years now, and it's worked great from day one. The only concern I had was with the Barnett throttle cable, and had to max it way out to take up the slack. I picked up another Lectron for my 200 a few months ago, and that one installed fine as well without any issues.

Since a member on here (Tyl3r, I think) worked with Barnett in the past to get a custom cable built, I reached out to them to tell them how crappy the cable they provide with the Lectron is, and that pretty much everyone says it won't adjust enough to take all the slack out. I thought that we came up with the perfect solution with the elbow and a mid-adjuster, but I still have one issue. The problem is with the elbow that screws into the top of the carburetor. Once it bottoms out into the top plate, there's only one direction it can face. If it's not towards the front of the bike, as is the case with mine, the elbow isn't completely tight. The cable setup works awesome and gives enough clearance to go under the tank, but the elbow isn't all the way tight. Here's the drawing and a few pics of how it looks installed.
Lectron Adjustable Throttle Cable.jpg
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Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 1.jpg
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Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 2.jpg
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Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 3.jpg
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Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 4.jpg
Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 4.jpg (116.18 KiB) Viewed 9447 times
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by KDXGarage »

Is that elbow bouncing off the frame so much to remove paint??
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by jimboe »

Wow! That is puzzling GATOROC, that you were able to install both your Lectrons without a fight.

Which bike are the photos from?

Do your Lectrons have a machined aluminum sleeve pressed on over the front of the casting? The sleeve on mine was so much bigger than the stock Keihin that it would have taken a crowbar or sledge-hammer to force the carb in far enough if I hadn't machined it down.

Did your Lectrons fit into the rubber intake manifold as easily as the stock Keihin carb, or did you have to force them in?

Are your 200 and 220 pretty much identical as far as the way the Lectron fits the intake manifold and within the frame?
Your photos show the top of your carb sitting about 1/2" lower than mine, below the cross tube of the frame, while mine hits it. I can't imagine how I could get my carb any lower to clear that frame tube.

I'm wondering why my installation was such a nose bleed.

Thanks,
Jim
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by GATOROC »

KDXGarage wrote: 03:16 am Nov 20 2021 Is that elbow bouncing off the frame so much to remove paint??
No, the paint missing was from during the initial install a few years ago. As you probably know, the Lectrons fit really tight on a KDX, so you have to wiggle it a bit to get to the point where it fits straight up and down under the indentation in the frame. The pics I provided was when I was installing the new cable. After getting the boots on properly, there's about 1/4 inch between the elbow and the frame.
Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 5.jpg
Lectron - Barnett Adjustable Throttle Cable 5.jpg (562.47 KiB) Viewed 9415 times
Last edited by GATOROC on 09:28 am Dec 04 2021, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by GATOROC »

jimboe wrote: 03:18 am Nov 20 2021 Wow! That is puzzling GATOROC, that you were able to install both your Lectrons without a fight.

Which bike are the photos from? The photos are from my 220, and when they made these for the KDX a few years ago, they used 36mm carbs. Now they use 34mm.

Do your Lectrons have a machined aluminum sleeve pressed on over the front of the casting? The sleeve on mine was so much bigger than the stock Keihin that it would have taken a crowbar or sledge-hammer to force the carb in far enough if I hadn't machined it down. I didn't recall a machined aluminum sleeve pressed on over the front of the casting.

Did your Lectrons fit into the rubber intake manifold as easily as the stock Keihin carb, or did you have to force them in? They fit into the rubber intake manifolds just like the stock carburetors, and that was on both bikes. Absolutely no issues at all.

Are your 200 and 220 pretty much identical as far as the way the Lectron fits the intake manifold and within the frame?
Your photos show the top of your carb sitting about 1/2" lower than mine, below the cross tube of the frame, while mine hits it. I can't imagine how I could get my carb any lower to clear that frame tube. They do fit a little differently. My 220 seems to have a little more clearance than the 200. Even though I can get the 200 Lectron under the frame, it's really tight, and not all the way straight up and down. I didn't spend much time on the fitting since I was getting ready for a ride, and it was running great. I've provided a pic of my 200 Lectron below.

I'm wondering why my installation was such a nose bleed. If I ended up having the issues that you are having, I probably would have just sent it back. I commend you for working on a solution! It's really strange that you're having so many problems with it, as most of the problems I heard of were during the early releases where the top of the carb wasn't milled down, so it wouldn't fit under the frame. Also, like I mentioned, there were (and still are) issues with the throttle cable they provide. I thought I received the perfect solution, but it's not perfect. My throttle response/snappiness is incredible now with the 220. I'm going to follow up with Barnett again to see if they can come up with a solution for the elbow piece, and then order one for my 200 as well. Todd

Thanks,
Jim
KDX 200 Lectron.jpg
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by jimboe »

GATOROC, thanks for the feedback on your installations.

I am somewhat irritated that Lectron sent me a carb with a sleeve that was too big to fit in the rubber intake manifold without modification, especially after reading that your carbs both fit into your manifolds (the same part number as mine) just like the stock carb.

I seriously considered returning the Lectron before making any changes, but then I would have had to figure out what was wrong with my Keihin and fix that, then fuss with the jetting for the 6,000 foot differences in elevation where I ride. My desire to get the Lectron to fit to enjoy its benefits overcame the common sense to send it back. I believed that if I modified the carb at all they would NOT take it back so it was an all-or-nothing risk. Thankfully, it worked out. It would have been painful to try to explain to my wife that I paid $600 for a carburetor that I couldn't get to fit and could not send it back for a refund because I modified it.

I just looked on the Lectron website today and searched for the carb for the KDX 200 & 220. It showed the following statement: "We can't find products matching the selection." Hopefully, they are doing some more research to correct the problems I told them about, or will switch gears and figure out how to fit one of the new "Billetron" carbs to the KDXs.

One thing I find ironic is that you have had a hard time getting the slack out of the Barnett throttle cable. Did you change to a MX-style throttle like the Motion Pro Vortex? I did and my cable works perfectly with it. In fact, that was the only aspect of my installation that went smoothly.

Thanks again for your info and great photos.
Jim
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by GATOROC »

jimboe wrote: 02:29 pm Nov 20 2021
One thing I find ironic is that you have had a hard time getting the slack out of the Barnett throttle cable. Did you change to a MX-style throttle like the Motion Pro Vortex? I did and my cable works perfectly with it. In fact, that was the only aspect of my installation that went smoothly.
Sorry I missed your question. No, I was using the stock throttle setups on both KDXs. I was bummed because I had purchased the Emig grips and installed them with the proper adapter, but there was even more slack, so I couldn't use them. With my new throttle cable I was able to use my Emig grips due to more adjustability, so I'm super happy now! Great to hear that your Motion Pro Vortex worked well. Do you happen to have the KDX part number available for that? I looked on their website and searched for KDX, but didn't see anything.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by jimboe »

GATOROC, I found and bought a new Motion Pro "Vortex" throttle because Lectron recommended it for their Barnett cable but said they had not been able to get them from Motion Pro since 2020. The Vortex throttle by itself is MP part# 01-0054 and works on numerous bikes with the right kit (cable and adaptive parts).

Lectron also said MX-style OEM throttles from a KX250 or YZ250 would also work, but I didn't want to pay OEM prices and build a throttle from the parts department, or hunt eBay or Craigslist for a beat up KX or YZ throttle so I decided to search online for the Vortex. I found one at Motosport.com. I just now checked their website and they show one for $75.25. I also found a couple on eBay, one in Australia for $67 + $25 shipping and another in Montana for $1,130 (but shipping is only $3.95!).

I just checked the Motion Pro website for the Vortex throttle and it says: "This item is unavailable. Out of stock at Motion Pro
Check with your favorite store or distributor". That hasn't changed since I was looking for mine last spring.

I just emailed Motion Pro and asked if they plan to produce more Vortex throttles and got a quick reply that they are waiting for the new "Vortex SE" throttles to arrive which are also supposed to work with the Barnett cable from Lectron.

I'm happy I found a Vortex throttle because it works perfectly with the Barnett cable. Unfortunately, that's the only aspect of the carb conversion that wasn't problematic.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by GATOROC »

Thank you for all of the information! I really like the Vortex in Montana for $1,130! :cool: It's nice to know that there are a couple options. I'll either go with something like the Vortex or have Barnett make me another adjustable cable.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by billie_morini »

Really enjoyed all the detailed notes and numerous photos. They make this posting a very useful resource.
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by kdxdazz »

just saw this post,great write up,ive just purchased a new, older lectron and i'm having the same fitment issues, my carb already has a small diameter intake flange but won't go all the way into the carb boot, could it be that we are both using older lectrons and not the H series which has a shorter body, i emailed lectron but as per there policy they refuse to answer any questions about second hand carbs, they simply said my carb won't fit, terrible customer service, as i am a welder by trade and not a machinist my plan is to cut and weld the frame, there is already a factory indent there but i may cut and weld in a larger indent
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by SS109 »

If that's Lectron's customer service and policy then I will never purchase another one of their products going forward. Wow. Way to shoot yourself in the foot Lectron!
Youtube Channel: WildAzzRacing
AZ State Parks & Trails OHV Ambassador - Trail Riders of Southern AZ
Current KDX: '98 KDX220
Old KDX: '90 KDX200 -White/Blue
'11 GasGas EC250R
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MoonStomper
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by MoonStomper »

Geeez! After reading through this entire thread I am once again blown away by the ingenuity and skill of this site’s members. Also I’m glad I didn’t buy a Lectron and just focused on finding solutions for my Keihin. Sounds like the new Billetron is going to be the best fit for the KDX, but that’s a lot of dough. Think I’ll try the Thunder Products Dial-A-Jet or whatever first if I start riding out west frequently.

The pix in this thread are EXCELLENT by the way!
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Let the good times ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
‘99 KDX 220 / '03 KDX 200 - @%@ '18 Trek Slash 8 @%@ ‘22 Rieju MR300 Racing

BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA USA
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billie_morini
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Re: How I Installed a Lectron Carb On My '99 KDX200

Post by billie_morini »

jimboe, GATORIC, kdxdazz: HUGE appreciation for your detailed notes and photos. Extremely informative. Mahalo!
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