Vintage Enduro

[tymes]

Hi everyone, new here from NSW Australia.

I have been riding VINDURO (pre 85 vintage enduro) for a little while now. Early this year I purchased an 84 KDX200 and just finished restoration. Remembering the 175s from way back in the day I went searching for the little KDX200 two banger to give me a better bike option for some of the tighter Vinduros than my current Yamaha TT600 4 stroke. First rides on the Kawasaki have left me really impressed by this little green gem. Although it was not quite ready and has missed out at the two last events that the tracks would have been well suited, I cant wait to try it out at the next event we have coming up.
The Vinduro scene here in OZ is well dominated by shear numbers of the mighty IT Yamaha and its good to join in with the very few Kawasaki's that are getting out there.

Brian

[rbates9]

Very nice job on the bike!

[KDXGarage]

Daaaaaaaang. That is nice. Congratulations.

[dfeckel]

The bike looks great. Make sure you post up after your first enduro. I bet you'll love that bike.

[ukaf]

Hi everyone, new here from NSW Australia.

I have been riding VINDURO (pre 85 vintage enduro) for a little while now. Early this year I purchased an 84 KDX200 and just finished restoration. Remembering the 175s from way back in the day I went searching for the little KDX200 two banger to give me a better bike option for some of the tighter Vinduros than my current Yamaha TT600 4 stroke. First rides on the Kawasaki have left me really impressed by this little green gem. Although it was not quite ready and has missed out at the two last events that the tracks would have been well suited, I cant wait to try it out at the next event we have coming up.
The Vinduro scene here in OZ is well dominated by shear numbers of the mighty IT Yamaha and its good to join in with the very few Kawasaki's that are getting out there.

Brian

We're only just getting going with Vinduro here in the UK Brian. There's quite a bit of multi-lap stuff, proper time-card enduro less so but it's growing and there are a few good events on mainland Europe too.

There's a real good variety of bikes over here - anything you might have seen at an ISDT/E in the 70s and 80s is likely to be on the line. Husky and SWM are the bikes of choice but they're expensive to keep going. I have a genuine SWM 1981 prototype bike; magnesium forks and piggy back shocks but it's just too rare to be banging in to trees and rocks. I also have a really nice 79 YZ125 with a 175 cylinder (I'm riding that this weekend).

The front pipe you have fitted Brian - is it 83/85 specific or through to 88? Does the bike run good with it on? We need bigger silencers over here to get past the noise regulations but that's easy to fix.

Back in the day the KDX was too soft and too slow for the riding I did but 30 years on it looks like the perfect thing for my beaten up body and they're really cheap to buy - an important consideration for a Yorkshireman! My plan is to keep the red 84 bike as original as possible, and then do a twin-shock conversion on the 85. We have quite a few events over here that are twinshock only.

Back to my flywheel/stator questions. The 89> stator is very different so it's not a simple swap. The 80s KX125 stator is a very close fit but internal rotor so not ideal. The starting point really is finding a flywheel that fits - then I can sort the stator plate/coils.

The 89> flywheel fits on the crank but needs a new keyway (or no key and hope for the best) or everyone says, as rotate the magnets. I'm ok for a running bike but I'll keep trying to find a simple fix from readily available parts - it might never happen but no harm in looking. Anyone reading with more information or suggestions on this please feel free to jump in.

Another thing I'll be looking at is the gearbox (I prefer motocross gearbox ratios). Again, if anyone has any information shout up.

Clive.

[tymes]

Clive,

The pipe was advertised for 84-85 KDX, it is a bit different to the original Australian exported pipe due to a bend near the battery bracket, at the moment no battery becouse of this but I will not be putting the ADR accessories on for rego while I have the bike, just a vinduro and recreational off road mount. The silencer is short and the manufacturer also had a long one, I just picked up an original but I like the sound of the small one so it will be staying.

I had the flywheel trouble so have got hold of a cheap, used, about 95 or 6 flywheel. I used the stator pics and and other testimonies to find a near enough starting point. I used a timing light to find and mark the timing angle on the flywheel. Then with a dial gauge I set the piston to the correct fireing height. Runs really well. A new keyway has been cut in the new flywheel that still needs a bit of filing out when I get a good fitting file but at the moment it has no key in the crank and I am not having any problems with the flywheel coming loose or moving. The later model flywheel is a little heavier than the original so , I guess, it has smothed the power out a bit. When I get back into fixing all the little outsatnding bits and peices I will measure angles and weights etc to share for future reference. I am lucky to have recently picked up an 84 KDX200 for parts bike that has a good original flywheel to confirm evrything. Once the later model flywheel is fitted, any of those problems with the magnets coming loose are finished with, the new ones cant come out like the originals.

Vinduros here see lots of Huskys KTMs a few Maicos Ive seen the odd SWM and a few others and no shortage of Jap bikes. I know what you mean about the body, these days its comfort first, Im aching for days after. The KDX comes off the scales at nearly a 40kg saving on the thumper so its a lot easier to take on all day. The bikes and riding are awsome but alot of it is about getting out with your mates for the weekend. i can understand not rideing the SWM, there just isnt many of them around and I could imaging that replacement parts can not be sourced.

As far as I know the KX125 from the same early years were the same motor?? You may be able to do some research into a box swap from one of these, maybe internals or the whole bottom end with a KDX port timing cylinder on top?? Im sure somone will know.