KDXRIDER.NET

OK DONE!!!
I did a short run this week end and I don't know about this conversion...it was fun and all to do all of that but I am really, and I mean really disapointed...it handles like a POS, way worse than the OEM.
I wonder if I put everything back the correct way
Check out the front pic maybe someone can tell me where it went wrong:
http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/modules. ... _photo.php

More seriously for the little I rode last week end (in frinkin mud) it was more than fine I'll post some real pics later and give a ride report next week I'm sure I'll have to tweak it a bit.

Somewhere I have a post on how to adjust the front wheel so the axle is not binding the forks. It's important!!

Also, torque on the Triples is very important. Especially the lower clamp. 10 ft. lbs.
Bounce on the bike and then tighten to 15 ft. lbs. and see how much stiction there is with the extra pinch! It's amazing!!

From the photo, I'd say you do quality craftsmanship. I'd say you are a real piece of work.... er, I mean the bike is a piece of shlt,,,, I mean the bike is a piece of work!! Ha!!

yeah I found your post and some others about how to adjust everything right. I did miss the part where you say 10 ft lbs, it's 15 now top and bottom and as far as I could tell I did not feel any stiction BUT I was riding in mud VERY slow so not a complete test, I HAD to have my fix, just to keep my sanity (the little I have left anyway).
Hopefully the trail will be good to go this saturday for the real test

Oh and yes I'm a real piece of work...er

15 ft. lbs. on the lower clamp is too much regardless of what the manual says. Do a push test; stand next to the bike and push down on the bars without holding the brake. See how much effort it takes to get the forks to start moving. In sever cases, you will have to hold the front brake to keep the bike from rolling. That's a sign of too much stiction. Adjust the clamp torque to 10 ft. lbs and try again. If you feel and see a difference then great! Otherwise, loosen the front axle clamps and try again. Most likely the axle is keeping the forks spread too far apart or are squishing them together. Once the axle is floating in the correct relationship to the forks, cinch the axle down and try again. It should feel good now. Tighten the lower pinch bolts 1 ft. lb. at a time until stiction is realized. Then back off 1 ft. lb. and call that good. Most guys find there's a sweet spot between 10 and 13 ft lbs and a large amount of stiction at 15 ft. lbs and above.

Skipro has given some awesome info. If I had of read his posts properly my forks would have been sorted months and months ago.

ride report:
OK my suspicions are confirmed:

suspicion 1: this is a great mod, once I figure out the correct setting, this will be a great wood weapon
I played a bit with the clickers and I could feel a real difference.
The front end feels lighter, I really like that.
I measured the oem fork from axel to bottom clamp and it was 162.5 cm. I tried to get the same with the KX but it was a lot less even when mounted flush with the top clamp. (I don't remember if the bike was on the stand or on the ground at the time, seems I mesured it on the ground and didn't account for the sag) I tried them anyway and it was way too light.
Now it's lowered about 2 cm and it feels good so far



suspicion 2: my shock IS shot, can't keep the rear wheel on the ground , time for a rebuild. This unfortunatly will have to wait cuz I've already spent too much on the bike this winter

Here is how I mounted the brake line





I used zip tie at the bottom and cut the left side of the the fork slider so that it wouldn't interfere with the break line, so far so good

I raised the top triple clamp as much as possible with KX and KDX locking nut and a washer




Here is a pic of the modified shim on the cartridge



That's it! Time to I'm finally part of the KX mod club
Thanks a lot, would not have done it without your help

Total cost:
forks, triple tree, wheel and spacer: $389
fork guard and seal saver (MONKEYBUTT): $30
fork rebuild kit (ROCKY MOUNTAIN): $88
stem swap: $35
oil: $15

total: $557
fun factor + beeing part of the KX front fork club: PRICELESS

SWEEEEET !!!

2nd last pic shows a mark on the tank. Have you / or do you have to modify the steering stops ??

Well done !!!

KDXer wrote:SWEEEEET !!!

2nd last pic shows a mark on the tank. Have you / or do you have to modify the steering stops ??

Well done !!!

thanks KDXer
the marks on the tank came from the oem forks, well actually it was the mounting of the triple clamp. The IMS tanks are a little bigger in that area.
Since the KX triple are different, no more problem in that area, but I did modify the steering stop because the wider fork tubes would hit it (no pics cuz it doesn't look 2 good...but works)

You are overdue for a front tire.

Aren't air bleeders great!?!

Adjust the compression damper to the lightest setting on the forks if they aren't already all the way out.

What oil weight and height did you use on your forks?

A serviced rear shock will make a bunch of difference, but save your money on a gold valve back there; I didn't notice any improvement in the woods at all and wished I would have saved that money for something else.

overdue for a front tire there's pleeennty of tread left in that almost brand new OEM crapy tire
oil weight: 5w
oil level: 120 mm
I was able to almost match the setting from Bradf (my shim stack is a bit different cuz I didn't have all the shims he has but it's pretty close) Had to start somewhere
As for the shock, it already has gold valve...got it (with the oem fork) from a friend, about a year ago and don't know when the shock was serviced. Probably at the same time the front end was revavled, and judging the color of the oil that came out of the fork...



I'm sure the shock oil is about the same color and syrupy so time to be changed!
Can you change the oil without messing with the N2? I assume not but you never know

You have to purge the nitrogen to drain the shock. Inspect the shock's piston for wear when it’s apart. At least clean the snot out of the innards.

Congratulations on a sweet conversion. Keep playing with the clickers until you go past the best settings. You won't know you found the best till you feel both sides if you know what I mean. Play around doing some tight figure 8's to get a feel for the steering geometry, mainly the fork height in the clamps. Gotta have a good front and rear sag set first though. Find that sweet spot that turns quickly but doesn't turn under too quickly.

KDXPhil makes (made) a perfect brass shim/spacer for the top clamp and stem. It is a great all in one mod helper. Look in his gallery. Maybe you could buy one from him if he still has time to make them.

Conversion looks good - I would trim the screw holding the clamp for your front brake so that it doesn't have as much opportunity to scratch your fork tube (gotta keep up the appearance) LOL

Thanks for showing the picture on the spring washer slotting. I had a slightly different interupation of how Brad had done it but now I see the light.

I like the RB'D marking on the carby - if Ron was to do this it should be on the other side so it would be more visible.

Skipro is correct a fresh service on a shock can make a world of difference. One of the things that seems to help the rebound (ground control) on a stock KDX shock (IMO) is to have it charged to 175 psi instead of the normal 145-150 psi. Not sure if it would help you with a gold valve but even with a gold valve it would just likely have you adding in a few more clicks of rebound.