KDXRIDER.NET

Just trying to get a ballpark on the cost of the switch.

Is the following correct?

1. KX fork - 100 to 200 bucks.

2. RB Designs - 150 ish for stem and axel work. (Depending)

Bolt it up and go?

Thank you,

D.

Pretty close

I've got $260 in my swap

Mr Wibbens,

What year fork did you go with?

Are they 46mm forks?

What years do you reccomend?

If you were to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Are you pleased with the results?

Thanks again,

D.

I've got 07 KX450 forks

They are 48's

If I was going to do it again I'd take the forks apart before any money exchanged hands

Hard to say if I'm pleased as it is still a work in progress

if i wre to do it again, i would not go for the kx fork. i would go for the klx300 fork. no rebound tuning though but can actually play with oil wt. direct swap no swapping of stem needed or spacer. can also keep the oem axle and wheel and caliper.

KDXsg wrote:if i wre to do it again, i would not go for the kx fork. i would go for the klx300 fork. no rebound tuning though but can actually play with oil wt. direct swap no swapping of stem needed or spacer. can also keep the oem axle and wheel and caliper.

And the same fork internals as you're removing, right? Seems like it kinda defeats the purpose.

mine is the 2005 kx125 fork. i have spent too much on the conversion itself and trying to soften it up for wood use, to date i am still not satify with the fork action.
i feel that it is very difficult to tune a mx fork for trail riding. but afterall i have learn much more knowleadge from the conversion.
I too disagree with that the klx300 fork although with the same internal but different outer tube still has it edge over the conventional. at least it is usd, no overhang and much stiffer. it is really true that there is a difference over the stock. dunno if you have tried it, but i do.

anyone who wants to do a klx fork swap, GO for it.

Putting a price on the swap is difficult. some spend a lot, some wait for the right parts to fall into their lap. The biggest thing is to do your research and make sure that you can get all of the parts that you need before you jump on a good price on one piece of the set up. Once you commit to one part you have to be able to make everything else work with it. And like Wibbens said, know what you are buying! Replacing a set of fork seals isn't that big of a deal but when you get in there you may not like what you find.

I went with a '96 KX125 front end. IIRC, I paid $215 for my forks, clamps, axle, and wheel shipped. Had the forks serviced (new fluid, seals, and dust boots) for $120. On E series bikes you also have to change front brake caliper and it's bracket. I got one with good pads from an '01 KDX220 for $50 shipped. Had Ron do the stem swap and supply one of his trick spacers for $60 shipped.

So, $215 + $120 + $50 + $60 = $445

Was it worth it IMO? Yes. I can do things that would have gotten me seriously injured, or even killed, on the stockers. There is no going back for me!

Another option is to buy a "parts bike" and take the forks off. Then sell the rest to get your money back. Then it could be free or even less!
Also you might want to consider how much you weigh when looking for forks. 125 forks have lighter springs than 250's typically so that may save you some money if you don't have to respring.

I also have too much $ into my fork conversion. If I did it again I would have my stock fork resprung for my weight and reworked. Then I would ride until I was unhappy with its performance.

Here's what I've got:

2003 KX forks and rim approx. $170

professional revalve, springs, bushings, seals, shipping, etc $400. I got the more expensive revalve which was recommended for this particular year( I don't remember why). It was $75 more. In my mind if I was going to spend money on USD MX forks they needed to be revalved for woods and sprung for my weight. If not I did not think the conversion would be worth it.

RB bushing and pressing of stem $60

The pinch bolts on the upper triple for the 2003 KX forks enter from the rear as opposed to the front or side. This was a problem when I was trying to attach my bark busters to the upper triple clamps. My solution was a used BRP upper triple clamp with fat bar risers off of eBay $50

When I was installing my new fat bars they were barely touching the tops of the fork tubes. As you may already know with this conversion the fork tubes extend beyond the top of the triple by about 1/2". To correct this problem I bought bar risers which I wanted any how. $40

Then there is the cost of new fork guards, figuring out how to secure the brake line to the fork guards, figuring out how to reattach the headlight.

As you can see the cost of my conversion snowballed. If you have the time and the know how it can be done cheaper. Maybe for the more advanced rider the conversion may be worth it but for the less skilled rider as my self I could have gotten away cheaper with a stock fork respring and revalve and been just as happy.

Overall I am happy with my fork conversion, just expensive!

I bought a complete 97 KX125 front end that had been on a KDX before. The KDX stem had been removed so the tripples had no stem at all. I have a friend that works at a shop and he pressed my stem for me for free. I did all of the work myself and when I got them I changed the oil and seals and put in the .43 springs that came with them.


I paid about 350.00 for the front end shipped
New seals and oil - 40.00
Fork guards - 25.00

Total 415.00


Totally worth it on my opinion. I was able to ride far more aggressively. In fact I had to because the forks were harsher at lower speeds. It did not last long for me though as I soon found a 2002 KX125 roller and built a Hybrid.

Sorry to Hijack.....but how are you attaching the stock headlight to the KX triple clamps.
Have a set of 03 kx forks on the way and just wondering about the headlight attachment.
Thanks.....and sorry to hijack

Ditton

I use the stock rubber straps on the UFO headlight and reinstalled to the oem headlight. maybe you can buy the rubber straps somewhere..if not i have seem some thread here on the conversion site that uses DIY brackets out of the stock mount bracket.

ditton wrote:Sorry to Hijack.....but how are you attaching the stock headlight to the KX triple clamps.
Have a set of 03 kx forks on the way and just wondering about the headlight attachment.
Thanks.....and sorry to hijack

Ditton

I don't know if it will apply for you but all I did was cut the stock headlight bracket with a hacksaw in the corners and then adjusted it (ie; bent) to fit. It didn't take much of a bend to get things to line up. Then bolted it to bar clamps using the KDX rubbers isolators and bolts at the top.

For the bottom attaching points I just haven't found the best yet. I zip tied them until I make a bracket that will mount them better. Of course, I might not even do that as it has been working fine just the way it is and I might swap to a different headlight setup soon anyways.

Here is a link to pics of how I did mine. Hope they help!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/K ... htbrac.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/K ... dlight.jpg

Thanks for all the great input everybody!

I have some thinking to do.

Thanks again,

D.

ditton wrote:Sorry to Hijack.....but how are you attaching the stock headlight to the KX triple clamps.
Have a set of 03 kx forks on the way and just wondering about the headlight attachment.
Thanks.....and sorry to hijack

Ditton

If you search you will find some ideas. I used 2000 KX forks and the top head light mounts fit the triple clamp perfect with the stock head light. on the bottom I used UFO replacement rubber straps that fit perfect also. I have not been on a night ride to see if the head light is usable yet but it looks to be pretty good when shined against the garage.

I used some 43mm kyb's from a yz250. Front end I managed to pick up for free, so I thought I'd freshen it up and throw it on. I think seal and bushing kit was like $60? And pressing the stem cost me another $60 at a local machine shop.

So I have about $120 in mine?

Got a 2001 rm 125 on mine bought a complete frontend wheel to bars for 200.00 buddy pressed stem [2 beers later] and machined spacer for top triple another buddy. Seals started leaking which acted like a woods revalve need to take in for revalve but rides killer for now best mod for this bike since I bent the stock forks on the third ride. Love this bike

Just sold some more parts from my "parts" bike. Now I have made money from doing a KX fork swap. And I still have all of the KDX stuff to revert back to if I wanted to.