KDXRIDER.NET

When you guys with KX fork swaps had the KDX and KX stems pressed out, were they pressed down and out or up and out? Same direction for both? No, I am not about to take the plunge, just curious. :-)

Thanks.

Down and out / Up and in, The KX stem has a clip at the bottom to prevent it from being pressed too far in, so this alone gives you an indication of how it is pressed in.

That clip does more than you think. It will carry the entire load of the front end if the fit isn't a tight press or the stem isn't knurled when swapped. I had an engineer friend point that out to me. The purpose of the press fit is to keep the lower and the upper triple clamps in alignment, so they don't twist out of plane with each other. Top one still does, that's why the front wheel can get torqued out of whack during a fall.

Now, I don't recommend running the stem in a lower tree with just the clip but be assured that it will prevent any stem pressing type issues you may have been worried about.

I've been toying with drilling a small hole through the lower tripleclamp and into the stem, then installing a roll pin just for good measure. Any other thoughts on that?

So on both, if it is in the clamps, it is pressed out in a downward direction?



On both, if it is not in the clamps, it is pressed in, in an upward motion?



Can the KX clip be removed? Is it a circlip or what?


Sorry to not get it.

Both the same concept. Clip could be removed.... but why?

Yes, a type of circlip but much heavier. Think about it..... If you tighten the stem up with a nut from the top, then it is pulling on something, namely the stem. The stem is tapper fitted to the lower tripleclamp with a circlip to keep from pulling too much and having it come completely through the lower tree. Well, I don't think anyone's worried about that thing coming through, but it does indeed limit the amount the stem can come up and through the tree.

So, the clip is on the top?

Thanks for the help.

The clip is just a point of reference and actually does not have to be removed before the stem can be pressed in or out??

Exactly!

OK, I had never heard of a clip that didn't need to be removed. I thought it had to be removed in order to press the stem down and out, then re-inserted after the stem was pressed up and in just enough for the clip to be put back on.

A btw..sorta. Another indication of which way the stem was put in.

It's also how the lower stem bearing is commonly removed...by pressing the stem out (down), taking the bearing off in the process.

I like the roll/spring pin idea. You would want to make sure (don't know how, really) that if you are drilling such a hole with the stem pressed in already...when the bit hits the much harder stem it will tend to make the already drilled hole in the aluminum clamp get a little wonky if the bit is allowed to move at all.

You would end up with a pin in, all right...but it wouldn't be doing much.

I'd just leave it alone.... Murphy's Law and all that....

The older manuals say to remove the lower bearing with a chisel. I understand what you mean about doing both at the same time if need be.

That roll pin idea sound like too much trouble.

Drilling a roll pin hole would need to be done with a press of some sort, for sure. In my opinion, it couldn't hurt to do if you already have everything apart.

Another option would be to drill, then tap the hole to install a bolt instead of pressing a roll pin in. Doing so in a couple of spots on the triple clamp would really pinch that stem in there but good and the tap action would ensure the holes are piloted up straight.

Indawoods wrote:The KX stem has a clip at the bottom to prevent it from being pressed too far in, so this alone gives you an indication of how it is pressed in.

In my gallery theres a photo off the stock KX bottom clamp, where's the clip you mention? Thanks

skipro3 wrote: I've been toying with drilling a small hole through the lower tripleclamp and into the stem, then installing a roll pin just for good measure. Any other thoughts on that?

Theres another photo in my gallery, Is that what you mean?

Hi. In picture #1, I see a roll pin. Did you do that yourself, or was it already there??

Thanks.

It was already there so am I going to have to drill it out or something before the stem can come out.

Hey Trev,
That roll pin was my idea! Kawasaki stole it from me!!! I obviously didn't look at your stem and lower clamp very close when it was at my house. From the bottom I don't see the clip. Imagine if you will, the hole in the lower tree is stepped so that the bottom of the stem with a clip groove in it and a clip could slip up until the clip hit the ridge of the step in the hole, The ring would prevent the stem from traveling any further up into the tree. Gee, I sure hope your KDX stem fits that thing. You said that's a 2003? Anyone else have that year and can shed some light on this?

To pull the roll pin: Try tapping it, and use a slide hammer to pull it out. I've used the type that pulls dents out of auto body panels to pull roll pins that aren't made to tap through to the other side for removal.

skipro3, IndaWoods has 2003 KX forks.