98 KDX200 stuck in 5th gear !!!

MADisher

Grand Data Poohbah
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 30, 2000
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OK, I recently purchased a 98 KDX 200. By all accounts this bike is in Excellent shape. It has been ridden hard but has also been take care of. Nearly all of the fredette mods/recomendations have been done. Last year the top end was sleaved, etc.

I've riden this bike 20 miles total putting around our farm. Today we headed off to the nearby woods, and on the road there it got stuck in 5th gear. I cannot for the life of me shake it out.

Before I take it to a dealer for what will be an expensive case splitting measure I thought I'd float it by here.

Suggestions anyone ?
 

dirt bike dave

Sponsoring Member
May 3, 2000
5,349
3
Check this thread for ideas: http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12867

Drain the oil, check for bits. If you are lucky it is the shift return spring that has broken or popped out of place. Check www.buykawasaki.com for a diagram, but it is usually on the right side of the engine, and can be reached by pulling the right side/clutch cover off, and you probably will not have to split the cases. Could be several other things, though
 

MADisher

Grand Data Poohbah
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 30, 2000
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Thanks, Kaw's web site won't load the parts break outs. I have a Kaw service manual. I'm going to look there. About the ONLY thing I'm not real comfortable working on is the tranny. :(

I'm going out to drain the oil and take a look.
 

MADisher

Grand Data Poohbah
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 30, 2000
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Dirtbike Dave....

Any way to chat with you online ? my icq is 52816843.

I pulled the right cover, only I did it the hard way and just pulled the clutch basket cover, then the clutch basket. And #$@#$# that shifter fork spring:
92081-076 SPRING,CHANGE LEVER is gone, missing, no where to be found. No major chunks in the oil, and that kind of concerns me that I can't find even part of that spring. It doesn't look like it needs a very heavy spring at all for this. I have a pretty good assorment here and am sure I have something to get by with until I can get this thing ordered....

I'm guessing from your reply this is a common problem on these bikes. Given that I cannot locate any of the spring, yet I can work it through all the gears, I think that's a good sign...

what shall I do next ?

-MD
 

MADisher

Grand Data Poohbah
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 30, 2000
377
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:(

Well it's definately that spring, and there is NO sign of the old spring. There really isn't anything noticable in the oil, and I really don't think that the clutch ground the spring to a pulp, so the only other place it can be is in the other side. There are some lub channels that I suspect that spring could fit through.

So, do I just replace the spring and ride it out and hope for the best ? Or do I have the case split and gone through now as a preventative measure ? It looks like I burned/scorched a couple clutch plates driving it home in 5th gear.

Suggestions anyone >?

-MD
 

MADisher

Grand Data Poohbah
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 30, 2000
377
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As posted earlier, yes it's the dumb little $2.99 spring. Though for something that seems kinda common, not a dealer within a 100 mile radius carries them. So it's been ordered.

Second, None of these dealers want to split the case at this time of the year. Apparently, unless I want to do it myself, Engine work and case splitting is offlimits around here until winter rolls around. I was told point blank by the dealer this morning that if I don't find that spring I'm SOL until fall.

Tonight I shall snake around with a magnet hoping to locate that spring. I'll filter the oil I drained in an effort to locate remnants.

Assuming the worst, that it doesn't show up and I need to split her open.

Can someone that's done this give me a quick run down of what I really need to do this. Any special tools ? A complete Gasket set or will just a few specific ones do ?

If I end up doing this, I'll take a boatload of digital pics along the way ans we'll end up with an article for JustKDX.

thanks in advance.
 

TheMort

Member
May 31, 2000
70
0
This just happend to my KDX as well except mine stuck in second gear. It was the shifter spring that you're talking about that needed to be replaced in my bike as well as a bent shift shaft. This is the third case in about a week that this has happend on KDXs that I've heard of here. Seems kinda strange that nobody else has had this problem and then all of the sudden this happens. Similar to when I had that stupid little governor shaft break off and ruin my clutch and then a few others had problems with their governor shafts. Starting to wonder about the reliability of my KDX :scream: I'm not really sure where that spring could be in your engine? Hopefully you can find it and it's not really a big deal fixing it.
 

KawiBrandon12

Member
Jul 30, 2018
1
0
I was riding my 89 kdx200 and it got stuck in 5th gear, occasionally I could get it to shift to 6th, but no lower gears. I'll pull the clutch case off and see what's going on. Stopped here to see if anyone had a similar issue. Thanks for the advice.
 
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