KDX 200 vs KTM 200
- Thread starter thermal
- Start date
Thermal,
I think you wanted to post this on the Just KDX board, not the Japanese Motocross bike board.
That said, it seems KTM folks tend to state how great their bikes are by saying they rip over their old KDXs. KDX folks, on the other hand, just seem to love their bikes and to love tailoring them to suit the individual rider.
I have a KDX. I've just started to hop it up (added a pipe and stiffer springs). I think it rips and I have a ton of fun on it. It's easy to jet, doesn't vibrate, doesn't require a lot of maintenance and, on those occasions that I want to sit down, the seat foam doesn't hurt my a$$.
Different strokes for different folks. Some people like to feel secure by comparing what they've got to something else. Others can gain the same security just by knowing, deep down in their hearts, they got a great bike that is right for them. Whichever type of person you are, have fun!!
I think you wanted to post this on the Just KDX board, not the Japanese Motocross bike board.
That said, it seems KTM folks tend to state how great their bikes are by saying they rip over their old KDXs. KDX folks, on the other hand, just seem to love their bikes and to love tailoring them to suit the individual rider.
I have a KDX. I've just started to hop it up (added a pipe and stiffer springs). I think it rips and I have a ton of fun on it. It's easy to jet, doesn't vibrate, doesn't require a lot of maintenance and, on those occasions that I want to sit down, the seat foam doesn't hurt my a$$.
Different strokes for different folks. Some people like to feel secure by comparing what they've got to something else. Others can gain the same security just by knowing, deep down in their hearts, they got a great bike that is right for them. Whichever type of person you are, have fun!!
i was hoping this was going to be good reading and learn about both bikes but i see u are tryin to get a bash fest going .i'm happy u like ur bike,i have a 99 kdx 200 and i'm thrilled with mine too that's all that matters,what u think of mine and what i think of ur's doesn't.
happy trails dc
happy trails dc
I have had mine ported by Fredette, added a Rad valve, FMF pipe and silencer, and revalved the suspension. The motor is great. It has a lot of power and is very pipey. One thing I do that I have not seen mentioned is I remove the spring that is part of the powervalve assembly and is located on the left side of the motor. I actually first noticed this when my dads bike suddenly seemed to run much better then mine. We later found that this is what had happened. He called Fredette and said that is actually how he runs his bikes. I don't think the suspension and handling will be able to beat out a KTM but mine dad also states that his 220 modified motor is heads and shoulders above his new KTM 200. I really think they are both super bikes. Again I think you have to modify the KDX to compare to a stock KTM. The money you save on the KDX will more then pay for these mods.
KDX's are cool. I ride a cr250, but when I see a KDX I fantasize about taking it to the nastiest, slippery, rocky, 1st gear singletrack I can find. That bike would be awesome in those conditions.
I could care less about which one's faster. I'm pretty sure there's an inverse relationship between horsepower and speed in the woods.
I could care less about which one's faster. I'm pretty sure there's an inverse relationship between horsepower and speed in the woods.
thermal sorry for jumping to conclusions.my feeling is the ktm is more of a thoroughbred and stock for stock will suite a more advanced rider without touching a thing but i haven't met anyone yet who diddn't do some sort of mods whatever the bike .being more up to date in design ,suspension,stock power,out of the box ready discribes the ktm .all these are very attractive.the kdx however with a few mods is a great bike and suites a wide range of riders ,i find it to be a blast to ride and not for a minute sorry i purchased it. let's face it the other manufacturers gave up on this catagory of bike so it's one or the other for a mid 2stroke woods/trail bike.i was talking to a guy on this very subject recently maybe this will develop to help him in his quest for whitch it'll be.both bikes will put a smile on ur face i'm sure
Oh joy. Another my-bike-is-better-than-your-bike thead. Pumpkin riders are as bad as the rest of us about sinking $$$ into their "ready out of the box" bikes, and if they want to believe that their bikes are superior in every way and every situation - well, then let’s let them. We know different :cool:
Pipey is very good for my riding style. Some may not like the more 125 like feel that I have given my 200 but it is sweet for me. I love to clutch out of corners and let her scream. It is all about what type of power you enjoy. Very seldom do I lug it around in the woods. I think this is a good point about the KDX (and I guess any bike) you can really tailor the power to suit you by picking your mods and, for example removing/not removing the power valve spring.
1st off my bike's wet weight is 212 pounds, it is a 93 KDX yes thats right 93.
it has a 97 KX125 aluminum subframe,seat,airbox,and plastic, a custom Clarke kawasaki green 97 CR125 gas tank, inverted forks off a 93 KX125, and 93 kx125 shock, an easy clutch lever,the engine, is a complete ProCircuit engine, ported, cases matched, a custom PC pipe, boyseen rad valve, modified ProCircuit Carb, aluminum KX 125 kick starter, aluminum kx 125 shifter, and aluminum kx125 brake pedal. Forks and shock have all the ProCircuit mods, IMS wide footpegs, kx125 front fender, the sides of the seat foam have been grinded down so it blends in smoothly to the thin CR tank, the rake on the bike has been tucked in just a tad for quicker RM like steering. I think that's about it. Nope had had to install a heavier fly wheel to smoothen out the power it was way to explosive for my riding style.
not that it matters cause it's the rider and not the bike, but I have dragged 2 KTM200's 1 stock and 1 modified, and won both times.;)
it has a 97 KX125 aluminum subframe,seat,airbox,and plastic, a custom Clarke kawasaki green 97 CR125 gas tank, inverted forks off a 93 KX125, and 93 kx125 shock, an easy clutch lever,the engine, is a complete ProCircuit engine, ported, cases matched, a custom PC pipe, boyseen rad valve, modified ProCircuit Carb, aluminum KX 125 kick starter, aluminum kx 125 shifter, and aluminum kx125 brake pedal. Forks and shock have all the ProCircuit mods, IMS wide footpegs, kx125 front fender, the sides of the seat foam have been grinded down so it blends in smoothly to the thin CR tank, the rake on the bike has been tucked in just a tad for quicker RM like steering. I think that's about it. Nope had had to install a heavier fly wheel to smoothen out the power it was way to explosive for my riding style.
not that it matters cause it's the rider and not the bike, but I have dragged 2 KTM200's 1 stock and 1 modified, and won both times.;)
Last edited:
canyncarvr
~SPONSOR~
- Oct 14, 1999
- 4,005
- 0
BRush: my bike's faster'n.....
...well, faster than yours if yours is slower than mine?
RE: kdx vs: ktm
I'm afraid it mostly matters not a whit which one is FASTER..but it's fun to razz the pumpkin riders anyway.
I ride (rode) with another '00 kdx rider for the past couple years. My riding buddy just recently picked up an '01ktm200 exc.
Power between the two '00s was pretty close. As the miles wore on over the two years (and about 5000 miles) he could pull me on his kdx...but I'd had a pretty bad seizure on my ONE tank of belray H1R crap that I tried. After a topend on my bike, we were much closer to way we started out..gear-for-gear, rev-for-rev.
That's the basis of the comparison to his new ktm. His pumpkin has a delta force reed cage..and that's about it for motor mods. He can pull me in a drag race now more than he ever did on his kdx. The ktm is certainly stronger. He has the WP USD setup.
It also vibrates something awful. I mean B-A-D. The bars are not isolated. It put my hands to sleep in a couple minutes. The suspension is hard as a rock. He's had it revalved and resprung. It's STILL hard!! The tuner said it would NEVER be plush like his (revalved and resprung) kawi was. That has to do with the direct action shock, mostly. There is NO linkage as on the kawi shock. Easy to work on, but not plush by any means. The tuner told him that trying to go slow over anything would beat him to death. The ktm had to be ridden hard to be smooth. BTW, he's currently running .40 fork, 7.4 shock.
OK. Sometimes I LIKE to go slow. My MX-Tech suspension is a joy to ride anyway I wanna.
Oh..and the SEAT! CRIPES! That ktm thing is another rock-hard part of the bike. And, as for woods riding, it's NOT suited to sit on at ALL!! Yeah...I stand up a good bit...but certainly not always on a 4 hour 70 mile loop! His seat STINKS! Narrow, too!
The hyd clutch is a pain. I hardly ever USE my clutch lever..but when I do, I don't want to be squeezing something hard as the ktm.
The first 3-4 rides with it, my riding buddy hated it! First time I rode it, I couldn't get off it fast enough! Stink-beetle, pushy, hard, noisey pumpkin!
But..he's getting to like it more and more. He HAS said that the power may well be a bad thing from time to time. He's been riding for about 35 years..a factory racer at one time. Heck!...he can outrun 95% of ANY brand riders on his kid's CR80R! Not kidding! I've seen it!
But then, a CR80R DOES scream like a bat-oughtta-*&*($ :)
BRush has some experience with pumpkins vs: his 225 EG'd bike.
Oh...if thermal's ktm is 'twice as fast' as his old kdx...his kdx was either severely under-maintained...or just plain broke.
One more thing...the amount of time my riding buddy and I test via 'drag racing' and the time we spend on single track: About 1-100. That's the 'not a whit' part. The kdx is a VERY capable woods bike. Handling wise, probably better than the push-prone ktm.
Sure costs a LOT more $$..........
...well, faster than yours if yours is slower than mine?
RE: kdx vs: ktm
I'm afraid it mostly matters not a whit which one is FASTER..but it's fun to razz the pumpkin riders anyway.
I ride (rode) with another '00 kdx rider for the past couple years. My riding buddy just recently picked up an '01ktm200 exc.
Power between the two '00s was pretty close. As the miles wore on over the two years (and about 5000 miles) he could pull me on his kdx...but I'd had a pretty bad seizure on my ONE tank of belray H1R crap that I tried. After a topend on my bike, we were much closer to way we started out..gear-for-gear, rev-for-rev.
That's the basis of the comparison to his new ktm. His pumpkin has a delta force reed cage..and that's about it for motor mods. He can pull me in a drag race now more than he ever did on his kdx. The ktm is certainly stronger. He has the WP USD setup.
It also vibrates something awful. I mean B-A-D. The bars are not isolated. It put my hands to sleep in a couple minutes. The suspension is hard as a rock. He's had it revalved and resprung. It's STILL hard!! The tuner said it would NEVER be plush like his (revalved and resprung) kawi was. That has to do with the direct action shock, mostly. There is NO linkage as on the kawi shock. Easy to work on, but not plush by any means. The tuner told him that trying to go slow over anything would beat him to death. The ktm had to be ridden hard to be smooth. BTW, he's currently running .40 fork, 7.4 shock.
OK. Sometimes I LIKE to go slow. My MX-Tech suspension is a joy to ride anyway I wanna.
Oh..and the SEAT! CRIPES! That ktm thing is another rock-hard part of the bike. And, as for woods riding, it's NOT suited to sit on at ALL!! Yeah...I stand up a good bit...but certainly not always on a 4 hour 70 mile loop! His seat STINKS! Narrow, too!
The hyd clutch is a pain. I hardly ever USE my clutch lever..but when I do, I don't want to be squeezing something hard as the ktm.
The first 3-4 rides with it, my riding buddy hated it! First time I rode it, I couldn't get off it fast enough! Stink-beetle, pushy, hard, noisey pumpkin!
But..he's getting to like it more and more. He HAS said that the power may well be a bad thing from time to time. He's been riding for about 35 years..a factory racer at one time. Heck!...he can outrun 95% of ANY brand riders on his kid's CR80R! Not kidding! I've seen it!
But then, a CR80R DOES scream like a bat-oughtta-*&*($ :)
BRush has some experience with pumpkins vs: his 225 EG'd bike.
Oh...if thermal's ktm is 'twice as fast' as his old kdx...his kdx was either severely under-maintained...or just plain broke.
One more thing...the amount of time my riding buddy and I test via 'drag racing' and the time we spend on single track: About 1-100. That's the 'not a whit' part. The kdx is a VERY capable woods bike. Handling wise, probably better than the push-prone ktm.
Sure costs a LOT more $$..........
- Jul 3, 1999
- 2,726
- 1
FYI
Pipey means that the powerband is VERY narrow and is hard to control, not that it has a high RPM powerband or that the bike is fast. I really is associated with being SLOW unless the bike has a LOT more power then other in it’s class. :)
Kevin
Pipey means that the powerband is VERY narrow and is hard to control, not that it has a high RPM powerband or that the bike is fast. I really is associated with being SLOW unless the bike has a LOT more power then other in it’s class. :)
Kevin
I ride with two guys on KTM 200's every weekend. One's a 98 EXC and the other's an '01 MXC. I've spent time on each. There's a lot to like about them:
Excellent straight line stability.
Less fatiguing to ride fast and aggressively . The suspension works really well at speed.
Precise steering.
A bit lighter than the KDX
OEM Components mostly first rate.
good brakes
If I was going to race Hare Scrambles every weekend, this would be the bike. I like the EXC a bit better than the MXC (mostly because of the gearbox)
But there areas where a KDX is better, particularly if you've made some of the mods discussed in this forum and on CDave's JustKDX website:
Turns Better
Much less vibration
More nimble on ultra tight singletrack.
Less fatiguing in really nasty 1st - 2nd gear stuff
better low end (see "less fatiguing" above).
plush woods suspension for mid to low speed technical - once you get it set up (thanks MX-Tech)
A seat a normal person can sit on.
Parts are less expensive.
It's own DRN forum ;)
The engine comparison, at least in my case, is not fair. The stock KTM 200 motor gives up a lot to an Eric Gorr bored and ported 225 with an RB carb. Then there's the intangible "fun factor" and the KDX ranks right up there :). It's just a fun bike to plonk around on and go riding with your buddies. I don't ride a '96 KDX because I can't afford a new KTM. I ride it because I'm still having a blast with it.
Does the above mean you can't ride a KDX fast and aggressively, or that a KTM 200 does not do well in the tight stuff? Heck no. It just means that each has it's relative merits (besides, if you've every been passed in a race by some yahoo on a 1977 Bultaco, who made you look like you were glued to the ground, you know it's not all about the bike!)
Excellent straight line stability.
Less fatiguing to ride fast and aggressively . The suspension works really well at speed.
Precise steering.
A bit lighter than the KDX
OEM Components mostly first rate.
good brakes
If I was going to race Hare Scrambles every weekend, this would be the bike. I like the EXC a bit better than the MXC (mostly because of the gearbox)
But there areas where a KDX is better, particularly if you've made some of the mods discussed in this forum and on CDave's JustKDX website:
Turns Better
Much less vibration
More nimble on ultra tight singletrack.
Less fatiguing in really nasty 1st - 2nd gear stuff
better low end (see "less fatiguing" above).
plush woods suspension for mid to low speed technical - once you get it set up (thanks MX-Tech)
A seat a normal person can sit on.
Parts are less expensive.
It's own DRN forum ;)
The engine comparison, at least in my case, is not fair. The stock KTM 200 motor gives up a lot to an Eric Gorr bored and ported 225 with an RB carb. Then there's the intangible "fun factor" and the KDX ranks right up there :). It's just a fun bike to plonk around on and go riding with your buddies. I don't ride a '96 KDX because I can't afford a new KTM. I ride it because I'm still having a blast with it.
Does the above mean you can't ride a KDX fast and aggressively, or that a KTM 200 does not do well in the tight stuff? Heck no. It just means that each has it's relative merits (besides, if you've every been passed in a race by some yahoo on a 1977 Bultaco, who made you look like you were glued to the ground, you know it's not all about the bike!)
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