My buddy rode my KX250 and KDX200

[kx250kev]

Well, I took an old racing buddy out riding today. He used to race MX with me back in ‘95-‘96 aboard a ‘93 CR250. (We’re both in our mid-thirties now, so we’re not as crazy as we used to be; we both have to worry about our bones, wives and mortgages.) It’s been 9 years since he’s ridden a dirt bike, so I outfitted him with all my extra gear, and started him out on the '04 KDX-200 while I jumped on the '02 KX-250. We traded off bikes about every 20 minutes and rode a combination of thick woods trails, sand and wide open fields with one 20 foot double jump and a couple of other smaller jumps. Long story short, after riding for 2 hours, it was noon and we loaded up the bikes and headed home. He had a BLAST and the permanent smile on his face was priceless. I really made his day/week/month. I asked him what he thought about the bikes. He described my KX-250 as having raw explosive power, but said he said his hands got numb from holding on, and he got exhausted riding that bike due to the power. Quite frankly he stated that the KX was TOO MUCH bike and it kinda scared him. I think he was more afraid of crashing it and wrecking something. Anyway, he stated that he liked the KDX a lot, and that it had plenty of power and was a blast to ride. He couldn’t stop raving about it. He thought it was more fun on the trails and still had the suspension to do the occasional double jump. (FYI: I replaced the stock fork springs with Kawasaki OEM .37k springs the day before and the KDX feels and handles great now, just what it needed.) He noted that bike was very versatile and a bargain for the money. He stated that he could ride that bike on slow ATV trail rides with his nieces, nephew’s, dad and brother, but also ride it fast when he wanted to play “motocrosser for a day”. He said that the headlight would be perfect for those late trail rides like when the sun goes down and your still miles deep in the woods. We’ve been there and done that and that’s no fun! I mentioned that I might try to find another old ’99 to ’02 KX-250 for a buddy bike (mainly because I worry about friends crashing my two favorite/bought new/mint conditions bikes; KX-250/KDX-200) It was then that he said something that really caught my attention; He said the KDX was the “perfect do it all bike”. It made me smile…. I think he’s right. Plenty of power, great handling, easy to ride, smooth suspension, comfy seat, 6 gears, large tank, kick stand. Long story short, he recommended that I pick up a used KDX-200 for a buddy bike. I got to admit, that sounds like a good idea. The KDX would allow for long/fun trail rides with friends that have varying skill levels. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on this subject? Has anyone else ever let your buddies drive your KDX, and then have them rave about it afterwards?

 

[Rhodester]

No, but I agree with your buddy that too much power is a pain to deal with. I'm a little on the older and out of shape side of things. The last thing I like to do is fight too much power all day and spoil my fun. At my point in life I'm not out to stroke my ego by out doing everyone else in my riding party. Like you guys I can't afford to get busted up...too many responsibilities.

 

[yankeefan4life72]

great post thanks for putting things into perspective. I have an 05 kdx 200 that I have been modding the crap out of! But this is all the power I need.I too am in my mid 30's and if i get too much power i am sure I will break something (on me).I like to tweak things!!sometimes too much!!remember YOU ARE NOT AS YOUNG AS YOU USED TO BE! It hurts alot more now huh??

 

[kx250kev]

I used to be obsessed with finding more power. I have a 2000 ZX-9R that I have putting out 145rwhp. I won a 1st place Teresi dyno drags trophy and $250 in 2002 with it against R1's, CBR's, a ZX12 and Busa. Hard to believe, but true. 9.79@141.4mph My point is that I'm learning that power isn't everything. Most bikes come stock with plenty of power, and my riding talent is not so great that I need all the extra power I can extract from the engine. I'm slowly learning that adequate power is better than wild aftermarket power for rideability. I'm also starting to prefer the quiet sound of stock exhausts....I guess I'm getting old.:)

 

[karlp]

After I bought my KDX, I kept my XR400 for a buddy bike.
Then I discovered I had no buddies, so I sold it. :laugh:


Seriously, It was just wasting away in the garage. Tough to get fired up when it has sat for three months.

 

[soldsoul4foos]

I just bought a kdx220 in january to ride with my two sons and wife (ttr90, pw50, ttr125l). All I can say is that it has plenty of power for any situation I think I'd find myself in and is wicked comfortable to ride. I like the feel and sound of a two stroke, but i don't want to fight it all day either. This bike is definately the best all around bike I've ever ridden. I don't see myself buying anything else for quite some time.

bill 34, maine

 

[sotchong]

I let a couple of buddies of my ride my kdx200 one of my buddies owns a cr250 and he liked my bike better that his. He said the same thing controlled power, great throttle response and it handled great too. Long story short he told me he is looking into getting rid of the CR for the kdx!!!!!!!

 

[Jim Crenca]

One thing to salvage a 250 MX bike for trail use is a big old heavy flywheel.
My buddies CR250 is k9nda cool with a torque pipe, different needle, and flywheel weight.

What a great country!
I remember when the hot ticket was a Triumph 650 or perhaps a Kawasaki 500 tripplr 2 stroke that might see the high 12's.
9's nearly out of the box is awesome!

 

[xsnrg]

When the KDX220 locked up on us a few weeks ago (it was overdue for a topend), I was riding with two other guys, one more experienced riding a '02 or so YZ250 and the other on a 91 KDX250. So my friend let me ride his YZ250 and I got to experience the kind of wild power that the KDX220 does not have. It was thrilling and I had a blast ripping around our trail circuit on it, but wow, I can see how it would be very tiring to ride for a whole day...especially in our technical sections.

Looking forward to see how the 220 perfoms with a fresh engine rebuild.

 

[kx250kev]

Bummer on the lock up. Yeah, I'm faster on my KX for short rides, but that's too be expected. A long ride would put the KDX on top with a smile ;) I'd love to test drive a 220 to see how it compares, but I love the way my 200 rev's out. Still, a 220 as a buddy bike would be cool. P.s. I'm loving the new .37 oem fork springs, they seemed to balance out the suspension nicely. Couldn't belive my eyes when the dealer handed me the springs though. They are so small.....only about 18.9" long or 480mm. Doesn't this bike have about 11.8" of travel, wow, that doesn't leave much spring left after full compression. I thought they were for a kid's bike at first. We had to double check the books cause my dealer even thought they were short. I guess that's why many of you use XR400 springs. Well they worked great anyway. Hope to test them more tonight :)

 

[seancza]

I'm into my 40's now, and got back into dirt bikes after a 20 year layoff. I ride the woods with my two boys. Bumped into a guy I used to ride with when I was a kid, and he bought himself an RM 250. We went for a ride and switched bikes. When he got off my bike he said you could ride it all day, his RM tires him out. The RM's a thrill though

 

[Airlooped]

I recently bought a new 2002 KX250 (leftover) with the idea of getting back into riding after 25 years off. I used to race 250cc MX (CZ, Bultacos, RMs…) and I thought I could handle a new 250 two-stroke MX bike…..was I surprised! While I was able to ride the bike OK, it wore me out and the suspension seemed very stiff. It is just too much for this ol’timer. I rode the KX five times and decided that I should have bought a KDX! I just ran an ad in CyclerTrader.com offering to trade for a KDX. Don’t get me wrong, the KX is a fantastic bike but just not for an over-the-hill duffer like me. Bring on the KDX. (but I still won't go the four-stoke route...I am a die-hard two-stroke fan....)

 

[Tom L]

I can relate, being 37 y.o. I still can't figure out how I hurt my shoulder riding Saturday!!! :laugh:

 

[kx250kev]

Airlooped, the 02 KX250 is an awesome bike. It shines at the track...floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee! The last comfortable/smooth 2-stroke MX bike ever made in my opinion. They can be easily converted into a killer woods bike also. If you do any MX track riding, you should keep it and buy a KDX too. Have you decided on a 200 or 220 yet?

 

[Airlooped]

I am going to trade my 02 KX for either a 200 or 220. I slightly prefer the 220 for woods riding I do in NC. I put a 11 oz flywheel on my KX and geared it down a bit making the motor incredible! It pulls very stong down low and when it hits midrange the rear spins like mad looking for grip! I love it. The reason I am trading it is because the suspension is too stiff for trail/woods riding and the acceleration wears me out.....hanging on for life!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/airlo...=&.done=http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

 

[xsnrg]

Airlooped, what part of NC are you in? I am in Durham.


EDIT: Nevermind, I see you are in Charlotte from your zipcode. I assume you ride a Uwharrie alot? Where else?

 

[Airlooped]

Yea, Uwharrie, Brown Mountain, and TNT in SC. Brown Mtn is my favorite. Where do you ride around Durham?

I want to get up to West Virginia sometime this summer. I heard so much about it.

 

[kx200]

I must be going senile. For some reason I decided to try the Super Senior class on a Gas Gas 300. After bolting on a gy-normous flywheel and installing the counter balancer it’s starting to feel a lot like my old KX200 only a little heavier. I wish Kawasaki would build one more version, before they stop building them completely. Why not use the KX125 (it’s almost dead in the sales department) and just pop the 200 motor in and tada nice bike dude.

 

[xsnrg]

There are not a lot of places around Raleigh unless you live in the country and know some trails or landowners. I have a friend with a 170 acre tree farm about 45 minutes N of Raleigh where my riding buddy and I have about 5 miles of trail circuit cut in. He's also a member at Brushy Mtn which is actually my favorite place, but it's about 3 hrs or so for us to get there. Brown is my second favorite place in NC, and Uwharrie, well, that is just a place we've gone a couple times, but I don't like how it is geared more for jeeps and trucks. If you haven't tried it though, Brushy Mountain is worth the cost of membership. Also, we went to WV last summer for 3 days and loved it. We are thinking about going back this summer but not sure my business schedule is going to permit a multiple day trip this year. It really is awesome... you should go for sure. We stayed at the Rockhouse Lodge in Man and enjoyed it. Hang out on the trailsheaven.com forums for a while before you go and you can learn alot or ask questions. Many on here have gone also, so there are some good ride reports if you do some searching.

 

[kx250kev]

I am going to trade my 02 KX for either a 200 or 220. I slightly prefer the 220 for woods riding I do in NC. I put a 11 oz flywheel on my KX and geared it down a bit making the motor incredible! It pulls very stong down low and when it hits midrange the rear spins like mad looking for grip! I love it. The reason I am trading it is because the suspension is too stiff for trail/woods riding and the acceleration wears me out.....hanging on for life!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/airlo...=&.done=http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

You sound like me. The KX is a handful, but fun. Thats why I bought the KDX200. BTW, I recommend getting the 200. It's cheaper and rev's out because of the porting. When your need more power, get it punched out to a 224.

 

[Aaronkdx]

would a kdx 200 beat a rm 85, cuz my friend rode my bike before we had it jetted and a pipe/silencer. He said it had no balls. But then i was like, dude, your slow in the woods, it is the rider not the bike.

 

[xsnrg]

Your friend is suffering from testicle envy. The 200 definitely has more "balls" than an 85. On a straight stretch or hill, you would certainly smoke him (assuming same riding skills and that you are not particulary large). If he's a much better rider than you, or you are on a really tight course, he may beat you just because he has less weight and bike size to flick around the corners and through the trees.

 

[Colorado]

While I was able to ride the bike OK, it wore me out and the suspension seemed very stiff.

The newer bikes are sprung for the newer tracks -- huge whoops, big doubles and even triples. I was just reading Super Hunky on that very point. They can be dialed in, but you have to know what you're after.

 

[Jeff Sexton]

Like kx250kev, I also have an '02 KX250 and an '04 KDX200. I've never been a motocrosser, always trails and some hare scrambles. I spent a small fortune making the KX a decent trail bike - Race Tech gold valves, shock spring, dual stage reeds, 11 oz flywheel weight, etc, etc. The bike is a blast to ride, but my arms and shoulders hurt for days after a good long ride or a 2 hour race.

I bought the KDX last year as a compromise backup bike. My son rides in the 86-200 B class and I ride in +40 B class. Normally he rides a Husky 125 and I ride the KX250. Honestly, I was hoping he'd fall in love with the KDX200 and we'd finally be all green, but it didn't work out that way. He's still the lone holdout - won't give up the Husky - have to admit it's a lot of fun. Anyway, I started riding the KDX when we just went out play riding and a funny thing happened. My hands don't go numb and my shoulders don't ache for days. I guess I'm just getting old.

Anyone looking for an '02 KX250?

 

[lepper]

I mentioned that I might try to find another old ’99 to ’02 KX-250 for a buddy bike (mainly because I worry about friends crashing my two favorite/bought new/mint conditions bikes; KX-250/KDX-200) It was then that he said something that really caught my attention; He said the KDX was the “perfect do it all bike”. It made me smile…. I think he’s right. Plenty of power, great handling, easy to ride, smooth suspension, comfy seat, 6 gears, large tank, kick stand. Long story short, he recommended that I pick up a used KDX-200 for a buddy bike. I got to admit, that sounds like a good idea. The KDX would allow for long/fun trail rides with friends that have varying skill levels. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on this subject? Has anyone else ever let your buddies drive your KDX, and then have them rave about it afterwards?

I just did this! I don't know if you watch that auction place or not but I just picked up a running 97 KDX 200 for $500. It came with a FMF woods pipe, a FMF TCII and Barkbusters. Right there is around $300 so I think I got a deal...

Sure.. it needs tires, fork seal (actually getting a KX frontend like my other KDX) plastics and such but I could go out and ride it right now without worring that it would break down. So, I think it's an excellent idea Kev!