New KDX'r looking for advice

[bradf]

Hello everyone,
I brought my brand spankin new 220 home last night and before it was off the truck I had experts telling me what to do. The shop gave me a bottle of Castrol TTS. Experts were telling me I should only use Bel Ray, Mobil 1, and Silkolene. Then there was the ratio experts, 32:1 is way too rich and I should run 40:1 after breakin. Then there was Mr Two2cool who said I gotta have it, NOW! So, I would like to hear it from the real experts here. Thank you.

 

[yankeefan4life72]

Welcome. I have a 05' 200 and have talked to alot of people.I would reccomend using Yamalube.As far as the mixture go 32:1.Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one!!You shold do what Kawasaki recomends at least until its out of warranty that is.Good luck and I hope you are as happy with your new bike as I am!! :cool:

 

[rethnal]

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one!!

How true, how true... :|

Use what you feel comfortable with. 32:1 is very safe, 40:1 is safe ....sez me. (opinion here) Do a search on oil types and ratios on this forum and the concensus will turn out to be 40:1 and Mobil 1, Amsoil , Bel-Ray and various other oils. But do yourself a favor and use full synthetic, whatever brand you use.

 

[CaptainObvious]

My advice, stop listening to "experts" :)

How 'bout this advice - break-in the bike and enjoy it. As you get familiar with the machine, you may notice things that YOU want to change. At that point, do some research and make informed decisions.

The Castrol TTS is fine oil. If it’s easy for you to get, then stick with it. As far as the ratio discussion, run it a 32:1. One thing you will notice is that in very little time your new bike will be dripping spooge out of the tail pipe. This is because KDX’s are jetted very rich from the factory. Remember this:

YOU CAN NOT ADJUST YOUR JETTING BY CHANGING THE FUEL:OIL RATIO.

This is a fact that is lost on MANY dirtbike owners.

Anyway, what I wanted to say from the beginning of my reply is this: Check the KDX FAQ and use the search function to scan the archives. The KDX forum on DRN is the world’s repository on the KDX. Trust me, everything has been asked and answered. These are very well known bikes.

With that said, please DO ask questions. Everyone learns from the open discussion.

So now I hope you can turn off your computer and kick that beast to life with a little confidence. Enjoy the ride.

 

[canyncarvr]

re: 'YOU CAN NOT ADJUST YOUR JETTING BY CHANGING THE FUEL:OIL RATIO'

Yes, you can, yes, you do.

If the point is to change the air/fuel ratio, that isn't the way you do it, but it does have that effect. 40:1 premix is more rich air/fuel-wise than is 32:1. There are more gasoline parts per oil part..more gas is more rich.

What whatever expert told you, '32:1 is way too rich and I should run 40:1 after breakin' is wrong. It's backwards. Don't use the terms rich/lean when referring to premix ratios unless it is very clear by everyone what the subject is.

Please DO listen to the 'experts'. The problem is determining who is and who is not an expert...and whether the definition of expert is: ex=has-been, spurt=drip under pressure.

Here's an expert you can count on. Check out the 'Every kdx rider should read...' stickied to the top of this forum. Go do CDave's site. Read the new bike prep section. DO IT!! Read the information on basic jetting setups. DO IT!!

If you're paranoid (or just safe) you will want to get rid of the oem piston on the 220. No....it does NOT only break on modified bikes. It breaks on bone stock bikes, too. Not as often, true. But it does indeed break.

One thing I don't think is on CDave's site that you may want to consider. It will save you a lot of heartache in the future if you 'grease' the spoke/nipple sets. Yeah..it's a pain, but it beats never getting them off again in the future. You need to take the tire off, unscrew each nip, coat the spoke threads with an anti/never-seize compound. Torque them back together, or at the very least tighten them to the same 'tink' as the other spokes.

Yes, I realize this isn't generally considered a 'have to' do it deal. I also know it will be a big favor done for yourself in the future.

After the first ride, check the spokes anyway. You don't have to have a spoke torque tool (only about $150). You can accomplish that with the 'tink' method. Keep in mind the correct torque (look it up to confirm) is only something like 18in/lb.

Oh...put some anti-sieze on your brake pad pins, too. Do that with your other new-bike prep.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Yes, you can, yes, you do.

No you shouldn't! You know the point I was trying to make (I know you do!). Changing the ratio to solve a spooge problem is like using thicker oil to stop an oil leak. You may accomplish what you set out to do, but at a higher cost than the original problem.

Please DO listen to the 'experts'. The problem is determining who is and who is not an expert...and whether the definition of expert is: ex=has-been, spurt=drip under pressure

You know the problem here. Most noobs think that anyone who has ever owned a bike knows more then they do, so their opinion has merit. I can't believe some of the awful advice some "experienced" people give. People that have been riding for a long time.

The point I was trying to make in my original post is, there isn't anything you HAVE to do during the break-in, other than what is required in the manual for break-in. Enjoy the new bike. Yes, the items that canyncarvr mentioned above are important, but not in the first 10 hours of use.

An "experienced" owner might address all of those issues (and more) before they ever even thought of riding the bike, but it really is too much to ask of someone who is new to the sport. A true noob has a lot on their mind when entering the world of dirtbikes. Although maintenance is important, just finding and using the choke can be a real issue for the noob.

Anyway, I can't believe how I've rambled here. Brad, if you're in to the mechanical ownership experience, there is a lot to do if you care to take it on. If the whole dirtbike world is new to you, take it slow...there is a lot to learn...and ask questions.

 

[adam728]

re: 'YOU CAN NOT ADJUST YOUR JETTING BY CHANGING THE FUEL:OIL RATIO'

Yes, you can, yes, you do.

If the point is to change the air/fuel ratio, that isn't the way you do it, but it does have that effect. 40:1 premix is more rich air/fuel-wise than is 32:1. There are more gasoline parts per oil part..more gas is more rich.

I think you (and some others) put too much into the "gas:oil ratio changes jetting" idea. It is true that a 40:1 gas:oil mix does have more fuel, but the difference is negligable. 32:1 is 96.97% gasoline. 40:1 is 97.56% gasoline. That's just over a 1/2% difference in the amount of fuel that is mixed entering the engine. If you can chage your air / fuel ratio from 14.0:1 to 14.1:1 and feel a difference, see a difference on the dyno, see a difference on emissions, or even see a difference on a flowbench, let me know. Humidity and barometric pressure will cause more variance than that.

 

[trailryder]

Only a very experienced carb tuner would use oil/gas ratio's to help jet a carb.In the real world it's not something most people should be doing.I've run Yamalube in all my bikes with good results.I started with Golden Specta but it left more tarnish/carbon deposits on top of pistons when doing rering jobs...I would break the engine in with 32:1 then run 40:1.If I'm correct the manual says breakin consists of 2 tanks of gas.............I remember when I got my first brand new bike (kdx) in 96, boy it took al long time to go through 2 tanks......now when a do a top end I usually baby the engine for about a half hour then start to get into it....after about an hour.......run them hard. Keep in mind before the bike even leaves the garage I bring the bike up to temp(idle 3x and retorque cylinder/head each time.

 

[lankytim]

G'day and welcome, bradf. Well I'm guessing from the replies to your first thread that you're biting your nails about the exploding piston and totally confused about jetting and oils!

I don't know what your level of experience is but I can definitely agree with those above that said to check out Canadian Dave's justKDX site. I'd been twiddling with motos all my short life - but reading that info, as well as the forums, made me realise that I didn't know :uh: before.

The folk here will help you get your new green machine going great and when it breaks they'll be able to help you fix it too!

Nobody here mentioned the smell of the oil as a choosing criteria?! That's why you didn't buy a thumper, right? ;) :joke:

 

[JasonWho]

---

 

[JasonWho]

---

 

[bradf]

Thanks for all the replies. Before I posted the question I tried to do a search, but it came back with an error and wouldn't search. So after a day of frustration with the search I just posted the question. I have had thumpers for years, my 1998 XR250, heavily modified, has been a great bike, but since a year and a half ago when I first rode the KDX220 I knew I wanted...needed a KDX. My dealer is a great mechanic and tuner likes the Castrol TTS because from his experience it burns very clean and keeps the KIPS and piston like brand new. As for the mixture, from what I can see 32:1 or 40:1 is all good. I just have to get use to a 2 smoker again, it's been 25 years since my las one. The bummer of all this is that I have yet to start the KDX because it has already been started once and warmed up at the dealership. The next time it starts I need to start the break in procedure and ride it. But is is raining and miserable here and I must wait. In the meantime I have checked everything that justKDX
suggest for new bikes. Found every hose clamp too loose for my liking, but the rotor bolts already have a thread locker and every nut and bolt was tight. I will lube the suspension in a month. After the warranty I will replace the piston. I have ordered all my goodies, FMF Desert, Turbine Core, Hand guards, handlebar, Boysen SSC reeds, and a Moose skid plate. Thanks again to all you "current spurts" and "ex spurts"

 

[CaptainObvious]

Wow, it doesn't take much to have a thread come off the tracks. :)

 

[wanaride]

Wow, you're going to put off suspension linkage lubing for a month? :| Hope you don't put too many miles on it in that time!

Of course, the linkage on your bike may have lots of grease in it, but when I tore down my new '03 200 last year, I was amazed at how little grease was in the linkage, and I was glad I took the time to lube it up.

Welcome to the site! :cool: