86' KDX 200 - Couple of Questions

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Make sure the intake snorkel is removed and that additional brething holes have been drilled in the intake cover. If you have a few bucks then its well worth the money to buy dual stage reeds, or better yet spend $10 more to get the carbon fiber reeds (mid-high rpm). After those two mods then you should play with jetting. It will need it. One quick way to see if the needle and/or main jet needs to be richer is to ride it with the choke on. If it runs better (stronger) then that means its currently too lean.

I bought a non-running '85 KDX200 in August and I am amazed at how easy it generally is to get parts, either from dealers or from eBay. It was nice to be able to be patient and wait for the right parts to come on line. You may be more rushed this time of year. There are still many KDX's out there.

General things to check include swingarm bearings, cleanliness of the KIPS system, and spark generation. If the bike hasn't been well cared for, count on buying new bearings (Pivot Works was very cooperative with me). If the engine has been running rich, the KIPS valve is probably junked up and may not operate precisely. The flywheel/stator on that vintage is known to have occassional problems. If all of that is good, you still need to look at the wheel bearings, steering head bearings, rear shock linkage, etc. I am sure you will be getting other suggestions. But you will be hearing about the problems. Once you have it going and keep it under moderate maintenance, it will be as dependable as brick. Good Luck.

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