Tom Ludolff

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Oct 3, 2002
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I never see anything in here on KX500's. Am I the only guy who rides one? I have an '01 KX500. I love this bike!!! It's light, massively powerful, reliable, and low priced. Talk about Power to Weight ratio!!! 60HP:220lbs can't be beat for $5,000!!! I slid the forks up a 1/2" for cornering and put on a flywheel weight. Makes a great woods bike. Low end out the wazoo!!! Smooth power delivery with no hit. It's like a KX250 with as much low end as top end!!! It seems like everybody rides CR500's. They can't be much different can they? I had a '84 CR500 that was about the same as the KX500, just not quite as powerful.
 

flynbryan

~SPONSOR~
May 22, 2000
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Ocechap has one that is an 02'. He just bought a Ktm300mxc as the 500 was just too much for the area we live in and the trails we ride. It is definately a monster! The first bike I've ever ridden that Scares me! :scream: Lots of fun just the kind of bike I would only want on a natural terrain mx track like Unadilla or the sort. Too much for me in the tight NC woods though. ;)
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
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Jun 15, 2001
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I do, Tom. I'm with you as well.

The only time I've wondered about the Jolly Green Giant is on an MX track, but I really think it's just because I'm not consistently in good enough physical shape.

There's plenty of discussion here about the KX500--try a search.

BTW--I have an 02 with ZIPTY 4.3g tank/250 shrouds, 93 UFO (black) 250 rear fender (requires some elbow grease), the FLOW/NOLEEN pipe, a few minor mods like PROPER JETTING (very important on this bike, lol) boyeson/hinson/powernow, blah....blah...blah

Used to run C12 fuel, which is awesome stuff for this bike--but have switched to NUTEC PRO-MX (simply because a high school friend is a dealer), and I'll talk about that later.

Best wishes
 

gwcrim

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Oct 3, 2002
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I just bought (OK, last November) an '89 to get back into riding after about a 20 yr absence. I don't race, just ride trails and hillclimbs. Oh and does that sucka climb hills! The bike has an old FMF Burly pipe and an 11 oz FWW but is still geared to fast for the tight woods stuff I like.

Any sprocket gearing recommendations?
 

Tom Ludolff

Member
Oct 3, 2002
250
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Nephron, I'm glad you mentioned the jetting!!! I haven't been able to get mine right yet. When I first brought it home from the dealer brand new, I couldn't let off the gas for a second without it fouling like crazy like I had the choke on. The pilot was so rich. I went from a 60 stock clear down to a 45 pilot before the air screw would have any effect. I have my needle clip at the very top notch and the main jet 1 step leaner than stock. I'm pretty sure the main is correct because if I go another step leaner, it cuts out when I full throttle it. I'm also pretty sure the pilot is OK too because if I take the air screw out past 1 1/2 turns, it starts to surge/starve at idle. However, even though it at least doesn't load up now, my spark plugs are always black after each ride and I have to clean them. The only other thing I can do at this point is switch to a leaner needle. Did you have this ridiculously rich problem too???

Gwcrim, I know what you're saying about the gearing being too high!!! Especially getting off of a KDX, which is geared like a tractor!!! It helped me immensely changing the stock 14 tooth countershaft to a 13 tooth. I tried a 12 tooth, but the chain rubbed on the case. When it's time for chain and sprockets, I plan on changing the stock 47 rear sprocket to a 52.
 

gwcrim

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Oct 3, 2002
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Tom, glad to hear I'm not the only one to have her jetted too rich. I went to a 58 and it didn't really make much noticable difference. Might try a 52 next time.

As for the gearing, I've been looking at the 13/50 combo. I'm way to frail :scream: to need the stock gearing.
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
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Jun 15, 2001
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For some reason, I've learned via the school of hard knocks (no pun or knocks intended) that you've gotta lean it up down low quite a bit and leave a fat main in. At 2000-2500ft at 40-60 degrees (current) I'm running a 55 pilot/stock needle 2nd position/168 main, but am going to try a 52 pilot soon.

As a side: How could Kawasaki have built an open motocross bike 2 decades ago, and 'accidently' end up with a legendary desert bike that's still competitive with all that the others have to offer today (in the des)? Accident? Original design, motocross? This seems weird to me. Wouldn't it be great to talk to the geeser engineer(s) that designed the bike and see what they were originally trying to accomplish--plus what their opinion is about where the dino is today amongst all these more 'modern' machines?

A great all around hare scrambles and playbike. The quad riders usually just let off and dribble to the side when the KX5 comes roosting by. ;)
 

gwcrim

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Oct 3, 2002
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How could Kawasaki have built an open motocross bike 2 decades ago, and 'accidently' end up with a legendary desert bike that's still competitive....

Kinda like the Chrysler Hemi. The last design was from the early 60's and they still dominate top fuel drag racing. Though most of the engine is aftermarket and very specialized now, the crankshafts are still interchangeable. Oh, and they make 7,000 horsepower now a days. :thumb:
 

Ramski

Member
Feb 6, 2001
131
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Well, I've always wanted a muscle car, so this is as close as I'll ever get.

I've had my 99 KX500 since 2001 and couldn't be happier. I trail ride in Arizona which can be a challenge with a 500 since our singletrack here gets pretty tight. I do my racing out in California in D37 and that's where the bike really shines. It's always great to go out there and see more KX500s than I'm normally used to seeing anywhere else. You see more and more KTMs each time though. Here are the reasons I like the KX.

- Still cheap
- Parts are easy to find
- Extreamely reliable
- What's a top end change?
- Very, Very stable in the nasty stuff
- Easy to ride, less shifting

There are a few anoyances though. The frame needs to be gussetted if you do heavy riding. Racing the bike in tight trails can really wear you out fast.

When my 99 wears out, I plan on buying another. I'm addicted to the power!!!
 

Rider 007

Member
Feb 10, 2000
224
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Tom,
I've owned several (none currently) but just finished building one for a buddy of mine. He decided it was time to replace his 90 model (with 89 front end) that he had bought from me years ago. I stumbled across a 97 model that had been ridden once in the back yard and parked. It's brand new! We got it for $2199 and he asked me to go to work on it. Even with all the jetting experimentation I'd done on them in the past, I was never completely happy with how clean they ran.
I convinced him to send the top end to Eric Gorr and do a few other things to it. The way it sits now, it has the following from intake to exhaust: Twin Air filter, Boyesen Rad Valve, EG jug/head, PC Platinum pipe (taken from 90 model), stock silencer. I got the top end back last Friday and have only had a chance to ride it a little here on some level ground, but I can already tell you it's night and day different from stock. It is extremely clean running from bottom to top with no blubbering, raspiness, surge, etc. Take a corner in 3rd, roll the throttle on and it just pulls like a train, smooth and strong. All this on 93 octane pump gas!
I grafted an OEM 93 KX250 rear fender on, only requiring slotting the holes in the fender and trimming the area by the silencer with a Dremel. He sprung for a set of Pro Tapers, Scotts damper and bark busters. We have an O-ring chain on it, radiator guards and a skid plate. I also put on an extended clutch arm (10mm) that I had from years earlier to ease the pull. We plan on putting a FWW on it and we have some more cosmetic goodies for it but won't have time to put them on before this weekends maiden voyage.
EVERYTHING has been Loctited! I run different jetting than most everyone else, as I use the older CR jets (R1368N or R1370N needles), but it's really important to lean out the bottom. Even with the best jetting on a stock cylinder, I never got one as clean and smooth as this one is now.
We're in SC, tight woods but some wider trails and anywhere from 0-500 feet. The KX5's have been anvils. I can't wait to do some earth moving on this one!
Enjoy it!
 

Tom Ludolff

Member
Oct 3, 2002
250
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Kool!!! Thanks for all the replies everybody!!! I thought I was all alone out in big green land!!!

Nephron, Does your 500 still load up if you putt around too much or make black spark plugs with your current jetting???
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jun 15, 2001
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Kinda like the Chrysler Hemi. The last design was from the early 60's and they still dominate top fuel drag racing. Though most of the engine is aftermarket and very specialized now, the crankshafts are still interchangeable. Oh, and they make 7,000 horsepower now a days

gwcrim--The hemi (GOD of motors) was no accident, though. There has not, to this day (as far as I know), any cylinder head chamber that's been proven more efficient. The hemi rocks. It:

1) unshrouds valves better than any chamber out there
2) provides best valve angle for flow
3) provides best surface area of combustion to piston surface area
4) provides unequalled surface shape for flamefront propogation velocity

...there are others, but I cannot remember them now. The designer was absolutely brilliant, and I wish I could remember his name.

92cr--it's sacriledge here to speak without dyno results, but the butt dyno liked it down low.

Tom--Never loads up. I've never fouled a plug. Even used the nearly fouled one after changing the jetting first day of ownership (thing would hardly run off the showroom floor). When I got it, I would oftentimes ride around with a 4 y/o on my tank, and had never had a problem. If you lean it up down low, and run a fatter than called for main, for some reason, it runs best there.
 

WildBill

~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Mar 29, 2002
281
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Hey guys,

Wow, I never thought there would be so many kdx500 riders. I ride a kdx myself, but I have a buddy who is rebuilding an '86 kx500. He is in need of a CDI unit, wants a new or proven componenet and has been unable to locate an '86. Does anyone know where he might look? Will a newer year unit fit? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill
 
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Tom Ludolff

Member
Oct 3, 2002
250
0
Nephron, Maybe I'm still rich cause I'm still using the stock air filter??? I'm thinking of trying a more porous aftermarket filter like UNI or something? I was kind of afraid it would give the bike more power though!!! Imagine that!!! I'm afraid of more power!!! I never thought I would hear myself say something so ridiculous!!! I must be getting old (35)!!! Anyway, maybe a better filter will lean it just enough?? Whadayathink??? If not, I'll have to try a leaner needle because my clip is at the top already.
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
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Jun 15, 2001
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Tom, don't be silly--you don't need an aftermarket filter.

I started running noticeably fat down low once, and kept working on the air screw until I had it turned out so far it almost fell out. :o --obviously, only to realize the pilot circuit was gunked up.

Use about a 1/4 to 1/3rd of a can of carb cleaner through your circuits, CONFIRM YOUR FLOAT HEIGHT (mine was set too high from the factory, which floods the piss out of the bike--guess they do that by either mistake, OR to make your bike run rich until broken in, at which time you finally figure it out... :| ), REPACK YOUR SILENCER, use HIGH QUALITY FUEL and don't go 50:1 or 60:1 like many (which will richen air:fuel ratio)--use 32:1-40:1 only. And in the end, if you can't get the pilot circuit set at less than 2.5 turns out--you'll need to either clean the pilot circuit again or use a smaller pilot.

Stay focused and have a plan, and you'll get there. Too many variables changed at once will serve only to confuse you, as these things are pretty sensitive to jetting changes. You WILL get it cleaned up--these things actually do run right when they're set up properly. Took me a long time to learn.
 

Tom Ludolff

Member
Oct 3, 2002
250
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Thanks Nephron! I'll keep on it. I think I'm almost there. It runs great. The thing that bothers me is when I take out the plug it's always black but dry.

MickeyG, Funny you mention the 426! 3 of my friends have wr426's and 1 has a wr400. When you compare the wr426 to the KX500: the 426 weighs 30lbs. more, is 3" taller than the normal 36" seat height, costs about $1500 more, has 15HP less than the KX500. They also feel very top heavy. It's probably just a 4-stroke fad or something. I think the KX500 is much better. Besides, if you're worried about rebuilding the top end, KX500's last a long time. Heck, you can ride on the low end all the time. There's no need to rev even into the midrange because there is so much low end power. Mine will probably last 10 years!!! I definitely vote for the KX500. Much more power and less weight for less money!!!
 

gwcrim

~SPONSOR~
Oct 3, 2002
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I definitely vote for the KX500. Much more power and less weight for less money!!!

See, there you go...... thinking rationally. Don't you know that if you don't spend more money to get less bike, you can't keep up with the 4 stroke neighbors! :thumb:
 

Studboy

Thinks he can ride
Dec 2, 2001
1,818
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Definately clean out all of your carb circuits, my KX ran REALLY rich once on the low end and I was even fouling plugs. I had overoiled my filter and some of it got sucked into my carb. After I cleaned it out it ran like a new bike!
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
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Jun 15, 2001
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I used to whine about 4 strokes, but then I rode one. They're great bikes. If you haven't ridden a modern 4, you should try it out. They have a lot down low, and spool up quick like a 2 stroke. ANYONE who likes the KX500 power outlay will love a modern 4 stroke.

Do they have as much power? Probably not, but how much KX500 can you put to the ground anyway? :eek: You'd have to stand on the front fender if you ever got traction. That's why they're great desert bikes--the power is so far out there, it really can only be truely used at speed through sweeping berms and rutted sandwashes. The newer 4 strokes are a dream around a track.

Alas, I don't have to face the dilemna of buying an ATK700. I read an article in DIRTBIKE last night about it, and they said it has absolutely nothing beyond low midrange, but pulls like a truck before that. Sorry. Not my kind of power. Lawson also said the only guy that could start it was White, CEO of ATK. No one else could. No thank ya'. I like mine.
 

DEANSFASTWAY

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May 16, 2002
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Yeah I had like 5 or 6 of them and the earliest one was a 86 and it was evil fast .Clocked 104mph by a Nj state trooper on Rt 130 at night when someone stole it and the coppers recovered it, Thanks coppers They are really good bikes and a real lot of fun in the dunes with a paddle tire on the rear . I had one with Cibie lights and if you rode it at night you could never see where you were going because you were wheelieing(wheelying?) all the time . on that older one KX the fellow could possibly adapt a later model ign on it .on like 91s Rad valves and FMF pipes really spread out and smoothened the power funny:on 91 KX 250 rad valve seemed to do nothing.Earlier thicker head gaskets smoothened power also, you could actually ride the bike faster. PC pipes seemed to hit real hard. On a KX 500 running fast you could plug an air filter in an afternoon of riding. A 88 /89 KX 250 gas tank from a salvage yard really slims down the seat tank junction. we filled the bars with caulk also. We liked to run them a bit rich with good fuel. Stripped out 3rd gear dogs and popped the circlip once or twice on them though. My friend broke a couple of kick starters at the pivot . HO HO HO ! GREEN GIANT! I really liked that bike .
 

Hogwylde

Member
Aug 1, 2001
466
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I've got one. LOVE it!! I race D-15 harescrambles and GNCC's with it. Had EG do a mo' better everywhere port job when he rebuilt it this winter and Jeremy Wilke's done the suspension for woods. I love the way this thing pulls your arms outta your sockets.

Now, if I can just figure out how to get the water pump drive gear off the end of the crankshaft, I'll be able to put it back together and get back to racing!

(don't spose anyone out there has any idea's, do ya?)
 
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