...anyone racing their KDX?

COMBEN · May 23, 2006

Hi guys, just thought I'd throw this one around for those with a memory longer than a goldfish.

Just did a hare and hounds at the weekend (England) and my KDX-220R was the only KDX of any flavour at the meet and there must of been 200+ bikes there....it was a dazzling sea of orange..it was great to be different!

In fact, over here, it is getting rare to see a KDX at a race meet, what's the situation across the pond, is it the same?

@ the previous HnH I rode a few weeks back there were only two other KDX's and 250+ bikes, both these were pre-95's. I was chatting with a couple of guys who did very competitive enduro (SE champs?) back in the 90's and back then you either rode green or yellow (KDX/RMX) how times have changed, we are spoilt for choice now....if you don't like green or yellow :)

She did get a lot of great comments though, 'everyone' has a KDX storey and they seem to be part of the history of the Enduro scene. The bike did real great as it was real technical circuit, loamy, slow, rooty and very woodsey...can't say the same for the rider though who DNF'd due to a faulty back ;)

cheers

kmccune · May 23, 2006

I've raced a few hare scramble with the 220 and I too was the only KDX. :(

Green Hornet · May 23, 2006

In Delaware 3 wks ago, there were a bunch of KDX"SSS

karlp · May 23, 2006

Here on the Gulf Coast (Alabama and Mississippi) you see a few KDX's; 5 or 6 out of 200+ at an enduro. I don't know about HS 'cause I don't go to them. I find the KDX great for the tight stuff but a little hairy when the trail opens up and the speeds increase. I love my soft seat! :laugh:

Karl

kelseybrent · May 23, 2006

Went back through some ECEA enduro results for this year and the only one I have with a manufacturer listing was Sandy Lane. The Lights classes are 0-200 cc this year, so as long as no one is riding a KX125, I count 1 out of 20 in A light, 3 out of 24 in B light, and 3 out of 10 in C light.

Green Hornet · May 23, 2006

kelseybrent said:
Went back through some ECEA enduro results for this year and the only one I have with a manufacturer listing was Sandy Lane. The Lights classes are 0-200 cc this year, so as long as no one is riding a KX125, I count 1 out of 20 in A light, 3 out of 24 in B light, and 3 out of 10 in C light.

Also, I see them in B & C Class H/S by the ECEA

pete fry · May 23, 2006

I raced the weekend at Hartley Witney on my 1990 200 kdx.Came sixth in class.Hard going but alot of fun,only saw one other kdx in the sea of orange.Must really please them to see my sixteen tear old beauty bouncing by!!!!!!!!

KDXruss · May 23, 2006

Raced mine in a NETRA hare scramble a few weeks ago. Very few KDX's but alot of orange.

WoodsRider · May 23, 2006

KDXruss said:
Very few KDX's but alot of orange.

And won by a GasGas! ;)

Seriously though a KDX can still be raced competitively, just look at Fredette... when he's not on the KXF. They are, however, a 12 year-old design. There's no difference between the 2006 KDX200 and the 1996 KDX200 I used to race... except they got rid of that ugly purple tank and shrouds. I remember when the 200 class was nothing but a sea of green. Now it's mostly orange with a little bit of yellow and green thrown in for flavor.

Times have changed. The Honda XR600 came out back when all you heard on the radio was Duran Duran, Prince and Madonna. Honda sold a lot of them, thanks to Scott Summers and his multiple Nat'l H/S and GNCC titles, but how many of them do you ever see at a race anymore?

The KDX is a great trail bike and can still be ridden competitively, especially in the hands of a skilled rider. It would've been nice if Kawasaki had updated the design, suspension and ergos a bit. Unfortunately the new EPA regs will kill off the KDX. :|

notenuftoys · May 23, 2006

I raced back in January on mine, but I'll be honest; if I do much more racing, the KDX will be put out to pasture. There were lots of sandy whoops, and the KDX was feeling very heavy after a couple of 13 mile laps. It also doesn't have the power to keep up with some of other 450F's and 250s in my class.

adam728 · May 23, 2006

I race a few harescrambles and motocrosses a year. Always the only KDX at the MX races, usually there is 1 or 2 others at the harescrambles.

Saving for a real race bike though. Sure the KDX can be competitive, but it takes 10 times the effort. I can go so much faster on a 125 or 250 and get 1/2 as tired, even in pretty technical trails. The only place I find the KDX better is in 1st gear "I can't see my front fender the brush is so thick" style trails, which is where I spend about 2% of my time. Anything wide enough that you can see the dirt in front of you I feel the KDX is a disadvantage (for me anyway).

KDX CRAZY · May 24, 2006

I have done one race on my KDX where 250 bikes entered , I was surprised by the amount of KDX's that entered at least 30 . The race was 4 x 25km 15 mile laps through thick mud , 3 river crossings , climbing up two rocky hills and some flat out farm fields . Only 27 riders managed to finish the 4 laps , within the same lap as the leaders .
The winner was on a 89 KDX 200 (45 years old ) and the second place a KTM 300 .

COMBEN · May 24, 2006

pete fry said:
I raced the weekend at Hartley Witney on my 1990 200 kdx.Came sixth in class.Hard going but alot of fun,only saw one other kdx in the sea of orange.Must really please them to see my sixteen tear old beauty bouncing by!!!!!!!!

Was that the Track and Trail event, if so did see your KDX (KX stickers?) but didn't see you, sorry!
This was the event that I DNF'd and your 6th in class was a real good result, that was a tough track and sorted the men from the boys, that's for sure. I was gutted to say the least after driving all that way only to have my back say "enough" after the 'siting' lap (bad facet!) but I'm looking forward to Dorchester.
....man that 'siteing' lap was gruesome down at the bog...I rode with a KTM-525 for a while until he hit one of those tree stumps and boy did he pull up quick!

cheers for now :cool:

duke · May 24, 2006

I have to ask you UK guys, and anyone else living in Europe as well. Where, with the limited space available for off road recreation, do you ride? Private land?

karlp · May 24, 2006

I'll be running my '02 KDX 220 at the Clanton, AL enduro this weekend.
I've been trying to get Jason to come but he says it's too hot :)

that one will seperate the couch potatoes from the rest. I don't care what you ride, it's a LONG one. (straight up, straight down, mudhole, straight up, straight down, mud hole :yikes: )

I've been seriously considering a new bike, probably a GasGas

COMBEN · May 24, 2006

duke said:
I have to ask you UK guys, and anyone else living in Europe as well. Where, with the limited space available for off road recreation, do you ride? Private land?

Wow, I envy you guys over the pond with oodles of land just gagging to be ripped!
I'm are quite lucky where I live (40 miles south of London) in that there are some good'ish woodsey trails around here, but these are also used by 'Rucksac Roy' 'Nose in the Air' 'Barbour Wearing' walkers (I did say walkers! :moon: ) and horse riders.....so you need to ride with caution in case you park your 21" knobbley into someones crack while they are bending over to study some fauna :) seriously our bunch ride with resepect and caution, the horse riders are a good bunch but some of them walkers (I'm struggleing here but still called them walkers!) they have a real 'right to walk' attitude, it's most likely a very english stubbon thing, I just don't understand it? There are times I love to walk myself, with my girlfriend, and when we come across mountain bikes or m/bikes it's give them a wave and move over type thing,
Some of these 'trails' are 'grey' footpaths that can't be strickly ridden legally, and some are byways that can be ridden OK. Changes to designation have made more of these byways into footpaths, forced thru by the walking 'lobbyists' whom seem to have been gettting some big national changes for such a minority group..they are very well organised though.

There are few practice MX tracks around but for a hare and hounds we may drive for two/three hours.
Trail riding weekends down in the greener parts of the western UK (Devon, Dorset, Wales etc) are getting very popular, but these can be a little tame. Failing all this there just isn't much private land or unused land that can be ridden.
Farmers can and do let their land be used for motorsport but there was a move by our goverment to stop giving farmers subsidies if they do this! That means the farmers loosing thousands of pounds just to let a bunch of guys chew their land up to race and the farmer gets a little beer money for it, so you can't blame them for not giving their land up for motorsport! This is a crazy situation which I think may of changed recently?

that's my 2 pence, sterling over here...you don't know how lucky you are :(

Green Hornet · May 24, 2006

"but some of them walkers (I'm struggleing here but still called them walkers!) they have a real 'right to walk' attitude"

They can be :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon:

COMBEN · May 24, 2006

Pete, there are great pics up on the image consortium website of the TNT HnH last weekend.... I think there is a one of your KDX buried to its footrests, couldn't post it for you though, sorry

pete fry · May 25, 2006

yep thats my kdx with a kx 500 seat cover.Ive only done one other enduro before that one with TNT at Piddle Hinton so this one was a oh my god what am I doing here!!! I was stuck up to my footrests a couple of times but somehow the old girl pludged her way through.Was I glad they cut it to 2 hours.Ill look you up at the next one 25th june.

...anyone racing their KDX?

COMBEN

kmccune

2-Strokes forever

Green Hornet

karlp

kelseybrent

Green Hornet

pete fry

KDXruss

WoodsRider

Sponsoring Member<BR>Club Moderator

notenuftoys

adam728

KDX CRAZY

COMBEN

duke

karlp

COMBEN

Green Hornet

COMBEN

pete fry

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...anyone racing their KDX?

2-Strokes forever

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