At a loss here guys need some advice.

[girlsbike]

purchased a 200 kdx pretty much new but used from a guy at the first of the year and so far the gas tank has cracked around the petcok,i plastic welded fixed it right up.Then the very next ride a piece that part of the powervalve rod broke off and made its way to the gears and chewed on pretty much every gear.Some are not bad just a tooth chipped but 2 or three are realle chipped up.
I found a used trans for 325+my old trans.But i'm starting to get a bad feeling about this bike.I really like the bike i've had alot of fun on it but come on whats next.I thought these bikes were supposed to be reliable.
I don't know whether to get the used trans and put it back together to sale or keep.Or just put the bike back together and sale just like it is and take a loss???Any takers.

Really bummed out about the whole experience.

 

[jimbo]

Sounds like you need to park that bike and go through it with all the recomended checkups available from the just kdx website. It appears the bike has been seriously abused so go through it now and you'll have a great dirtbike when it's all done.

jimbo

 

[girlsbike]

Thats the thing the bike was pretty much brand new when i got it,and i haven't abused it form what i've seen,and have always maintained it religiously.Maybe i am riding the bike too hard?But everybody i know rides harder than i do.

 

[Canadian Dave]

The cracked tank is a problem Kawasaki is aware of and depending on the age of the bike and location of the crack is something they’ll replace free of charge. Do a search on this form and you’ll find the contact info etc you need to get the ball rolling.

The snapped KIPS shaft is something you hear of from time to time but is not the fault of the bike or the manufacture but rather who ever serviced the top end on your bike. The shaft is more than strong enough to do the job it was designed to do. The shaft was very likely damaged when the top end of your bike was serviced. There are two things that cause the shaft the break. One is the nut that attaches the top of the shaft to the drive gear. The nut uses a reverse thread. What often happened is people attempt to remove the nut without first consulting their shop manual and don’t realize it uses a reverse thread. As the nut is rotated in the wrong direction the shaft is damaged, normally near the bottom, and snaps or is fatigued and snaps in pretty short order. The second thing that caused the shaft to be damaged is the failure to support the shaft while the nut is removed or installed. Again the shaft is allowed to twist to the point it’s damaged and eventually breaks. You can read more about this problem on the JustKDX web page.

It sounds like you’ve experienced the two problems that detract from the KDXs otherwise bulletproof reputation. If you’re otherwise happy with the bike I wouldn’t hesitate to fix the problems and enjoy the many miles of trouble free riding the bike is sure to offer.

If you haven’t already gone through the new bike prep section on the JustKDX site I’d encourage you to do so paying particular attention to the fact that bike manufactures don’t used an adequate amount a grease when lubrication suspension parts at the factory so that you don’t run into problem with the suspension bearings at some point.

 

[canyncarvr]

The devil's advocate says....

Two ways on the trans. Fix yours or get the swap.

Fix: I haven't priced 'em, but if kawi charges $4 (and the do) for a carb needle clip, I can't imagine what hard parts (tranny gears) would cost. And what about forks and the drum? And as long as it's apart, you might as well replace bearings and seals I supppse.

Swap: You'd have to take it apart to see what kind of shape IT was in.

Certainly at some point there is a wise move when you decide there's already too much sand down this particular rat-hole.

You couldn't get much for it as it is. Don't know about you, but I couldn't sell something like that to anyone without telling them what the deal was. 'Caveat emptor' is something I pay attention to very well...but I don't slough off crap on some unknowing schmuck just cuz I know he's stoopid.

On the positive side....you'd learn plenty in the process!

Would depend on what those gears cost, I guess.

Good luck! It's a tough call either way.

 

[girlsbike]

The factory gears range from $35-85.If i fix the bike i'll probably go with the used parts.They are supposed to be in great shape,and i get all trans peices.
The part of the shaft that broke was a L shaped bracket that bolts to the kips shaft and fit into a groove in the centrifigul advancer.
There may be some merit to what Canadian Dave said about the nut on the shaft with the reverse threads.I remember trying to get it loose before i read that it was reverse threaded,but i don't remember forcing it .Maybe i weakened it enough.I did a top-end in the bike 7 months before the problems with the transmission.Oh well live and learn.