?? by new KDX owner

[xr400forever]

based on all your glowing recommendations I bought a 2000 KDX 220 this week. I had a bit of a chance to look it over more carefully tonight and have a few questions:
1. The What should I do about stripped nuts for the 2 bolts that hold the seat on.
2. How often should i clean the KIPS valve.
3. The the airbox area between the air filter and carb has dirt and dust in it. How can I know if dirt has entered the engine and damaged it? Would dust likely damage the special cylinder coating or is it more likely to just wear out rings?
4. If I have the head off to clean the kips valve should I change the rings just to be thorough?
5. The rear shock seal is leaking fluid. Is this an doable fix for a basic home mechanic.
6. It seems to run weak (rich)between 1/4 and 3/4 throttle> I know I will have to check the jetting, which I am almost certain is stock. It is a Canadian model. Anyone know what jetting is stock on these bikes (to compare with the reccomendation on the justkdx site. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problem with a new 2000 model and what the fix was. Right now temp is 17degrees and my altitude is 2500 feet.Humidity is 80%.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

 

[jaguar]

Clean the KIPS every year.
A little dust is probably no big deal. Only way to know if there’s been damage is to take the engine apart which you need to do anyway since the previous owner probably didn’t maintenance the KIPS before selling it to you.
If the rings aren’t scratched and the end gap (when inside the cylinder w/o the pistion) is within limits then keep using it.
I’d look in the manual to get an idea if you can do the shock repair.
High altitude and humidity both require leaner jetting.

 

[NZMXr]

While you have the head off you might as well replace the rings they are relativly inexpensive to replace and much cheaper than doing a recon later on because you didnt replace them

 

[xr400forever]

Thanks for the responses guys! Jaguar, good web site , very helpful. I Checked out the FMF site for jetting specs and realize my stock jetting is way, way to rich. I will address problen # 6 by getting smaller jets. Would still love to hear from anyone who has done a rear shock and/or has had the same seat nuts stripped. I take it you cannot hone the KDX's cylinder, or am I wrong. Thanks for all your help , I am used to 4 stroke Honda's so lots about 2 strokes are new to me.

 

[Jasle]

It has been mentioned that the Kawasaki has the thinnest plating. You can lightly hone nikasil to break the glaze but you don't want to over do it. do a search on honing or similar and you should find the thread.

 

[Matt90GT]

rear shock, if you have to ask, you have to take it to someone. They are nitrogen gas pressurized. not many people have the equipment to rebuild and repace the gas/fluid at the home garage.

 

[Kawadougie]

If the seat holding nut threads are completely gone, I would simply drill the hole out to a slightly larger size and use a through bolt with an aircraft style locking nut on the back side.

 

[Fred T]

RE: Seat bolts: Mine stripped too so I just went to the next larger size and tapped ahd threaded it. Works great and a beefier bolt seem to help. Use antisieze on the threads
RE: Shock - send it to someone you trust or wwwMX-Tech.com for a rebuild -$89 + parts.
RE: Dirty airbox - clean it out! Do a compression test. For piece of mind and $130 you can rebuild the top end with new piston, rings, gasket kit and service KIPS and be done with it and know how your cyl looks. Use a scotch brite pad and lightly clean the lining. The 220 should have a Wiseco piston in it anyway as the stockers have been known to crack.
RE: Something you didn't ask - Grease the steering head bearings and all swingarm and linkage bearings with Belray water proof grease.
Good luck!

 

[lpracing77]

I have drilled and tapped the striped threads on my KDX and inserted heli-coils. I have had no problems since the repair. Drilling the striped threads through with a 1/4" drill and using longer bolts and nuts is another option. Just remember to be careful when tightening the seat bolts and you should be ok with the heli -coils.

 

[canyncarvr]

The reason you have dirt in your airbox is the same reason your seat attachment hardware is stripped.

The previous owner didn't know how to wrench, and/or didn't care to take care of his bike. If there is dirt in the carb plenum..dirt has been in the engine.

A leaking shock is another tell-tale of poor maintenance. Well, probably. I did see a brand new yamaha a couple months ago with a blown shock. Maintenance or lack of it had nothing to do with that one.

Nicosil is NOT indestructible. A nick or tear here and there does not necessarily constitute a have-to replate. Kinda depends.

You should have a wiseco in a 220. Generally not considered a problem unless considerably modified. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

CDave lists the stock jetting on his site.

http://justkdx.dirtrider.net

Listen to fred. Service the suspension and steering assy ASAP. Might save yourself some downtime and buy the bottom shock mount bearing/sleeve/seals before you take it apart. You'll likely need to replace it.

bearing 92046-1192
sleeve 42036A-1248
seal (2) 92049-1330

Oh...use grease on your filter rim. Believe it or not, some riders have never heard of doing that. Maybe your bike's previous owner? An easily cleanable oiling/grease package like notoil may keep your stuff cleaner cuz it makes it so easy to clean. You can wash your filter in the kitchen sink!

Enjoy your new ride!!