Do flywheel weights put any strain on the motor??

[kdx220freak]

just wondering if flywheel weights put any strain on the bottom or top end. And also how much do the weights really help with not having to shift so much?? Will wheelies be any harder to do???

 

[Tom L]

I don't know about the other stuff, but it is definitely harder to do wheelies. The power comes on much slower making it harder to pop up the front wheel. It has to put a bit more stress on the engine, but I don't know if it is significant enough to shorten the life of the engine noticably.

 

[QLD_KDX]

I have had one for about 4 years now. I don't think it affects the life of the engine, but I think that once your crank bearings start to get a bit of play in them, you'd notice it a lot quicker...

 

[oldturtle]

I think it is all about how you ride and how quickly you need the hit vrs importance of tractability. For casual trail riders, for riding with little kids, or for very gnarly slippery conditions then extra weight could help with less wheel spin. But with 3 KDXs I have never felt need for more flywheel. For the hot dogs who are regularly slipping clutch to get a quicker hit then less weight is often preferred.
The other factor in decision on flywheel weight is your motor mods. A stock KDX would probably never need more weight under any situation. For some riders with pipe, reeds, carb, and porting mods, then more weight could be good especially in very slow technical conditions without loosing all your gain when things open up.
I don't see any significant diff in amount of shifting or amount of wear.

 

[DaveRS575]

I have to agree with oldturtle.. I think it's all relative.

Would being a 200lb rider reduce the life of your KDX more than say a 170Lb rider... Possibly.

Basically what is happening with regard to a flywheel weight is it's enabling the motor to more evenly distribute the power across the power band by creating more strain on the motor at hit, but at the same time creating a greater level of inertia and spinning "heavier" and faster on decel, artificially slowing the deceleration of the motor on reduction of throttle causing a smoother distribution of power.

Dos it put more strain on the motor? Absolutely. Will it degrade or increase the wear on the motorr? Arguable. The flywheel weight has somethign of a counter effect as the motor is not banging from one extreme to another as rapidly as it would otherwise.

I guess the simple answer is, different components of your motor will wear more rapidly, while others will degrade more slowly (like gears potentially, etc) causing the overall question to beg for more specific wear factors.. Sorry.. It's a very good question with a pretty broad answer..

Was there a particular part of the motor or drivetrain that you were particularly concerned with?

PS: I don't think you would ever really "need: a flywheel weight on a KDX.... A KX on the other hand.....

 

[kdx220freak]

well i am only 140 pounds and the wheel does spin alot, i was just thinking it would be an alternative to an autoclutch.

 

[DaveRS575]

well i am only 140 pounds and the wheel does spin alot, i was just thinking it would be an alternative to an autoclutch.

You might want to look at changing your sprockets first...

Go with a larger sprocket up front, say 14 or 15 tooth instead of 13..