Do KDX's have noisy engines?

I looked at a 92 KDX 200 this weekend and the engine had a knocking sound to it. Is this normal? Should all the sound just be coming from the exhaust? I really wanted this bike but was concerned about the engine noise and it also smoked a lot. The owner gave some lame excuse about the fuel bing to rich however the smoke was blue/white.

Becareful. The engine is noisey to a point, but blue/white smoke? Did you ride the bike? If so how did it feel? How was this bike maintained? Whats the Price?

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Yes I rode it and was disappointed. This is only the second bike I've looked at. The first was an 89 XL250 that just had a top end rebuild with a different piston to give it better performance. The Honda had instant power that pulled you back from low speed where as the KLX didn't do much when you throttled it. I was wondering where the power was. The bike was used about 40-50 times according to the owner only on his ranch. It has 5600 miles on it. It has been in the barn for the last 5-6 years. His father said he never replaced anything on it. The front shocks need seals. Rear tire had minimal life left at best. The frame had no sratches not even underneath and the brake rotors showed no wear at all. The handle bar plastic was broken and deeply scratched like it had been dropped at some point. I don't know how to check all the bearings so I don't know about that. But I would be interested in learning. I also think I will start carrying my compression tester from now on as well. He is asking $1500 and he said he doesn't really want to sell it and turned down $1200 cash. I think I'll should chalk this one up to the learning process. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Steve Ruddy
Guerneville CA

Was this bike in novato at a garage sale or something from an ad on craigslist? I saw one that sounded kind of like that. Either way, not only is that bike old, but it is also trashed. You'll just keep puting money into it and it still won't work right. They won't sell it for more than $900 to anyone who knows what to look for

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Yes it is and I'm glad I turned it down. I just went with my gut feeling then but after hearing everyones comments here I'm more educated as well. :cool: I will definitely keep looking for a 200 or 220 I think I will also go for a 1995 or above and hopefully when I find a good one I'll like the performance. This one was a dog. I wish people were just more honest so we weren't waisting our time. :|