Drain & Fill

[Dirt Mcgirt]

Hi, I have a 1988 Kawasaki KDX 200 2-stroke non-oil injected dirt bike and I had a few questions about drain and fills for the bike along with a few other miscellaneous questions.

Would running 93 octane fuel compromise the engine for this year, or is higher octane recommended?

I picked up some Royal Purple 2-Cycle TCW III in hopes that it will better protect and enhance the performance of my engine. If I am currently running a 40:1 fuel ratio; should this new synthetic mix be the same or less?

I bought the bike not too long ago and would like to drain whatever is in the bike and refill with "top of the line" fluids" to ensure the best...because I don't know what is in there now, and the guy I bought it from seemed like a yo-yo. What weight would be most appropriate for this year and would Royal Purple Max Cycle 10w-40 be too heavy or just right for the oil fill?

Last but not least; when I purchased the bike, I noticed there was an NGK BR8ES, when I looked up the plug for the bike it said BR9ES...could any damage have occurred, and is there a specific gap that needs to be adjusted?

 

[_JOE_]

It's a good idea to run premium fuel, no risk of damage from too high a grade pump fuel.

Alot of "boutique" oils are not much better than products cost half as much, though they can provide piece of mind if you're unsure the quality of a lesser priced oil.
Here, check this out.....http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=146867

The spark plug will tell you if it's too hot. Read this....http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=89861&highlight=tom+turner

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

Thanks a lot for the reply, I'm still not sure if I should run the same pre-mix or not...and would 10w-40 be ok for a drain and fill?
Thanks in advance :)

 

[mudpack]

10w-40 MOTORCYCLE oil is fine for the gearbox (drain and fill??)
Do not use TWC oil for pre-mix, TWC oil is for outboard engines and watercraft.

 

[_JOE_]

Mud is right.

I prefer to run a high end premix in my two strokes. It will burn cleaner and help keep your exhaust valve from gumming up.

 

[glad2ride]

10w-40 is correct.

Use motorcycle intended oil for your premix. 40:1 will be fine, but 32:1 was the factory recommendation.

B9ES (not BR9ES) was the stock plug. If you ride real tight trails, the engine may not get hot enough to burn off the carbon and a B8ES (or BR8ES if you want a resistor) may be required.

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

Thanks for the helpful replies, I changed the tranny oil and filled until the halfway mark on the crankcase window...when I ride for a while and everything is warmed up significantly, it appears almost full. I put in the .7L that was suggested, but it seemed way too low so I added just a tiny bit more (about 150ml)...should I be worried about it being overfull?

The front tire that came with the bike was just thrown on there, it wasn't for that year and had a hub on the front. If I bought a 1987 front tire with disc brakes, would it bolt up to my 1988?

Sometimes when I'm in a low gear and rolling down a hill with my clutch pinned it sometimes feels like the gear is partially engaged because it revs sort of high like it would if I was in that gear...what could be the cause of that?

 

[_JOE_]

I wouldn't worry about having a little too much oil in the tranny. If it's over filled it may drip out the vent line.

I don't know if you can swap wheel/brake setups.

It sounds like the clutch basket may be notched and not allowing the plates to seperate as they should.

 

[glad2ride]

Make sure you are reading the glass with the bike standing up straight, not over on the kickstand.

Measure it when cold, not hot. The oil gets slung around and can't be read accurately when hot.

I wouldn't put too much in there, in general. There is a vent hose on the back where it may come out.

Are you saying that someone bolted a drum brake hub/front wheel and complete brake system on the bike??

If you are asking can you convert that to a 1987 front end, then yes, you can. 1986 - 1988 are all interchangeable, though they have some slight differences.

Your basket may be notched. Look on Google images for notched basket or grooves, etc. It will be apparent as to why the plates are not releasing properly.

Congratulations on having a 1988 model. It was the last (and best in my opinion) air-cooled full-sized KDX.

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

Awesome thanks! So fill cold while the bike is in perfect upright position until the halfway mark is reached?

And yes, some idiot bolted a drum brake hub/front wheel and brake system on the bike...he told me first that it was an 86, then I ran the vin # and found out that it was in fact an 88 model. I was so pissed off, now I have to find a new front wheel and braking assembly because I don't have front brakes. (the screw port on the hub snapped off; and he didn't even tell me...what a monster douche)

What would I need to fix this problem, a new basket? I don't know much about the internal components of the engine but I'm sure one of my buddies could help me out in that dept if hands-on work needs to be done. Will I cause any irreversible damage to the bike if I continue to ride it for now?

To run the fuel out of the carburetor; am I supposed to shut the fuel switch off and then continue to run the bike until it stalls?

Thank you, the more I ride the bike...the more I love it. I'll get some pictures on here soon. I may have found a new girlfriend; and no, the current one isn't pleased :)

 

[Joburble]

Well I can hear the screams of dissaproval from people as I write this, but, as a down and dirty temporary fix for your clutch basket if it is notched (here it comes :| ) you can file the notches off the basket fingers with a flat file (with clutch basket removed). Just make sure you do a damn near precision engineering job with that file, and keep the contact surface to the plates nice and parallel, make sure you file the same amount off each basket finger or you will put it out of balance. Then wet and dry the file marks off as they are a stress riser, if you leave them on they can cause the fingers to break off. Yea, yea, I know, what an animal. However I have done this once in the past on an old bike I had and the clutch worked much better. I never did replace that basket and it ran for years. Only do this if you have NO money for a new basket.

 

[glad2ride]

Are the forks from a 1986 model? I don't see how he would have got the brake drum to align on a mounting tab.

What's a screw port on the hub?

A basket can be filed once, but it will make it wear faster and then you will need a new one. It's a band-aid.

I'd run the bike until it started sounding funny (surging, then use the kill switch to kill it).

Post some pictures, especially of the front wheel.

 

[julien_d]

File it, and then hard anodize. Good for life ;)

 

[julien_d]

File it, and then hard anodize. Good for life ;) Yeah, some pictures of that front wheel would help.

Congrats on the bike, I like the old ones very much!

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

okay, so the transexual oil has been changed and I'm happy I did it when I did; it was extremely dark and dirty. Needless to say, it doesn't seem like the gears are catching like they were before. The engine is much smoother and when I clutch while in gear it doesn't wind up anymore....weird!?

Anyway, I got a picture of the front hub...I hope the forks aren't from some miscellaneous rat bike; I'll **** my britches. I did price around for a used wheel and front brake assembly, coming to about $250; which isn't too bad.

I love this bike and would love it to be tip-top shape for September. (big annual ride) I need this bike to be a bit safer lol....I was going down a monster hill the other day; I could have used some front brakes...one word "terrifying"

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

Here is a pic of the front of the bike...

Thank you so much for all your guy's help, it is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[glad2ride]

It's definitely not the stock wheel, as it should be a disc brake. Can you post a larger photo for more detail?

Thanks!

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

It's definitely not the stock wheel, as it should be a disc brake. Can you post a larger photo for more detail?

Thanks!

I hope this is a good pic to identify my jacked front end...lol

 

[glad2ride]

The picture is smaller. :-)

Are there any mounting tabs for the disc brake caliper?

What is the diameter of the chrome, inner tube?

Can you post a picture of the triple clamps?

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

The picture is smaller. :-)

Are there any mounting tabs for the disc brake caliper?

What is the diameter of the chrome, inner tube?

Can you post a picture of the triple clamps?

There is a mounting tab, but the guy that had it before me snapped it off.

haha, here is an up close pic for real this time.

The chrome is 21X1.80

 

[glad2ride]

Is there a piece coming off the forks that goes into the brake drum hub? I am just trying to figure out if Mr. Goodwrench swapped out the whole front end or not.

38mm diameter chrome tubes were on most of the older models with drum front brakes. 1986 moved up to 43mm diameter.

Are you taking these pictures with a bag cell phone's camera? :-) Sorry, had to do it. :-)

 

[Dirt Mcgirt]

lololololzzz, here are a few pictures...I wasn't able to upload high resolution, so I hope these do the trick. Thanks for looking at my horrific photography, lol!