front fork

[bttow49]

can anybody help me by letting me know how much oil and what kind of oil should go in 1989 kdx 200 front forks just got it so dont have manual yet cant find one.thanks

 

[julien_d]

Service range is with the fork compressed and spring removed. 110 - 170mm from the top using 10w fork oil.

 

[bttow49]

cool thank you have not been able to find a manual at local part store.also is there supposed to be dust covers over seals and then rubber boot over all that?or does the boot act as dust cover?

 

[domino dave]

For '89-'92 conventional forks Freddette says to remove the spring and compress the fork and then pour in the oil until it's 4.75 inches down from the top of the fork (for 200 lb riders. 5" for 150 lb riders). He says to mix 5 and 10 wt fork oils together for this.
Then extend the fork and put in the new spring and place the pvc on top of it. Mark the pvc where the top of the fork is. then remove the pvc and mark 1/2" farther down on the pvc and cut it there. That will give you 1/4" of preload. Hope this helps ... Dave

 

[glad2ride]

Any Kawasaki dealer can order the service manual for you. It's Kawasaki part number 99924-1114-02.

The manual states 10 weight. The stock fork springs are too soft for most people.

 

[domino dave]

Quote from Fredettes site-"1989-1992 "E" Models: I have found that the stock forks work pretty well for most riders that weigh less than 140 lbs. I recommend replacing the stock springs with a .33 kg spring for riders that weigh between 140-170 lbs, a .35 kg spring for riders weighing between 170-210 lbs, and a .38 kg spring for riders weighing over 210 lbs. For each of these weight categories I recommend setting the clickers between 6-12 clicks out."
After talking with Jeff Fredette several times over the years,he has sent me a couple different fork springs to try as I was unhappy with the stock springs in my "E" model.It even had a KX forks on that I did not like. I have been satisfied with Jeff's suggestions. Hope this edit clears up any confusion. Dave

 

[julien_d]

I'm not sure I agree with those spring rates. The stockers are rediculously soft, and very unmatched from the rear spring.

 

[glad2ride]

domino dave, try a few different sets before copying and pasting from Senor Fredette.

The stock springs are pillow soft!!

 

[julien_d]

yeah, I liked the quotation marks around that too, or lack thereof.

 

[glad2ride]

I wonder just how many miles Jeff Fredette has put on a 1992 KDX200 since the 1993 model came out. Those tips were written MANY years ago. Virtually no tuner does the butter soft spring, heavy preload, stiff damping thing anymore. Compare spring rates from a current YZ250 to a 1999 YZ250 to a 1994 YZ250to a 1989 YZ250. That early-mid 90's theory is gone!

 

[domino dave]

Hi Glad ... Wouldn't have pasted that info had I not tried different sets. Last change I pulled out a set from an XR400 (too stiff for my 155 lbs.) and went back to .33(I think those came out of a later model KDX)... running 5 wt. 10 clicks. Sorry if I'm too old school for you guys...just trying to put out some info for the guy who started the thread that has worked well for me . Domino
p.s. edited my earlier post... sorry for any confusion

 

[glad2ride]

Did you try .38 or .40 XR400R springs? Which amount of preload did you use?

Suspension is all opinion, so no problems on any posting.

 

[domino dave]

Cheking my notes here, I have switched back to .35's(not .33) out of a '95 KDX200. The XR400 springs are out of a '99, and I was told are .40's(sound right?). Preload 1/2 inch(10mm?). 5 wt. Sag is 5 inchs(little soft)... All my toys are works in progress ... always open to suggestion. Dave
p.s. what ever happened to Canyncarvr??

 

[glad2ride]

.40 for 1999 is correct. 1996 - 1997 is .38 and 1999 and newer (2004??) are .40.

Five inches of sag is way too much. Please lose 30 - 40 pounds and report back with your new sag numbers, or just get stiffer springs. :-)

When you are sitting on the bike, the general expectation of sag is around 25%, I believe, which is around 3" if travel is 12".

Generally, once the sag tells you that you have the correct rate spring installed, then it is time to work on valving.

cc is out and about. He even shows up on TT sometimes!!

 

[domino dave]

I only weigh 155 ... can't afford any lbs. ... I can stiffen the the bike up though. I'll let you know how I like it. Dave

 

[glad2ride]

I hear ya. :-) .35 rate springs are a lot better than the stock .30!! :-)

Without knowing the rate of the springs, one could just in stall set after set until the correct sag numbers are reached. Whatever the spring rate is of that set of springs, that would be the "correct" spring rate.