Having KDX Fun? Absolutely!

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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
Picked up my new used 95' KDX 200 yesterday.

After picking it up I noticed the gas cap was leaking through a small crack. I melted it closed with a solder gun, problem solved.

It seemed to hesitate when reving the engine. Didn't notice this until I got it home. Cleaned the air filter, problem solved.

Woke up early ready to ride since it was like christmas morning!

Changed the oil, bought a gas tank since I didn't need a oil/gas mix tank for my old 4-stroke TTR-225.

Figured out how to mix the fueld and went riding!

I should have listened to everyone on dirtrider.net and bought a kdx to begin with. I've had a smile on my face all day. After worrying how a used 95 would run all night, the bike ran perfect all day!

Gravity seemed to extra strong on my 02 TTR-225. It must have been a light gravity day since my KDX 200 was flying all over the place. ;>) The bike was very fast compared to my old bike.

Now I know what everyone is talking about when the say power band. :>)

I can't wait for next weekend!
 
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aintskeerd

Member
Aug 19, 2004
31
0
I agree, Corpblue!

I just bought a '01 220 Friday and rode Saturday with a friend who just got a '02 WR250.

I had an absolute blast on trails and motocross track! I race mountain bikes, and feel like my KDX was more manuverable than my Fuel 100.

When my friend and I switched bikes, we both agreed that the KDX is much more fun - lighter, better handling, great powerband. KDX has a lighter suspension, but can be easily upgraded. I had to pry my KDX out of my friend's hands.

Riding the KDX is addictive - I was grinning like crazy the whole time and cannot wait until next ride.

I plan to take a course to learn correct techniques to build upon, and have added this forum to my favorites list!
 
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skipro3

Mod Ban
Dec 14, 2002
902
0
Your excitement is contagious and it's fun to relive my own first time experiance with my KDX when I read about yours and others who post their experiance here.
Glad you enjoy the ride.
 
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aintskeerd

Member
Aug 19, 2004
31
0
I know I already gushed about my KDX, but I cannot get over how light, flickable, effortless, and connected the KDX felt.

And that was during my first ride on a dirt bike in years!
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
I really don't know what all this stuff is but it has a gold fatty fmf pipe and some type of aftermarket silencer. It has asbics guards all over it. The guy I bought it from also said when he bought it a year ago he was told it had boysen reeds. Is that some type of performance reed?

I bought it because it looked in better shape than a few other newer (and more expensive) bikes.

You can tell I don't know a lot about all the aftermarket upgrades on this bike. All I know is it is a blast to ride.
 
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wanaride

~SPONSOR~
Jul 18, 2003
492
0
Aintskeerd, I live near Salisbury and I ride a KDX200. If you ever want to hook up and ride, just email me at rhunter@cmlmicro.com.

By the way, unless you are a seasoned MX rider, I suggest you do NOT go to Andrews MX Park; it is between Charlotte and Concord. If you know what you are doing you can have a blast there, but one weekend I thought I would take a break from woods riding and try that place out. BIG MISTAKE. I'm a beginner-level woods rider and I was definitely out of my element in that place; most of the jumps come to a very sharp peak and are not easily ridden over, not to mention the A-level MX riders that are doubling everything sideways...fun to watch but scary to participate in!

Where did you and your bud go riding at? If you haven't been to TNT, you really need to make the trip and check that place out! Brushy Mtn in Taylorsville is good too; they have single-track, uphill/downhill sections, rocks, roots, and ruts...
 
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wanaride

~SPONSOR~
Jul 18, 2003
492
0
More stuff to chew on...
1) Get a service manual for your bike ASAP. Even if you are like me and aren't a world-class mechanic, the SM will help you do lots of stuff to your bike. I'm amazed JasonWho didn't mention that 'cause he normally harps on it :) . By the way JasonWho, thanks for pronouncing Acerbis, I've been wondering how to say that...
2) Go to the JustKDX website and read the "HopUp Guide" info in the "Tech Tips" page. This will give you a step-by-step guide on how to get the most bang out of your bucks.
3) Before you ask anything about jetting, fork springs, or premix oils/ratios, be sure to try out the SEARCH function on this forum because those questions have already been asked dozens of times...I know because I asked most of them!
4) And do check out the FAQs at the beginning of this forum, a wealth of info can be had very quickly there.

Have fun! :ride:
 
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KAY DEE EXER

~SPONSOR~
Mar 3, 2003
629
0
JasonWho said:
The plastic parts are made by Acerbis, and as you already guessed, it is pronounced, ah-cher-bee. :-)
Click to expand...
Really? Ace-er-biz is wat we call et ova ere... :nener: More dodgy aussie slang I guess. :eek:
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
Thanks for the idea. I found the owners and service manual on the kawaski website, I'll order it now.

Great bedtime reading I'm sure.
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
Quick comparison after riding the KDX 200 for one day.

The TTR225 gets a bad rap. It is a very dependable and comfortable to ride machine. It is just not powerfull or agressive enough for most people. It has its feet firmly planted to the ground. It is a great bike for safely learning how to ride. The seat height of the TTR is also nice for those of us vertically challenged (5' 8'')

The KDX is also easy to ride but I was tired out after riding for a day. I believe I could ride the TTR longer without feeling tired. Perhaps it was just adjusting to the new bike but it was probably also the fact I was able to ride much faster and more agressively on the KDX. I had the front wheel off the ground as much as possible :>), something you can't do on the TTR.

The ride on the TTR is smoother. Kind of like riding in a large car with soft seats. The TTR has a smoother ride when going over rocky ground. The electic start is very conveinent. It is also easy to fill up the gas tank at the gas station (no mixing) and one tank will easily last all day.

I fell over once on the KDX when going up a very large hill with two jumps on it. On my TTR I didn't have to keep the idle up when landing the first jump. On my KDX I forgot to keep my rev's up when landing the first jump and didn't have time to get them back up after landing the first jump and headed up the second hill. Ended up in the uncomfortable place of no momentum on a step hill. With the TTR I would have just twisted the throttle and chugged slowly up the hill. I was trying to take it easy on the KDX and not head up the hill too fast.

The fun factor on the KDX is 100 times higher if you are agressive at all. If you like to comfortably putt around the TTR works.

I love my KDX 200 and I wouldn't ever go back to the TTR.

I'll give another update after my second ride if you are interested.
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
2nd ride on the kdx was as fun as the first. I started to get the hang of a 2-stroke and the power band. I tried out feathering the clutch more and had a much easier time on the jumps and trails. I had a couple of good jumps, wheelies and fun tearing across fields, several YEAH that was great moments.

Then the fun ended. I was at Rocky Ridge riding area north of Decatur TX. This is mainly a trail riding area with a few small mx areas. There is one that is used heavily by us newbies because it has two easy table top jumps about 5 high. Only is very mild and smooth which is difficult to get more than a foot or two off the ground. The other is extremly steap, almost vertical. This steap jump usually jumps you several feet off the ground. Took me a while to get the hang of it because it does launch you easily. I had one of those "big grin yeah" jumps on this one. There tends to be about 5 - 10 bikes going around in a circle here jumping and turning around and doing it again. Today there was even a kid about 5-7 jumping the steap one about 6 inches each time.

Some kid, about 15-18 I would guess, took the jump full throttle and did not hit the jump square. I could tell it was going to be bad before he even it the jump. He went staight up and took HUGE air. Bad part was he also came almost straight down on his front tire and cartwheeled both the bike and himself many times due to his speed.

911 was called. This area is fairly remote so it took the county ambulance a while to show up. Soon after careflight came and took him out by helicopter.

I felt totally helpless. He was obviously hurt badly. I'll I could do was make sure someone had called 911 and pray he would be okay. By the time they flew him out, he was consious but his leg was obviously very badly broken.

I love riding but this really shook me up. It is an inheritently dangerous activty so I try to take care to not ride beyond my skill level. This incident has me thinking about finding someone to coach/train me on how to jump properly.

I don't know the kid's experience but but the wreck appeared to be caused by someone riding beyond his skills. I pray the kid will be okay and it is only his leg.

I'll be back out there again riding again next week! However, I may take it a tad slower...
 
K

KAY DEE EXER

~SPONSOR~
Mar 3, 2003
629
0
The moral of the story is to wear as much safety gear you can (plus more) and NEVER ride over your head or you'll be bouncing off it. Take it easy and you'll be fine. Ride on !!!!!
 
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skipro3

Mod Ban
Dec 14, 2002
902
0
With age comes wisdon. This wisdom will keep you from making the same mistake this kid made. Learning from others mistakes is always preferable than learning from your own.
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
I learned to be careful with what I wipe the seat down with after washing the bike. After riding it last week I spent a lot of time cleaning up my new bike. I grabed a bottle of interior detail spay my son had in the garage for his car. Big mistake, it was like sitting on a sheet of ice it was so slick. A little dirt on the sit took care of the situation but first trip around the riding area was interesting. It was muddy so it took a while to find some dry dirt to rub on the seat. Won't make that mistake again :>).
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
I learned the kid that I saw that wrecked badly last week received a compond fracture of his femur but other than that is okay. Apparently he had not been on a bike for some time.

I went out yesterday on my KDX 200 with a friend who has an old (80's I think) yz250. I out rode him all day on the trails. The only place he bettered me was going flat out on open terrain and then not by much.

I love this bike!
 
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notenuftoys

Member
Sep 3, 2004
101
0
I also just bought a KDX200, '01 model. Bought it last Thursday, went out riding on Monday. What a blast!! I had an old DR125 back in high school (late '80's), and rode my nephew's TTR-225 this summer. There's nothing like a 2-stroke. I love the instant power :laugh:

Corpblues, I live in Flower Mound, and want to get out to Rocky Ridge soon. About how long does it take to get out there? I just bought a '03 KDX50 for my son; is there places for a pee wee to ride around? He's just learning, but catching on quicky.
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
Notenugtoys - I like in The Colony and it is exactly one hour from leaving my driveway to parking at Rocky Ridge. I would guess it would be close to the same time wise for you. The drive out of DFW to Rocky Ridge is always enjoyable, the stress seems to drop away with every mile away from the DFW metro-mess.

Rocky Ridge has a lot of areas perfect for learning, lots of open fields to ride.
 
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notenuftoys

Member
Sep 3, 2004
101
0
Thanks, corpblues. I was at Bates yesterday buying some gear for my son, and the guy said Rocky Ridge is an excellent place for my son to learn to ride. So I think a visit on Saturday is in order. We just have to work around the soccer schedule.
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
I checked out Twin Hills Cycle Ranch today in Bridgeport, TX.

First I had a very hard time finding it. The entrace was not marked at all, just a gravel road. The only way I found it was there were some paper signs with arrows by egde of the road.

There was some some type event where those rock climbing motorcycles competed That should tell you about much of the terrain. I never wrecked but some of it was very challenging. There some flat pasture areas but not many. Probably the last time I go there, back to Rocky Ridge or Muester next week.

To steal a line from the fisherman, the worst day riding is better than the best day working!
 
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John Harris

Member
Apr 15, 2002
552
0
You fellows should come to TMTC's Barnwell Mtn. area near Gilmer in East Texas. Lots of different variety of terrain and a big welcome. Cheers John
 
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corpblues

Member
Jan 1, 2004
60
0
Thanks for the invite John. Do you have a weblink or directions? I'm always looking for somewhere new to ride.
 
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