Just finished KX fork install!!!

[FLBusa]

Well... I just completed my KX250 front fork install on my KDX. :yeehaw: :yeehaw:

Things went way better than expected. Please feel free to ask any questions and by all means... check out the photo's here:

http://groups.msn.com/KDXRidersCommunity/flbusaswoodsweapon.msnw

 

[johnkdx220]

Congrats!!!

I'm almost done with my conversion but I think I the wrong wheel spacers at hand. The wheel is off-center. Anyways, I ordered new ones. In the meantime, could you post close-up pics of your hub assembly (both sides please, showing spacers and alignment with the caliper ).

A few questions which may help me pinpoint the problem:
1) Did you use the KDX Brake Caliper?
2) Did you modify the caliper holders on the KX fork?
3) Did you use stock KX spacers?

Thanks for the help. :)

 

[FLBusa]

Congrats!!!

I'm almost done with my conversion but I think I the wrong wheel spacers at hand. The wheel is off-center. Anyways, I ordered new ones. In the meantime, could you post close-up pics of your hub assembly (both sides please, showing spacers and alignment with the caliper ).

A few questions which may help me pinpoint the problem:
1) Did you use the KDX Brake Caliper?
2) Did you modify the caliper holders on the KX fork?
3) Did you use stock KX spacers?

Thanks for the help. :)

OK... first things first...

My KDX is a 2000 and the forks are from a 2000 KX250

1) Yes... I used my "stock" caliper.
2) No... It just bolted right up.
3) Yes... I used the spacer that I got with the forks.

I'll take some additional pics tonight. :thumb:

John...

Does your caliper have 3 fins right below where the brake line attaches? And... Do your forks have a clamp for the brake line just above and forward of the axle? If you take a look at my pic's there's one showing the front wheel and that's the setup that I have. I went to the local bike dealer to do some looking and it turns out that a 2004 KX500 also has the same setup. Starting at the caliper... The brake line routes up and then back down under the wheel spacer, then back up into the clamp and then up and along the fork guard. I ordered a KX500 line and sould have pic's later this week.

 

[gooleo]

looks good!
do you have full turnning radius from left to right? i did this mod too, but the top tree hits the gas tank when i rotate it full right and left.

 

[FLBusa]

looks good!
do you have full turnning radius from left to right? i did this mod too, but the top tree hits the gas tank when i rotate it full right and left.

Thanks :thumb:

My top tree is within 1/32" of hitting the tank when it hits the stop. I think it may even have a tighter turning radius than before. I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to do something about it or not.

 

[tedkxkdx]

Dude, When you run your KDX brake line you gotta get rid of the fork slider or you will damage your line. The line is meant to be held down and use the line holder near the bottom of your fork, just remount it to the fork leg.

 

[FLBusa]

Ted...

Thanks for the info but I already got it covered.

I ordered a KX500 line that routes correctly. The old KDX line is there for testing purposes. :thumb:

If it gets chewed... no prob.

 

[canyncarvr]

Have the forks been revalved?

What was your parts source?

Get it all at once from the same place?

 

[FLBusa]

Carvr...

The forks (as far as I know) are bone stock, springs, valves, etc. I've set the rebound and compression in the middle and will go riding.

The Forks and wheel I got from seperate auctions on Ebay. The billet upper triple tree and fat bar clamps were part of the fork purchase. The stems I pressed out and in myself using a friends electric/hydraulic press. The lower bearing which was crap I got at Miller Bearing for 20 bucks. The spacer I turned on the lathe at work. The rest of the stuff I got from my local Kawasaki dealer. They're within a couple dollars of what I can get the stuff for on the web.

 

[palmer69]

Busa,

Lookin' good!
Can't wait to go riding on Sunday and check it out on the trails!
I say we hit dead dog and see if those new forks can get you over those gnarly log piles!
Nice work dude.

 

[FLBusa]

Busa,

Lookin' good!
Can't wait to go riding on Sunday and check it out on the trails!
I say we hit dead dog and see if those new forks can get you over those gnarly log piles!
Nice work dude.

10-4 Dude :thumb:

I did some measuring and found that the KX forks are 36" from the top of the bearing nut (the one with the notches in it) to the axle centerline. The stock KDX measured 35". Fortunately I have enough room to drop the tubes an inch to get the ride height the same as it was. It was too late to take it out for a spin around my neighborhood by the time I got home but I did bounce around on it in the garage.

The forks are really stiff! :eek:

I'm pretty sure that I'll have to get some lighter (maybe .40) rate springs for a cushy trail ride.

or... Maybe just stiffen up the rear some to match for the time being. :thumb:

as for the gnarly log piles... some bigger huevos will get me over those piles faster than the forks will. :ohmy: :laugh:

 

[johnkdx220]

Just posted some of my own pics at http://groups.msn.com/KDXRidersCommunity/kxforksonkdx.msnw.

This was my first front end conversion project and I now realize that there is only one way to do it: Buying a COMPLETE front end. Missmatching parts from many sources turned out to be more painfull than anticipated.

 

[FLBusa]

Just posted some of my own pics at http://groups.msn.com/KDXRidersCommunity/kxforksonkdx.msnw.

This was my first front end conversion project and I now realize that there is only one way to do it: Buying a COMPLETE front end. Missmatching parts from many sources turned out to be more painfull than anticipated.

Hey John...

I just took a look at your pic's. What year is the wheel and did it come with the spacers?. What year are the forks? I'll go take a couple pic's of my setup so you can compare.

ps. You know you can rotate those images. :thumb:

 

[TheGrinch]

Nice job. Can I ask why you changed the forks? Do you race MX, or did you just find the original forks to soft?

 

[johnkdx220]

The wheel and forks are SUPPOSED to be 1997... One thing is certain. One or the other isn't... Forks were rebuilt last year buy a friend who happens to have to much money. I bought the hub assembly from ebay and used my KDX rim. (This required drilling the spoke holes to increase the diameter by approximately 1/32'' for the KX spokes). I remain confident that I'll make everything fit once I receive new spacers.

About the brake line routing KX style (as you and tedkxdkx explained above). Is this a must? I looked at the line routing as presently installed (KDX style) and can't image that the brake line would get shewed up if it is routed in the upper slider circle clip. I'll test drive it with garden hose slipped over the brake line !!! (It will look funny but it will probably give me a sense if anything is rubbing). Anyways, one battle at a time.

Thanks for your help.

 

[FLBusa]

Nice job. Can I ask why you changed the forks? Do you race MX, or did you just find the original forks to soft?

No... Two of my riding buddies have KTM 200EXC's. I rode their's and the suspension was so much better than mine. The KTM would just float over whoops and rail around corners. When I got back on my KDX it was a struggle.

Bottom line is...

Suspension is everything!

The KDX has great frame geometry, nice ergo's and an awesome powerband. The only thing missing was suspension.

I still have to get things dialed in and the the KX forks offer much more adjustability.

 

[FLBusa]

The wheel and forks are SUPPOSED to be 1997... One thing is certain. One or the other isn't... Forks were rebuilt last year buy a friend who happens to have to much money. I bought the hub assembly from ebay and used my KDX rim. (This required drilling the spoke holes to increase the diameter by approximately 1/32'' for the KX spokes). I remain confident that I'll make everything fit once I receive new spacers.

About the brake line routing KX style (as you and tedkxdkx explained above). Is this a must? I looked at the line routing as presently installed (KDX style) and can't image that the brake line would get shewed up if it is routed in the upper slider circle clip. I'll test drive it with garden hose slipped over the brake line !!! (It will look funny but it will probably give me a sense if anything is rubbing). Anyways, one battle at a time.

Thanks for your help.

John,

I took another look at your forks and they are quite a bit different than mine. I don't have the 4 bolt clamps and my axle doesn't have the hex part next to the spacer on the brake side. Have you tried swapping the spacers? ...or flipping the axlew to the other side? They do look like good units though and you shouldn't feel down about doing the modification.

As far as the brake line goes... I just don't like the way the line is just hanging unsupported. I asked myself... if you were out on a trail, 15 miles from camp and the brake line broke... would you pay 70 bucks to have had it not happen? The answer is... I'd glady pay twice as much. So for me... the piece of mind is worth the few extra dollars to do the job right. My gut feeling says that it probably won't matter. But that's just me.

 

[gwhII]

The stems I pressed out and in myself using a friends electric/hydraulic press. The lower bearing which was crap I got at Miller Bearing for 20 bucks. The spacer I turned on the lathe at work.

Wow, that looks great! I've looked real hard at the pictures and is the spacer on top of the bearing nut? Is the KDX stem longer than the KX or not threaded as far down the shaft or is it a clearance problem with the top clamp? I'm assuming that the bearing and race are stock sized replacements, right?

Best,
Greg

 

[skipro3]

Johnkdx220:From your photo, it looks like the wheel is perfectly centered based on the frame down tubes but that the left fork (right in the photo looking straight on and not from drivers persective) stands further from center than the other. This is viewing photo labled wheelnotcenter.jpg If the forks where edited out of the photo, that wheel looks dead center.
Have you tried swaping the forks, left to right?

 

[skipro3]

Also, did you loosen the triple clamp bolts before you mounted the wheel? If not, you may have twisted the forks in the triple clamps when cinching down the front axle. Loosen all the triple clamp bolts holding the forks as well as the axle bolts and see if you can twist it straight. Are the handlebars pointed straight when sitting on the bike and moving in a straight line? If not, then grab the front wheel between your knees and give the bars a good twist one direction or the other to see if you can get it to straighten up. Also, did you seat the bearings by over tightening the stem nut, turning the bars lock to lock, then loosening the stem nut just to the point of almost no resistance when turning? Also, have you tried to reassemble everything but without the brake caliper mounted to the fork leg. Maybe it is forcing the whole thing over by the 1/4 inch. Just suggestions based on my own experiance with my conversion to KX suspension.

 

[FLBusa]

Wow, that looks great! I've looked real hard at the pictures and is the spacer on top of the bearing nut? Is the KDX stem longer than the KX or not threaded as far down the shaft or is it a clearance problem with the top clamp? I'm assuming that the bearing and race are stock sized replacements, right?

Best,
Greg

Greg,

That is correct. The spacer is aluminum and is sitting on top of the bearing nut. When the top triple clamp is installed it's sandwitched in between. The KDX stem is longer. When I test fit everything together the top hex nut got real close to bottoming out on the threads. I measured the height of the stem protruding out of the nut and that's what I used for the spacer. The spacer is... 1.50" OD x .875" ID x .156 thick.

 

[kc]

Busa - looks great - just curious, is there any change in the rake angle i.e axle to axle distance - is the bike longer now....versus stock kdx.

 

[FLBusa]

Busa - looks great - just curious, is there any change in the rake angle i.e axle to axle distance - is the bike longer now....versus stock kdx.

The rake angle is the same (angle of steering head to vertical). The offset of the fork tubes relative to the steering head is the same as well. What I haven't as of yet determined is the positive offset of the wheel (axle centerline to fork tube centerline) My guess is that theres not much difference between the two, but I'll have to measure to confirm. IMO the two are so close that it doesn't really matter. What does matter IMO is the distance from the bearing nut to the axle (changed by lowering or raising the tubes in the clamps). That can have a very dramatic impact on handling.

 

[tedkxkdx]

What I noticed was the forks don't hang down as far when sitting on the bike so the bike is a bit more level for me at least. All my springs are stock 96kx. To John, the kdx brake assembly can be used it is only that like on your kdx fork you have to support the line and since the line sits against the fork plastic protector you just drill some holes and put in a bolt through the back and then cinch the brake holder down. If you don't run a holder and only use the fork slider as your guide the problem exists when your forks bottom. The line can't stretch or conform well and then it could be forced into weird directions and rub on the tire or worse get caught by brush. I don't have either fork slider and I noticed long ago that factory kawi boys don't run the sliders since it messes up the graphics. If the protector is going to get yanked off, the little slider is not going to stop it from occurring.

 

[FLBusa]

Ted, Good point :thumb:

John... I posted some additional pic's of the bike as well as some pic's of my wheel spacers for you to compare. Hope this helps a bit.