Kdx-200 /84 Any Tips Or Feedback On This Bike?

[dannyboi2222]

i just got this bike about 6 months ago , before then i didnt even know how to ride a motorcycle. but i taught myself and am now thinking about taking it all the way as far as riding goes.. Any tips on this bike or cheap and easy part upgrades anyone knows about? I already found out that my KDX-200 is faster then my buddies bran-new honda cr250 4stroke.. :) :p

 

[dannyboi2222]

jus

Im just curious where to start as far as upgrades go... :ride:

 

[dirt bike dave]

I bought one new in '84. Great little bike. The only real weaknesses are the brakes (not so good even by '84 standards) and the forks.

Not much you can do about the brakes.

The stock forks had too little oil and too soft a spring. Stiffening the springs and raising the oil level to about 4" from the top with springs out and forks compressed will make a big difference. If Race Tech makes cartridge fork emulators for the '84, that would also be money well spent.

The stock shock was a lot better than the stock forks, but after 25 years, yours may need to be rebuilt. Make sure the Uni Trak bearings are lubed.

Besides making sure it is well maintained and has good tires on it, the bike does not need much.

FWIW, Jeff Fredette was the highest placing American in the '84 ISDE on an '84 KDX.

 

[dannyboi2222]

Thank you.. do you think you could be a bit more descriptive about oiling the front forks..? my bikes suspension seems really giving.. And im sure previous owner has at least had engine rebuilt considering it runs so good but im not sure.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Fork oil level makes a big difference in how easily the supension bottoms out. The higher the oil level, the stiffer the fork gets as it gets close to bottoming out.

Oil level is measured from the top of the fork tube, with the fork springs removed and the forks compressed all the way.

My '84 stock had the oil level at least 6" from the top as measure above. Add enough oil to raise the oil level to 4" from the top and that should get you in the ball park. You can alter the oil level to fine tune the suspension.

You should use about 10w fork oil. Oil weight mainly effects how quickly the forks rebound. With your soft stock springs, don't go too heavy on the oil or the fork will rebound too slow.

If your forks have not been serviced in a long time, you can drain the oil out and replace with fresh oil. Rather than relying on the volume in mililiters specified in the manual, measure by height from the top of the tube (with forks compressed and no springs in, of course).

BTW, if you are removing the fork caps, be sure to loosen the pinch bolts that hold the top of the fork tube in the triple clamp. If the pinch bolts are tight, it will squeeze the fork tube around the fork cap and make the cap hard to remove.

Also, if you are on a tight budget, you can slightly stiffen your stock springs by cutting off a few coils and then adding length to the pre-load spacer using a stack of washers or a peice of metal tubing. Basically, cutting about 10% of the coils off your stock spring will stiffen the spring by about 10%. This helps a lot on an '84 KDX. Don't cut too much, or the fork will lose travel.

 

[dannyboi2222]

Thank you thats really usefull

 

[dannyboi2222]

Hmmm

:think: Are there rebuild kits for the tranny and engine? Im sure there is! Any good sites. And i am on a tight budget unfortunatly.