Kdx As Dual Sport Really Worth It?

[firffighter]

I love my '92 KDX 200. It has all of the good stuff: FMF, RBcarb mod, Reeds, all of the armor for the woods. It does everything I ask it to: woods, trails, fireroads. I now would like to put a dual sport kit on it so I can do more forest service roads and maybe even communte from time to time, I would even like to do a small trip on and off road, nothing long, maybe 500miles +. I believe the KDX is one of the most versitile bikes of all time, but I am realizing that most of my riding is either putting behind my kids on tame trails, or doing logging roads. My question is for those who have your KDX dualsported, how does it really perform on gravel roads, two track jeep roads, and on the pavement? I already have a lisence plate (just walked right into my DMV, asked for one and they gave it to me), and I am thinking of getting the procycle kit and having the stator rewound. I bought the bike for $1000, have put $500 in mods into it, and with the dual sport kit and stator I would add another $350. I would have a dual sported bike that rips in the woods, can putt behind the kids for under $2000, I guess that is pretty hard to beat, but will it really be that great on the road or gravel roads? I am considering DRZ's or XR's ,but I dont know if I would gain anything. Dual sport guys let me know what you think.

 

[bikepilot]

I thought mine was fine on gravel and even paved roads as long as I didn't need to go very fast. Its no street bike, but it gets along without much trouble though I certainly wouldn't want to take an extended interstate ride on it I see no problem with a long trip of back roads, forrest service roads etc.

have fun

 

[adam728]

Mines a little different being that it's an 03, but here's my mods and take on it...

• FRP porting, head mod, bored carb
• FMF rev pipe, Turbine Core II silencer (switch between the stock silencer and FMF)
• Revalve, reeds, jetting, skid plate, yadda yadda yadda
• Baja Designs DS kit, Moose lighting coil, UFO rear tail-light/blinkers/plate holder
• Swap between King's 996 DS tires, Kenda Trekmaster II's, Kenda Millville, Dunlop 739 (front), and Maxxis IT.

The dual sport thing is great because in Michigan (where I was living) it opens up a TON of trails that aren't legal for an ORV. Made riding around home much more fun, because I could now hit litterealy hundereds of miles of trails instead of the 30 or 40 miles of ORV trail I was once limited to.

I've spent more time swapping tires back and forth than I care to remember. I need to get a second set of wheels. If the tire works alright off road you'll burn it to nothing on road. If it lasts on road then it is downright scary off road. This is my biggest headache, as I might race Sunday, trailride Tuesday, and want to ride to work on Wednesday. I seriously need to find a dedicated streetbike soon!

However, don't mistake a dual sport bike for a road worthy bike. Even with mild dual sport tires (balanced), and 13/47 gears (I have a 15 tooth front sprocket I have yet to try), it still isn't any fun on the road at 55mph. My bike GPS'd around 82 mph top speed with 13/49 gearing, and still with 13/47 I feel like I am screaming it at 55 mph, very uncomfortable. Linking dirt roads and slow back roads makes trips much more enjoyable, but it really takes forever to get anywhere if you are setting a destination. I've done some longer trips, and 50-60 miles is about my limit in a day, far less if it's 55 mph roads.


I guess all I am saying is that dual sporting it for the sake of opening up more trail choices is GREAT. Dual sporting to go on a 500 mile trip will be hell. You'd need to gear it incredibly high, put dirt-worthless tires on it, have to mix oil and gas when you stop to fill up, and it will still be very uncomfortable after 15 minutes of cruising.

 

[firffighter]

If I do ride it on the street, it would be for brief trips to link dirt or gravel roads. I wouldnt be on any pavement for more than 20 miles or so, but probably much less than this. The trip I was thinking about is part of the Oregon backcountry discovery route (mostly gravel and dirt roads). Most of my speeds on pavement and on dirt/gravel would be below 45 mph. The DRZ400s is appealing, but a bike that weighs 300 lbs. on trails putting with the kids doesn't sound like fun. Just wondering if the old KDX can handle a multy day 500 mile plus backcountry trip and I like the idea of having a dualsport 2 stroke. Anyone done a long distance trip on their KDX?

 

[adam728]

Just remember, you'll need to pack lots of oil for a 500 mile trip!

Longest I've done is 85 miles in a day, mostly back streets and gravel roads. My arse was killing me......

 

[2veedubs]

Hi

I also have a plate for my KDX.I went the simple route, I purchased a banjo bolt with a pressure switch in it, Installed it at the rear brake master cylinder and wired it to the tail light. I had to install a new socket that would allow a dual filament bulb and used a LED bulb. This setup allows the stock stator to be used as the LED draws around 1 watt. The headlight stays nice and bright when the brakes are used. I also got an Acerbis dualsport mirror that folds out of the way and a Trail Tech computer for a speedo. I only use this setup for Dual sport rides, last fall I did 100 miles 70 off and 30 on road. By the end of the day my a?? was killing me. The KDX is almost too light on the road as the wind pushes you around at 60+ mph especially with knobby tires! Unless your state is really anal I would skip the expensive dualsport kits.

Brian

 

[Ryan12833]

im not really sure if it is such a good thing to stay at a constant speed with a kdx but i could be wrong. I rode my bike at about 60mph for about 5 miles and my bike started to foul a plug but even if it was running a little rich i still think a 4 stroke would be better for more road use.

 

[firffighter]

I hate to get rid of such a versitile bike, but I do want something that wont kill me if I ride a 100 miles on gravel/pavement in a day. I looked at a xr650r today that had the dual sport kit on it. Anyone ridden one of these and how would they be for trail riding with the kids. Still looking for someone to convince me the KDX is a good dual sport bike.

 

[KdxChode]

You should check out the new KTM EXC-G bikes. They have a 400, 450 and a 525 that are all street legal (all weigh in at 250lbs). They should be very capable offroad and able to sustain speeds on the road. Can't pick one up used yet though so they might be out of a lot of peoples budget.

Oh yea, the DRZ is a great trail bike but you would really hate the power and weight after riding Your KDX.

 

[Crazymlh]

My 200F or AKA 200SR is very much dual sport. If anything I feel it was designed for the road just as much for the bush. The gearbox gearing I am almost certain is different from the 200R it easily cruises at 100km/h or 60mph in 6th no problem. It does have a 47 on the rear but 1st is really short which helps it down low. It also has a steel tank and the rear subframe goes all the way to the tip of the rear fender as well as the stock pipe weighs a ton which all makes it feel heavier. The tyres on it at the moment are more for the street and you notice it when off road.

Pic

 

[firffighter]

For those of you who have dual sported your KDX, what kind of riding are you doing? I am afraid to buy another bike for dual sporting like a drz or xr650, and find out I liked the kdx better. For the money I have to spend, around $2000, I dont know if I could get as nice a bike as my KDX. I wont be riding very much on the road, but I do want to be able to do some road riding to get to trails. I rode my KDX for 25 miles on gravel roads last weekend, and thought if I had the time I could have easily doubled that and not gotten worn out. But, if I wanted to ride 25 miles on pavement, would I hate it. Again, I'm only talking about top speeds of 50mph.

 

[m0rie]

I've done 120mi+ in a day on my KDX with a mix of gravel forest roads, trails and pavement without feeling like the bike was lacking in any way. I'd get the tag and get your KDX setup as a dual sport and give it a try. If it doesn't work out you can always offload the pieces that you used to make it dual sport.

 

[firffighter]

What about an xr250 as a dual sport? Is it too small of a 4 stroke? I have access to an '89 xr250 that I could pick up pretty cheap.

 

[shooter69husky]

I am also considering dual sporting my 1990 KDX200, and have ridden it off and on road (illegally, not a lot of risk where I live), I find that it has lots of pep and handles pretty well for a dirt bike on pavement. My only reservation is the fuel mix, you will need to find a station with some 2 stroke oil since you really don’t want to be packing that extra weight.

As for a DSK it’s a waist of money you can piece one together for a lot less.

Ø Sicass racing caries a high/low conversion socket for the headlight for around $30us I think.
Ø A banjo bolt switch $20usd or less
Ø A handlebar switch, depend what you want
Ø Mirror
Ø Speedo the Acewell one is about $140 if you can find one (lots of bells and whistles)
Ø And a dual filament socket for tail light, I think that Fore Strokes Only and Sicass also carry a complete break light kit

You can also go with a full DSK
Both Baja and Electrosport carry great kits, with either a rewound or replacement coil is needed
There are some 75watt aftermarket ones that go for about $100, that opens the possibilities immensely

If you go that route I would probable lean towards the Electrosport one, don’t worry about the fact that there isn’t a kit for the KDX, just find the one that has the roughly the same cc and with a little know how you will be able to adapt it the coil will be needed

 

[firffighter]

After some further research, I am leaning towards keeping the KDX. From what I've read, it seems like it will do fine as a dualsport for the type of riding I am planning on doing. I just keep going back to the versilility of this bike: great reliability, perfect for tight trails and woods, does open stuff well, can do the dunes with a paddle on it, and will work well as a dualsport, and oh yeah, the best part is with all of this setup on my '92 200 I am into it for around $2000 (and it only has 600 miles on it). I cant think of another bike out there that has all of this going for it for that kind of money. I am leaning towards the procycle kit for under $250. Any more input on how your KDX handles as a dualsport would be greatly appreciated.