Tailored to Fit KDX
By Canadian Dave
The KDX is built to fit what Kawasaki sees as the "average" build rider. If you find yourself a little cramped and looking for more room here’s help.
Unfortunately due to the limited number of after-market products for pre 1995 KDXs the guide concentrates mostly on the 1995 to 2000 KDXs. I’m sorry that some of you will be left out.
95 to 01 KDX200/220
Tall Riders: Modifying a KDX to fit a taller than average rider is fairly basic.
94 and Older KDX200s
By Canadian Dave
The KDX is built to fit what Kawasaki sees as the "average" build rider. If you find yourself a little cramped and looking for more room here’s help.
Unfortunately due to the limited number of after-market products for pre 1995 KDXs the guide concentrates mostly on the 1995 to 2000 KDXs. I’m sorry that some of you will be left out.
95 to 01 KDX200/220
Tall Riders: Modifying a KDX to fit a taller than average rider is fairly basic.
- Stage 1 - Move the Handlebars Forward– There’s an extra ½ inch of room to be had between you and handle bars that won’t cost you a cent. The stock handle bar clamps are offset. They can be rotated and the bars reinstalled to give you and extra ½ inch of room out front.
- Remember when reinstalling the bar clamps in reverse the arrow on the cap should now face you, rather than the front of the bike. Snug the rear clamp bolts first (the arrow side) followed by the front and then torque them to 18 ft-lbs./ 25 N-m in the same order. If they were tightened properly there should be no gap between the 2 halves of the handle bar clamp on the arrow side and a small gap on the other.
- Stage 2 - Tall seat foam - Ceet makes a tall/stiff seat foam kit that allows you to sit higher on the bike and has a flatter profile than the stock seat foam. The stiffer foam also allows you to move around on the seat more easily with out getting trapped by soft or sacked out factory foam. Don’t worry though the foam isn't so hard it’s uncomfortable. The profile of the foam is flatter than the factory unit. Rather than slowly sloping down to the where the seat/tank transition begins the Ceet foam remains almost flat. The great news is that you can reuse the factory seat cover.
- I would highly recommend the tall/stiff foam to any tall or aggressive rider. It gives the bike a much more serious seating position enabling you to attack corners etc. with much more confidence. If reversing the handlebar clamps wasn't free I would have made the seat foam Stage 1. Its just that good.
- I tried to capture the taller/flatter seat profile here but the picture doesn’t really do it justice. 75% of the difference is due to the stiffer foam.
- Stage 3 - Handlebars -Replacing the stock handlebars with a taller bend with less pull back will also give you more room to move. The most popular bend seems to be the CR High Bend but others, like the Doug Henry, will also help. The major handlebar manufactures all supply measurements for the various bends so you can check’m out and find the best fit.
94 and Older KDX200s
- Handlebars - KDXers with pre 1995 bikes are going to get the short end of the stick again. To the best of my knowledge no one makes a taller seat foam kit for these bikes. Please let me know if you find one. Your choices are limited to installing a handlebar will a higher bend and less pullback, like the popular CR High Bend. The major handlebar manufactures all supply measurements for the various bends so you can check’m out and find the best fit.
- Seat foam - 1989 to 1994 owners can install Ceet's replacement foam to improve riding height. The profile is the same as the stock seat foam but because the foam is stiffer so you won't settle down as far.
