Kdx Service

[wpdoughty]

I am relatively new to DRN, and I love it. The forums are extremely informative. I have two boys, 6 and 10 and they both have bikes(yamaha pw 50 and 80). I have just purchased a 1995 kdx 200 for me and so far I really llike it.
It's been a few years since I've riden a dirt bike and I am by no means an expert on service and main.
I saw a video on Jeff Fredette's website on servicing the kdx.
Has anyone seen this?? Just looking for a few comments before I purchase it ($49.99)

Thanks

 

[Michelle]

I haven't seen it yet, but it's winging its way over as we speak. Will let you know after I've watched it (not sure I'll be able to handle 2 hours or so in one sitting though). So, if you're willing to wait a week or so, I'll be able to give you two opinions (my husband will be made to watch it too, as he'll pick up/understand more than I will).

 

[jdbrusch]

I got one on the 89-94 kdx's when he brought it out for just curiosity and found it a good purchase.Jeff does a complete tear down of the whole bike(except engine)shows you how to grease it- linkage, wheel and steering bearings,change tires, seal the air box,set up the float.He goes over just about everything on the bike very well in regards to proper maintainance of the Kdx or any other bike.If you do not have alot of experience working on bikes or are not that mechanically inclined I would highly recommend it.
Hope this helps. :thumb:

 

[wpdoughty]

Thanks!

Michelle let me know what you think after you check it out.

 

[BRush]

It's pretty good. Jeff is the master of bike prep. One thing, though is that it was shot using the '94 model. Most of the stuff is applicable to the 95-02 model and there is a short section at the end addressing the H model.

 

[23jayhawk]

I got a copy from a KDX seller who did not need it any longer for a bit of a discount. Jeff's tire changing section is worth the price of admission alone. I swear he makes it look like he could change tires with a couple of toothpicks. :)

 

[Michelle]

Disclaimer: I have not finished watching it yet.
First thing I noted was the packaging ;) It's just a plain white box, nothing flash.
What I would like to see is a label with the index on it (there's an index at the beginning of the tape, so you know where to FF to for particulars).

Jeff is very thorough as previously noted. He explains everything he's doing as he goes along. It's not like a cooking show where they sort of bung everything together, push the bowl aside & then have another one ready for the next step. You get to watch how long it takes him to do everything, unless it's doing up bolts - he'll then do one & switch off the camera, do the other & then camera back on (but tells you he's doing it lol).

The bike is stripped down prior to the video being filmed & he rebuilds it, explaining why he's greasing the bearings, how to relocate the black blox, what parts he's used, why he got rid of the airbox lid blah blah blah. (I haven't seen the bit about the 95+ KDX yet, as I'm slowly watching it in chronological order)

If this is the sort of thing that you're after, go for it. If it's the engine side, check out Eric Gorr's site as EG has videos of two-stroke tuning amongst others.

If you do order the video, make sure you get the other one for entertainment value, the one with him wearing a helmet cam. It was awesome to watch. Jeff also mentions at the end of that, that he's preparing one on how to do an enduro. Not sure how far away that is, but I'd almost be tempted to get that just to figure everything out (it's irrelevant for our types of enduros, we're based on the European sort except don't often have MX special tests, just terrain tests).

I hope that helps and out of interest, he advertises all of Eric's video tapes at the end of the Milwaukee Enduro one.
Michelle

 

[Michelle]

I have to admit, the 2nd half of the video was much more interesting for me than the first.

There were quite a few tips, and generally, just better. Tips are like why you put the swingarm pivot in with the head on the right side (so it won't fall out if you somehow lose the bolt, as it'll catch on the brake lever - pretty logical, but never thought about it b4), taping the radiators so airflow is better & mud doesn't go between it & the frame, zip-tying the louvre on so you don't lose it and lots of other bits & pieces.

So do I regret buying it? Nope, I think I'll get some use out of it, but I'll definitely have to index the box as well as just having the video tape indexed - that'll drive me nuts in short order.

I also think it's the type of tape that you need to sit & watch once, maybe even taking some notes along the way, but then use it as a reference tool.

One thing to note. He makes mention in the 95+ section about the clutch springs being too light & if you make any modification to the bike, you'll need to replace them with the heavier KX springs. This was done on the 96+ model (heavier springs in any case).
Hope that helps make up your mind whether to get it or not.
Michelle

 

[Smit-Dog]

Originally posted by 23jayhawk
... Jeff's tire changing section is worth the price of admission alone. I swear he makes it look like he could change tires with a couple of toothpicks. :)

I once read an article about Jeff where it stated that he changed both tires during a race in 7 minutes flat.

I've only done it once, but it took me about an hour and half!

 

[BRush]

Originally posted by Michelle
So do I regret buying it? Nope, I think I'll get some use out of it, but I'll definitely have to index the box as well as just having the video tape indexed - that'll drive me nuts in short order.

Funny you should mention that. The first thing I did was write out a manual index. I can't remember if I transferred it to electronic format or not. I'll check tonight at home. 

 

Originally posted by Michelle
One thing to note. He makes mention in the 95+ section about the clutch springs being too light & if you make any modification to the bike, you'll need to replace them with the heavier KX springs. This was done on the 96+ model (heavier springs in any case).

96 still has the weak(er) clutch springs. The 97 was the first to get the new ones.

.

 

 

[Michelle]

Originally posted by BRush


96 still has the weak(er) clutch springs. The 97 was the first to get the new ones.

.

 

Ah, okay, I was wondering there as he'd made mention of 95 & 96, so took it that it was filmed in 96.
The KDX timeline says:
1996 - 1999 KDX200 – H2 to H5 Stronger clutch springs
hence my confusion. I'd be surprised if any 95 & 96 still have stock clutch springs in them these days.

 

[BRush]

Yeah, I sorted it out by checking the part numbers on buykawasaki.com to see what year they changed.

 

[Michelle]

For anyone who's got a copy of the video & wants a hard-copy index, email me ([email protected] - remove nospam). It's done in Word 95 and what I've done is printed in on sticky paper & stuck it on the outside of the box. Apologies in advance for any typos & spelling mistakes - except tyres & louvre. To me it's spelt tyres & not tires, louver is spelt louvre here ;) hehe
Michelle

 

[wpdoughty]

Thanks alot Michelle. I've ordered the video and its on the way. I'll check out Eric Gore's site as well!

 

[wpdoughty]

Hey Michelle, I'm having trouble finding Eric Gore's site. Do you know the address?

 

[Smit-Dog]

http://ericgorr.com

BTW, it's "Gorr", not "Gore".

Hope this helps! Post your impression of the tapes after you've had a chance to view them.

 

[JasonWho]

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[wpdoughty]

Hey Jason. I really love this site. I got this video in the other day, but haven't had time to watch it. Its colder than @#$% here in KY (12° this morning), maybe I'll get time this weekend. Hope all is well.

 

[JasonWho]

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