erac

Member
Apr 9, 2001
59
0
I am going to look at what could be the deal of the week tomorrow. It is a 1999 KLX300 for only $2500.00. Now what I need to know is what do I look for to make sure this bike is as good a deal as it seems. I dont want to spend another 2500 in new parts to fix what's wrong.

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[This message has been edited by erac (edited 04-16-2001).]
 

penguin

~SPONSOR~
N. Texas SP
Feb 19, 2000
390
0
first the general appearance is important. Is the bike clean, plastic look good? A dirty, scratched up bike can indicate poor maintenance. Check the frame tubes, particularly the bottom tubes under the engine for bent or broken spots. Is the air filter dirty? You have to pull the seat, but a dirty filter also indicates neglect.
Check the oil sight glass at the bottom right side engine case to see if the oil looks dirty or milky. Kick the bike through paying particular attention to how much resistance you feel to gauge compression, also pay attention for any disengagement in the kichkstarter stroke which could be a bad idler gear. Look for obvious dents in the wheels loose spokes, worn out tires or thrashed chain and sprockets. Wiggle the front and back wheels listen for noise and see if there is any side to side play in the wheels this would indicate worn wheel bearings. Bounce the bike up and to check for any suspension binding or noise indicating bad suspension bearings. Grab the swingarm and try and move it side to side to check for bad bearings. check for obvious leaks on the forks and shock. Move the handle bars side to side checking for binding or looseness. Start the bike and look for smoke while it is warming up. If it smokes while warming up and then stops it could have worn valve guides. If it smokes and does not stop, the rings are going. If it spews a lot of white smoke it could have a blown head gasket or bad waterpump seal. Listen for excessive vle clatter or engine knocking. Does it idle smoothly? Run it through the gears and make sure they engage properly and do not make noise or jump out of engagement. If you have the room I would put the bike in third gear while going about 10 mph and try and accelerate to see if the clutch slips. If the bike has even minimal maintenance , and has not had the snot run out of it it should be fine. these things I have mentioned should give you a good indication of the bikes general condition. hope it is i great shape and you are getting a good deal. :) :)

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You weren't born knowing this stuff.

[This message has been edited by penguin (edited 04-16-2001).]
 

WR 250

Member
Mar 17, 2000
220
0
Penguin has excellent advise. If you do all these checks and the bike passes them you can be reasonably assured that the bike is worth buying. One thing I'll add, if it is possible, test ride the bike on pavement. This will give you a better indication of vibrations caused by out of round rims.

I once picked up a bike for my brother and was a great price on a one year old CR 250. The guy didn't have a stand and the bike looked perfect so I didn't check out the wheels like I should have. I test rode it down a pot hole filled dirt road and didn't notice anything. When we brought the bike home and took it down the first section of pavement you could feel the tweaked front rim. If I had only turned left onto the pavement rather than right onto the dirt when I first test rode it I would have caught it. Moral of the story. Bring a stand and tools cause chances are the owner won't have anything to help you in checking over the machine. If he doesn't want you tearing into it then walk away. It isn't worth taking a chance.

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You're young and you got your health, what do you want with a job?
'00 KDX 200
 

kevkon

Sponsoring Member
Feb 20, 2001
53
0
You know, even if the bike has some serious problems, at $2500, you could re-build the bike with all the upgrades available and come out of the deal ahead . Especially if you figure the cost of a brand new klx and add all those upgrades to the price

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erac

Member
Apr 9, 2001
59
0
Well, I bought it! The bike is in really good mechanical shape, I don't think it has ever been off road! It does look like it was laid down on pavement and most of the plastic has some minor damage but it runs great. We actually stopped at a bike shop about 2 miles from the place I bought the bike. The shop owner said he had that bike in his shop on cosignment all winter. We went into the shop and the service guys said the only thing it needed (besides plastic) was a screw in the Super Trapp muffler a new set of handle bars. The ones that are on it are a little tweeked.

That leads me to my next question. Where can I get good non-oem plastics and graphics? I cant find anything from UFO or Acerbis for plastic or N-style or CEET for the graphics.


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JimmyD2

~SPONSOR~
Nov 10, 2000
379
1
Congrats! We riding this weekend?

You should search the email list at http://planetklx.dirtrider.net. There were recent posts about available graphics. There is someone on that list making custom graphics as well. http://users.penn.com/~buttercupjoy/KLX/KLXGraphicsWorkshop.html


For plastic try http://www.maier-mfg.com

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JimmyD2
'00 KLX300R
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[This message has been edited by JimmyD2 (edited 04-17-2001).]

[This message has been edited by JimmyD2 (edited 04-17-2001).]
 

NDRO

Member
Jan 6, 2001
128
0
Originally posted by JimmyD2:

For plastic try http://www.maier-mfg.com


Only as a last resort, please... Maier is bad fitting, bad color matches, and bad customer service. Go with anything from UFO or Acerbis and pay the extra 10%. They're worth much more...

Check out RockyMountain, Bob's, MAW, and others for deals.



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Nobody loves a Charlie in the box...
 

erac

Member
Apr 9, 2001
59
0
Yea JimmyD2 we are riding on Saturday in the Piont. Jake is breaking out Jason's CR500 and parking the Polaris. Call your buddies and let them know where we're riding (we can practice for the GNCC race in October). I picked up a new HJC and handle bars from Willie @ Wheeling Cycle. Do you think there is room for 3 bike in the cargo van? Let me know. I'll be home around 730pm I'll give you a buzz and maybe if you're allowed you can come over and check out the ride....


NDRO...Thanks for the advise, I checked out some Maier plastics at a local shop and they looked like they were molded in the 70's. Horrible colors!!!

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99 KLX300
 

penguin

~SPONSOR~
N. Texas SP
Feb 19, 2000
390
0
I have used Maier replacement plastic on all 3 of my KLX's and have had no problems. The finish is not quite up to factory standards, but the price is right, and if you are replacing all the plastic they will match. I have not had any customer service problems with them, I browse their website for the part numbers, call them up and order what I want. And they are one of the few companies making replacement plastic for the KLX.

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You weren't born knowing this stuff.
 

penguin

~SPONSOR~
N. Texas SP
Feb 19, 2000
390
0
Yes, and they mark it up over what you can get from Maier direct for.

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You weren't born knowing this stuff.
 

KLeeneX300

Member
Dec 4, 1999
48
0
The only Maier plastic of any use is the MX style rear fender. The shrouds are junk and a waste of $50. If you really need them call your dealer. The cost is $75 for each shroud and they come with the foctory decals. That price might sound insanely expensive but it is. At least the fit and color are right. For the frront fender use any good quality aftermarket KX unit. A factory rear is $35. Hope this helps and congrats. on your new ride.

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KLeeneX300
T.W.H.

[This message has been edited by KLeeneX300 (edited 04-22-2001).]
 

erac

Member
Apr 9, 2001
59
0
Rode for the first time Saturday and today. The bike is awsome but it will only power wheelie in 2nd or 3rd. This thing is a B***h to start when it is hot.

I am going to order the Maier MX rear fender and side panels in BLACK. I am also getting the CEET Gripper seat cover and a set of the '01 KLX graphics....Did someone say that any KX front fender will fit?

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99 KLX300
 

sparkymarky

Member
Feb 21, 2001
34
0
Originally posted by erac:
Did someone say that any KX front fender will fit?

i just put an acerbis kx fender on my bike (broke the stock one into a million pieces in my first enduro). i had to use two washers (one each) in the rear mounting bolts, otherwise the fender was bumping the frame. i also drilled out the rivets in the odometer cable guide and then got some little bolts to mount it on the new fender. pretty easy, even for a mechanical spode like me.

on starting, i have the cv carb still, and my bike starts great as long as i don't tip it over. even if i stall it, it'll normally fire up in 1-2 kicks. if you're not a long-time 4-stroke guy, it'll take a bit to really get a feel for where to position the engine, and how to kick, but after a few months, i'm getting it dialed. (it's my first kick-start bike).
mw



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-sparkymarky, from norcal
 

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