FYI for those of you contemplating this. I followed FLBusa's procedure (except I have not added the upper clamp shim yet). I have the forks as high in the clamps as they will go w/o hitting the bars. Will test and see if this is the right result and will lower if need be. I have a 2002 KDX 200 and I replaced the entire front end with a 2002 KX 125 front end (using the KDX stem, which a local shop pressed for me for $70 -- an hour of labor). Took a few hours of time tops. Pretty straightforward. Thanks to FLBusa and the others who have posted advice. I have a pic but could not figure out how to post it.
KX Fork Swap
- Thread starter Lumpyboy
- Start date
Hi Lumpy,
kdxmom here :nener: I went with a name over here where no one would immediately know I was a female :laugh:
You should be able to post pics the same way over here as KTMtalk.Oops maybe not, I think maybe you used the photo gallery over there. You have to use like a http://www.photobucket.com/
website here, where you upload them on that site then copy and paste the image link over here on a particular photo.
It would be awesome if you could post your before and after pics over here as well, I know fellow KDX'ers would appreciate it.
~Michele
kdxmom here :nener: I went with a name over here where no one would immediately know I was a female :laugh:
You should be able to post pics the same way over here as KTMtalk.Oops maybe not, I think maybe you used the photo gallery over there. You have to use like a http://www.photobucket.com/
website here, where you upload them on that site then copy and paste the image link over here on a particular photo.
It would be awesome if you could post your before and after pics over here as well, I know fellow KDX'ers would appreciate it.
~Michele
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks. It was a surprisingly easy thing to do thanks to FLBusa and others here who have done this and posted detailed threads and pics. The biggest issue is cost. An '02 KX front end in excellent condition was $500 plus another $200 for the wheel/axle, also in excellent condition. I think some have used the KDX wheel, but that was more work and I didn't want to deal with it. I used the KDX brake assembly and didn't see a need for any line re-routing (the brake line just routes up the fork like on my KTMs). I didn't need to machine anything -- just had a local shop press the KDX stem into the KX lower clamp and the shop gave me a ring collar (a washer basically -- size around like 1.5" outer, 7/8" inner, 5/32" thick) to use as a spacer (FLBusa machined an aluminum spacer and provided the dimensions in his thread on the topic, but a washer or two that is relatively close to those specs will work fine, as others have done). I have not added the small shim around the top of the stem between the stem and the upper clamp yet, but I will do that when I have a chance. As others have said, there's a lot of mixing and matching of KX front end parts that you could do, but it's so much easier just to buy a complete front end (w/o brake).
The whole thing took a few hours and was just disassembly and re-assembly. I really don't like the look or feel of standard cartridge forks and this seemed like a fun winter project.
The whole thing took a few hours and was just disassembly and re-assembly. I really don't like the look or feel of standard cartridge forks and this seemed like a fun winter project.
- Thread starter
- #7
Pics
Hey, thanks!! I tried the IMG thing just like on KTMTalk and it didn't seem to work (I kept getting the "no spam" message). I wonder if you need to be a member long enough to get certain privileges. Anyway, thank you for posting the pics. Anyone can PM me with any questions or just ask them here, as I am glad to share knowledge. Again, big thanks to FLBusa and many others who have posted about their experience doing the swap.
Hey, thanks!! I tried the IMG thing just like on KTMTalk and it didn't seem to work (I kept getting the "no spam" message). I wonder if you need to be a member long enough to get certain privileges. Anyway, thank you for posting the pics. Anyone can PM me with any questions or just ask them here, as I am glad to share knowledge. Again, big thanks to FLBusa and many others who have posted about their experience doing the swap.
I just did my 2003 KX fork conversion on my KDX and it is sooooooo much better riding the whoops, bumps, rocks and anything else. As far as the fork stop on the frame I attached a strip of steel underneath the stop and hammer the end of the strips up to increase the spacing on the side of the stop. Works really good. Did I say I like the conversion? :)
I remember the fork triple clamp hitting or almost hitting the gas tank. Now I have it set so it is a quarter of an inch from hitting the gas tank. In addition to sliding the forks in the triple clamp (0.5 inches) I installed a 120/90 942 Dunlop rear tire which raise the rear of the bike 0.4 inches compared to OEM. That makes up for the KX forks being one inch longer.
