Needle number for KDX 250

I think you want a leaner needle than stock (1369 or 1370) rather than richer. Also, a leaner slide with 1mm cutaway (or you can grind 1mm off the bottom of your stock slide) is a common mod on the KDX250. The stock jetting on this bike was way off.

Another cheap mod is replace the headgasket with thin one from an '88 KX250 for more compression and low end power. You will need to run pump premium. Many people run a hotter B7ES plug, even with the leaner jetting.

I really enjoyed my '91 - very good bike for the price with a few mods (stock it does not work so well). The bike really benefits from the right jetting, as well as revalving and respringing the forks (they are pretty grim stock).

The bike is heavy for a 250 2 stroke and has slow steering geometry. But the motor is bulletproof and can make decent power. You can't do much about the weight but the bike will turn better if you raise the forks in the triple clamps about 10mm above the top of the clamp. With 13/48 you can take links out of the chain and run the wheel all the way forward in the adjsuters to shorten the wheelbase. I also had no pre-load on my aftermarket fork springs (0.40kg/mm) to allow the front to dive a little on cornering. Cutting some foam from the front of the seat will make it easier to get forward while cornering, even if you are not short (I am 6')

13/48 is good for tight and medium trails. You might prefer 14/48 if you are doing more high speed trails. I had mine dual sported and would run 15/48 on road rides, but you have to remove the case protector for the bigger sprocket.

The motor has good low end and a very heavy flywheel - Jeff Fredette told me they called it the 'four stroke of two strokes'.

Other tidbits: Both mine and my buddies had gas tanks that measured 3.6 gallons (the manual says 3.3). Graphics from an '89-'94 KDX200 will fit with minor trimming (no one sells stickers for a KDX250). As with the 200, the chain guide is wimpy and can bend in the rocks or deep ruts, locking up the wheel. The Fredette Racing Products chain guide is a good investment.

Scott,
Try calling Factory Connection and see if they have any records on the bike. I don't know if they would, but they might. They are an excellent company and my current bike has their suspension, and it is awesome (I had Race Tech front and rear on my KDX250).

The KDX250 was given very bad reviews by the magazines, so it did not sell well. This makes resale values pertty low, so its a great bang for your buck. Basically, the mags did not like the weight, the riding position, the way the motor ran and the overall handling. Fortunately, the motor can be remidied easily, and improving the forks does wonders for the bike's manners.

If you are a magazine guy used to riding MX bikes with 2 gallon tanks for 15 minute motos, a KDX feels wide, but I need to go 60+ miles of range so the big tank works for me.

IMO, Kawasaki was trying to keep the price low and just did not quite finish developing the bike's jetting and suspension like they should have. So its up to the owner to finish the job. In Kawasaki's defense, the bike was sold as a dualsport in some markets, and the soft spring forks with too much high speed compression damping might be the right setup for the street.

I had an FMF pipe on mine, and I also had a modified aftermarket silencer/spark arretor from a KDX200. It worked well, and the power delivery was very smooth, with more rev than the stock pipe and less of a low/mid hit which the stocker has when the jetting is cleaned up.

The WER is a fine unit. I also had one on my KDX250 and my '90 KDX200. The WER will occasionally need service, but steering dampers are one of the greatest innovations in dirt bikes over the last 15 years. That's a nice bonus to get one on a used bike, as sellers usually transfer it to their new machine.

Welcome back to the dirt. It's a great sport.