New Here - 80 kdx 175

[ecrum28]

Hey I'm Erich and I just picked up an 80 175 and have some questions. The bike runs but has been sitting for a while. Both brakes are sticky and I'm gonna pull them apart and ge t them freed up. Also the clutch is stuck. Brakes don't scare me but I've never had a clutch apart before. What is the best way to dig into this?

I'll put up a pic this weekend. She's not bad just needs some work and find a few missing parts.

Erich

 

[ecrum28]

A little more info... when I pull the lever it is pretty stiff but the arm on top of the case moves the same amount as the lever. I picked up an assemby manual off ebay but it doesn't show much. When a clutch sticks from sitting is it just that the plates rust/stick and won't come apart or?

 

[sr5bidder]

a tip on cables; get a rubber glove and a rag and a shop vac ,, disconnect the cables at both ends wether it be brake or clutch then wrap the glove around the cable then the rag enough for a tight fit into the shop vac hose..turn it on and begin introducing the pb blaster and working the cable...when its good and slippery action change to a thicker oil and shut the shop vac off quickly as to leave some oil in the cable housing..

I'm affraid your going to have to take the clutch side cover off and inspect the clutch .you may be able to take the bolts out of the clutch springs and the gently tale a small screw driver and tweak between the plates enough to introduce oil/ un stick the plates with out completly disassenbling the clutch..
my guese is the bike sat along time and the portion of the clutch that was above the oil level has become stuck together

 

[ecrum28]

Thanks for the tip on the cables. Was just gonna hang em and let gravity get the oil down in them.

I was planning on pulling the clutch apart and check it for wear. Chain and sprockets are pretty wore out so I think maintenance may not have been kept up on. I am just going to free up the brakes and clutch this fall and ride it a bit, then go through the whole thing this winter.

 

[sr5bidder]

good idea man!! hey does that have dual shocks on the back?...I looked in bikepics.com and could not find an 80 model

 

[glad2ride]

Twin shocks?! Blasphemy! UNI-TRAK!!

Buy a cable pressure luber for $10.

If you bought an "Assembly & Preparation Manual", then you need the "Motorcycle Owner & Service Manual". Make sure it is for a 1980 KDX175-A1 (ask the seller the info off the back of the manual) and not for the 1981 KDX175-A2 or 1982 KDX175-A3. Several things are different, as many changes were made in the first ten years of KDX production, but very little in the last 20 years (insert whiny, crying emoticon here).

Try new CHEAP oil in the transmission for a while. Letting it set may have allowed them to fuse together somewhat.

Good luck with your great KDX!!

 

[sr5bidder]

I've had little luck with those motion pro cable lube tools.

I'd really like to see a picture of it now.

 

[julien_d]

Cool bike. A friend of mine has an early 80's kdx 175. His absolutely screams. The clutch may break loose just riding it a bit. The plates are probably rusted though, as you've assumed. You can remove the RH cover, spring retainer bolts, and then pull out the pack and soak it in whatever type of oil you plan on using. When you put the plates back in, but them in the same order they came out in.

It should look something like this..... no?

 

[PaulKDX250SR]

Can you post a pic of your 175?
For some reason I have always loved 175cc and 185cc bikes. Yammie TY175, :cool: TS185ER :cool:

 

[ecrum28]

Yep that pic look like it. Could be a little newer as mine has no turn signals and there is a sticker on the neck that says "For Off-Road Use Only". Mine is missing the rear fender and silencer.

I did a little work on the front brakes this weekend. These bikes came with a odometer that ran off the front hub. Mine is missing the meter and cable. I'm not worried about replacing them but what should I plug the hole on the front hub so mud/water don't get in?

 

[glad2ride]

silicone will do

 

[Joburble]

I plugged mine up with black (so it looks cool) high density foam rubber (sorta like thick neoprene). That way it is water tight but can still be removed if you want to add an odometer later.
I make them out of this stuff with a big hole punch.
I also have this stuff in the threads on my swing arm where I removed the stand.

 

[ecrum28]

Is it a standard metric thread? If so I should be able to get an acorn nut to cap it. Anyone know the thread size?

 

[sr5bidder]

ecrum I used a rubber cap on my bikes, from my RC stash, think it was ment to be an 8th scale nitro buggy exhuast cap or maybe the carb cap used for when not in use so the nitro mix would not attract water into the engine.

 

[Joburble]

Oh of course, I just realised yours probably has thread on the outside so my suggestion is useless, sorry.

 

[sr5bidder]

joburble yes my yamaha has the outside threads but the kdx..I used the same method just chop the cable at the metal crimp and leave the flange and screw in the odi hub so if the parts come along for cheap one day I don't have to wonder what screw goes in the hub and or pay the stealer $2.92 for it
so is your suggestion useless...I don't know the 1980 kdx175 threads on or plugs in.. but it is something for those who read to keep in the back of their mind

 

[ecrum28]

Thanks for the help on the cable plug. Next issue is the missing silencer. I haven't run the engine much more then a few minutes because I don't want to hurt it. Should I find a used stock silencer or will it be happy with a DG universal 2 stroke one? Any opinions are welcome.

Erich

 

[glad2ride]

Be sure to measure the stock pipe diameter to see if it will match up to any aftermarket model.

eBay has some used silencers from time to time.

Check the parts diagrams on the Kawasaki site to see which models have the same spark arrestor. I know the 1982 KDX174 spark arrestor has two clamp holes to hold it on instead of one like the 1980 and 1981 models.

 

[ecrum28]

Ok I'm back. Long time no update, but its getting pretty close to rideable. I need to get a manual and theres two on ebay now. One is an 81 A2 manual from kawasaki and the other one is a Clymer manual for all 79-82 kdx's. which one will be more helpful or have better info?
thanks Erich

 

[regularjoe]

I have both and I would say the Clymer.

 

[glad2ride]

I have both. I say get both. Too much information is not enough.

 

[Bark3rd]

Hey I'm Erich and I just picked up an 80 175 and have some questions. The bike runs but has been sitting for a while. Both brakes are sticky and I'm gonna pull them apart and ge t them freed up. Also the clutch is stuck. Brakes don't scare me but I've never had a clutch apart before. What is the best way to dig into this?

I'll put up a pic this weekend. She's not bad just needs some work and find a few missing parts.

Erich

Ive had the same issue with stuck clutch plates on all the Kawis I have restored. Buy new clutch plates. An impact driver for the clutch hub helps alot too, just dont over tourque it going back on.

 

[ecrum28]

Is the rear sprocet the same as any other newe bikes? Both front and rear are pretty worn out (12t front, 52t rear). Didnt have any trouble finding the front one or new chain. Waiting on rear brake shoes and sprocket before shes ready to ride.

 

[regularjoe]

I just put on a new rear sprocket. It is a Jt part number 24-9657 from tucker rocky. Double check the part number.

 

[ecrum28]

New Here - 80 kdx 175 update 6/15/10

I got it running and have been riding it a little but it seemed to be boggy and lack punch. So I threw the comp. tester on it and came up with 70 lbs, no wonder. I pulled the pipe off and looked inside the cyl. and there is a lot of vertical score marks on the exh. side of the piston, mostly below the rings. The cyl. walls aren't too bad but do have some scuff marks that you can feel.

Since the history of the bike is unknown and it looks to have not been well maintained I think I'm gonna do a complete rebuild. My questions are can I still get bearings and seals/gaskets for this old bike? Also what are my options for the top end. I'm new to engines with plated cylinders as all the old sleds i've rebuilt are just iron sleeved.