DENNY

Member
Nov 24, 1999
218
0
After 13 years and 3 KDX motorcycles I thought I had seen it all. Well was I wrong! Last night my kick starter punched a hole in the clutch cover. At first I thought how is this possible because the lever hits the foot peg. So I removed the spark plug to investigate how this happened. Well to my suprise if the lever isn't completely opened prior to a kick the heel of the lever will make case contact. How I was able to kick the lever with it half opened is a mystery. But it would appear the kick starter lever was at a 45 degree angle when I kicked it over and the result is a $250 parts bill.
 

Mrobbins

~SPONSOR~
Sep 28, 2002
172
0
This can also happen if you have a worn or bent right foot peg. Even more likely with the FRP kick start arm, which is why it comes with a warning.
 

skipro3

Mod Ban
Dec 14, 2002
902
0
Man Denny! It's only a 200, just how hard are you having to kick to get your bike going anyway? Mine seems to light off with barely a prod. I can't imagine kicking hard enough to punch a hole in the side cover.
I have a KX125 Kick lever on my bike and just checked it out. There is no way it can touch the clutch cover, no matter how far open or closed it is. It also doesn't hit the foot peg. The only thing it touches is the top curve of the rear brake lever. The KX lever uses the exsisting knuckle from the KDX. See how much a lever will add to the bill so you don't do this again. I got mine off eBay for about $15.
 
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skipro3

Mod Ban
Dec 14, 2002
902
0
Hi Denny,
I found the information on the http://justkdx.dirtrider.net/ site. Click the KDX Tech Tips link on the left side. From that page, click the "Hybrid Kickstart Lever" link from the center coloum labled "Suspension and Chassis". There you will see photos and text on how to do the upgrade.
 

DENNY

Member
Nov 24, 1999
218
0
JB Weld is out, it is a hole one inch square and half of it is on the clutch cover and half on the inner cover. The clutch cover is $50, $150 for the inner cover, then you have three bearings, three gaskets, and two seals. The kick starter is fine and I'm not sure if this happened when I was starting the bike or when I went down it may have caught. Last night I cleaned up the clutch basket where a piece wore a groove into the basket. I'll have it back together by Wednesday night but it is just weird what happened. My best friend told me that I'm the only person who could put a hole in a bullet proof bike. Maybe I'll post a photo because it truely is hard to explain. The area of the kick starter that has the pinch bolt is what went through the covers.
 
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