KDXRIDER.NET

So people, after reading a lot in this forum I thought I would give a go at forks conversion. Here are some pictures from the fork i`m buying and later I`ll put some shots of my stock KDX.



The forks doesn`t look so good but the seller assured me they were working properly.

I hope by the end of the week this thing will be in place and I`ll go on a little test-drive on saturday.

Today I disassembled the front end.






I`ve been having some trouble removing the stem from the bottom triple clamp and I have a question. I`m supposed to remove the stem upwards or downwards? Do I press on the tip of the stem or bottom near the clamp?

The stem presses down out of the bottom clamp. You will need some sort of round metal stock or large socket to place under the triple that is large enough to clear the stem itself.

Those forks look good, I like the black. I wonder if they are painted, or anodized? Hopefully anodized....

J.

So I press in this direction?

Yes.
I tried really hard to press the stem out the other way and just bent the triple.

I ended up not changing the stem. What I did involved cutting and welding on the frame so that a KX bearing would would fit the KDX frame.

I also used 95 KX forks. They were great. The guy who ended up with that bike is still loving it.

I already bent mine today pressing towards the wrong side

Tomorrow I hope I can get this thing out.

I also used 95 KX forks. They were great. The guy who ended up with that bike is still loving it.

This makes me very happy, I was worried that 95 forks were not gonna be as good a improvement as I hoped.

Julien D wrote:The stem presses down out of the bottom clamp. You will need some sort of round metal stock or large socket to place under the triple that is large enough to clear the stem itself.

Those forks look good, I like the black. I wonder if they are painted, or anodized? Hopefully anodized....

J.

Thanks for the info man. I`m thinking that`s just spray painting, I really doubt it would be anodized.

Got the stem out today. Thanks for the help guys!

The forks are coming!! Hoping they get here before friday, so I can work on them in the weekend and ride sunday morning!

You guys have no idea how excited I am!!

You do have a wheel to fit them, right?

I`m hoping I will be able to use my KDX wheel. I have all the tools to make any spacer, axle, washer or any mod necessary. Heck, I`m machining my own uni-trak arm since my stock one broke last week. The forks will get here probably tomorrow so I`ll have 2 days to work on them (and nights if necessary).

you may be able to use the KDX rim, but the hub won't work with the KX axle. KX is a 20mm and KDX is 15mm. I also could not find a bearing to fit the KDX wheel with a 20mm ID. Sounds like you have the machinery available to take the KDX axle and machine collars to match the KX forks (similar to how RB does it).

bufftester wrote:you may be able to use the KDX rim, but the hub won't work with the KX axle. KX is a 20mm and KDX is 15mm. I also could not find a bearing to fit the KDX wheel with a 20mm ID. Sounds like you have the machinery available to take the KDX axle and machine collars to match the KX forks (similar to how RB does it).

I`m saw the page in his website and probably gonna do it like he does it. The KX forks come with an axle so I could machine that axle and keep my KDX`s intact.

I can't say for the 95 axle but the newer axles are hollow and wouldn't have enough room to turn it down that far. But the way RB does his would be easy enough if you have a lathe.

Got the forks today. They look really good and the bottom pipes have no scratch whatsoever.

Already removed the KX stem and pressed the KDX`s in. While doing this I noticed that the triple clamps are actually from a KX 500 Are they interchangeble between 250 and 500?? Did this guy sell me a 500 forks thinking they were 250`s?

Also noticed that I need a 5mm shim under the bottom bearing cause the bottom triple is 5mm slimmer than the KDX`s.

Tomorrow it will be all probably assembled and ready to race.

If they were 500 triples they should work with the stem that they came with. Most people put the shim or spacer under the top triple and turn down the KDX stem a little bit at the bottom where the step from the lower triple surface to the bearing surface is.

After long hours searching the web I kind of figured this out. Apparently these are not kx 250 forks. The brake mount on the left fork tells me these are actually kx 500 forks probably 91-93 era. Are these good forks?

They're your now so they kind of have to be good forks. Right?

rbates9 wrote:They're your now so they kind of have to be good forks. Right?

Well yeah, but it would be good to know if they are better than kdx forks. Or worse. Or even if I'm going to resent buying them.
I could talk to the seller about returning them and getting my cash back. After all he was advertising them as 1995 kx forks, not 1991 kx 500 forks.

All I want to know is: Are these a improvement over the kdx stock forks or are they too old to make a difference?

They will be a considerable improvement, provided they are in proper condition. As mentioned, the kx5 triples should bolt right up, so that's a plus.