First trip with KX forks

Questions and comments about converting to beefier forks..
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Ryan
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First trip with KX forks

Post by Ryan »

This past weekend i went out for a trip with my cousin on his newly aquired 2000 kdx200. His friends drove up from Nj and they both brough their own quads to ride.

After a 90 minute drive we arrived at my uncles Cabin. We took out the bikes the first night and i didnt feel to comfortable although most of the riding was on the fields. WE only went out for like 5 minutes but i guess i wasnt use to the bike with the kx forks yet. The next day we went on our first real ride. It was my first real ride outside of the trails i ride by my house. So i was ready to go. My cousins friends rode a mid 90's yamaha timberwolf 350 4x4 and a 2004 suzuki quadrunner 250. The yamaha was excellent in the trails and so was the suzuki but the suzuki was extremly fast especially for a 250.

Most of the trails i rode in consisted of about 3 mile loops and each one had 2 very large hill climbs. Fairly steep but very long. They were fun and challenging to get up.

When i first got there every person that lived on this land owned quads so i knew me and my cousin were a bit of misfits with our bikes but i was up for a challenge.
In the begining i waited for my cousin to catch up as he never rode a dirt bike before. By the end of the trip he was pretty comfortable on his kdx.

These trails were very challenging and would probably take a class B rider to be able to go high speeds in these trails. There were many gravel roads and most were closed of because of wash out damage from rain. The first day i was really bouncing around on these roads and trails which consisted of mud, clayish stuff, shale and gravel. After the first day i really was able to appreciate the kx forks. They seemed to soak up up shale better and not deflect too bad at all. By the end of the trip i was able to keep up with the quads in the tight trails as i think my new seals were finally getting broken in.

It is kind of hard to explain how the forks reacted but they seemed to be able to take bumps without deflecting off of them. I did notice the back of the bike seems to likes to hop and bounce around more which leads me to believe revalving and respringing is in order for next year.

Near the end of the trip i almost felt like the kdx was almost too short on power for me. I felt like i had mastered the bike and was ready to move on after 1 year of owning it. AS i rode more and more i figured out that the bike could be pushed alot more that i was pushing it. I almost think i was holding the bike back because i never really rode hard. The second to last day of riding i really pushed it hard and i never once let me down. I will admit i fell once on the whole trip which was very good for me.

I was also surpised at the strength of the bike. This same day my cousin's buddy unintentionally hit me with his quad. It was like a sideswip. He was coming at me and we both tried to turn sharp but i hit his rear wheel. Well as soon as i hit all i remeber is flying in the air and landing about 7 feet from my bike after i went over my bars. I ended up getting one good gash on my stomach as i think my chest protector was too loose. So when i got back to camp i made it a bit smaller. I figured my bike was gonna be fricked up. I only had one problem. my front wheel was way off from being straight. The hit turned it sidways and my forks shifted im my triple tree. This was because of the fact that my clamps are at like 10 and 12 pounds. This in a way saved my rim from being bent as it allowed for the bike to take some impact. So all i had to do was have a few people pull on the wheel while i pushed the other way on my bars to get the wheel straight again.

Through the trip the bike was excellent with starting, most of the time it was 1 or 2 kicks cold. The only time my bike almost died on me was on a really really long gravel road. It was probably 5 miles and then we turned around and went back. No larges hills just fairly flat road. I was going like 3/4 to full throttle and at about 8 miles the bike started to die. No power but i knew it was from a fouled plug, so i was able to get back to the trails and it ran great again. I changed the plug when i got back but the bike never died or never overheated.

Overall i would say the kdx is a great bike and to make it even greater the kx forks are like gifts from the gods.
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Post by m0rie »

I noticed my rear end wasn't working quite so hot either once I switched to the KX forks. Sounds like you got a good handle on what they can do.
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Post by bradf »

There will be a change in overall balance with the KX forks. Did you re-check your static and race sag? Is the shock spring within specs for your weight? You will need to adjust the shock compression and rebound according to your new suspension and riding conditions. Play with the forks comp/rebound too to find a possibly better setting. Make sure the nitrogen pressure is OK too. In your post you didn't mention doing any clicker tuning. Go out on a ride for the sole purpose to make adjustments.
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Post by Indawoods »

I had to up my compression and adjust the sag on my shock after the conversion.
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Post by bradf »

Same here. I had to increase compression 4 clicks and 2 rebound on the shock from the "old" settings with the KDX forks. I was able to hit the whoops much faster initially with the KX forks but the rear was way out, hopping and swapping back there like a gator tail. Once the rear adjustments were made the balance was very nice.
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Post by Ryan »

i will ride monday and try before i go to work. Thanks for the tip.
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Post by fuzzy »

Good report! FWIW, if you can't TOAST those quads you're not getting close to pushing the bike :wink:
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Post by Ryan »

quads have the edge in tight woods i must say, even though they arent as narrow they are easier to ride and go fast because you can turn easier which makes up alot of time.
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Post by Indawoods »

:shock: WHAT? I eat them alive....
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Post by bradf »

Ryan, quit coasting around turns. Lean it over and use the throttle. You should only see quads at the truck or when your passing them. The best place for quads is far far behind you where they can only crash amounst themselves.
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Post by Green Hornet »

>|<>QBB<
Ryan wrote:quads have the edge in tight woods i must say, even though they arent as narrow they are easier to ride and go fast because you can turn easier which makes up alot of time.

??????
They have WHAT in the tight woods.
NEVER
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Post by Colorado Mike »

Who was it that said the toughest part of riding a quad was telling your parents you're gay? :lol: Jerry?, Vince?

Ryan, if quads (rolling roadblocks) are passing you in the woods...something is terribly wrong. :blink:
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Post by Indawoods »

That was me... :oops:

CC gave me hell about it..... :lol:
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Post by KDXer »

I even had the upperhand most of the time in the dunes against YFZ450's, Raptor 660's and 700's until it got real steep or deep. I had a fair few 'drag' races so to speak and got the jump virtually everytime. They would start to catch me when I hit 3rd-4th-5th, they were just winding 3rd out. In the tight stuff they had no chance. The lil green machine with a paddle suprised the hell out of me and a few quad riders thats for sure.
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