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I think my 02 KX125 fork conversion on my 04 KDX200 is done!

Posted: 12:42 am May 13 2010
by pdiddy
I finally got the spacers I needed to mount the front wheel and finished putting the front end back together tonight. It took a month to get the spacers I needed, but I finally have them. (On a related note, my local Kawasaki deal is horrible).

I assembled the forks and mounted the front wheel following the directions from here, only using 144 in/lbs on the top clamp and 120 in/lbs on the bottom clamp: http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1107

Hopefully I did it correctly and there is no binding!

I had Moto-Pro install a set of .38 springs and do a mild re-valve, which took 4 or 5 weeks, I forget exactly how long it was but it was way longer than the 7-10 days he told me!

I have mounted the headlight with 4 zip-ties. I read on here of people using some rubber straps, but I am not sure what is being referred to. The 4 zip-tie method actually seems pretty secure.

The brake line is ran KDX style. I don't quite like the way the brake line runs through the lower fork guard holder, but I think it will be functional until I figure out something better.

I also did the RB head and carb mods this winter. I cannot wait to fire this thing up and take it for a ride. I have a ride scheduled for this Saturday, so I sure hope it goes well and that I put it all together correctly :shock:

Some photos:
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Posted: 12:50 am May 13 2010
by scheckaet
you gonna snap that brake line holder (or worse) on the 1st bump.
Most drill a few holes on the side and zip tie the line there. That's what I did and it works well.

Posted: 07:14 am May 13 2010
by Jupiter2
scheckaet, got a pic to show what you did?

Posted: 10:41 am May 13 2010
by scheckaet
will try to get one tonight.

Posted: 11:24 am May 13 2010
by Indawoods
My brothers is set up like yours... no problems. I think we tend to over engineer things. Simplicity is always better in my book.

Great job BTW!!!!!

Posted: 12:03 pm May 13 2010
by Jupiter2
I got so rapped up in the mechanics of it since I'll be doing mine soon i forgot to tell ya how cool it is! Nice job pdiddy!

Posted: 08:44 pm May 13 2010
by pdiddy
Thanks guys. I fired it up this afternoon after work. As advertised, RB does outstanding work. It started on the first kick!!! :lol:

As far as the forks go, the action seems good. However, it is hard to tell from just riding in the yard and over the curb :grin:

scheckaet I am definitely interested in what you did with your brake line.

While on the subject of the brake, the front brake doesn't seem to bite as hard as it should. Not sure why, but am going to look at it more after dinner. I may try adding a washer between the caliper and mount as I have seen some others do.

Posted: 09:50 pm May 13 2010
by frankenschwinn
I made a bracket from a small piece of angle and bolted the stock hose clamps to it.

BTW, Watch the lower hose route mounted to the triples. My fork guard hit it on the first ride and broke the top off of the guard. I replaced it with the KX version which sets higher. You could also swap the top and bottom.

This is the original but I cleaned it up when I changed fork guards

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Posted: 11:27 pm May 13 2010
by scheckaet
modification of the fork guard:
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Zip ties works, wanted to do a more factory mount, but never got around to it.
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hose routing:
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Posted: 11:34 pm May 13 2010
by scheckaet
if breaks feels mushy, you may have air in the lines. I rode a few years with ok brakes but they always felt mushy, I could almost get the lever to the handle barif I brake hard. Was about to get a different brake line from another bike and i tried a motion pro brake bleeder, made the job much easier and I have no more mushiness.

Posted: 11:57 pm May 13 2010
by pdiddy
The brake isn't mushy at all, the lever is nice and firm when I pull it. It just doesn't seem to slow the bike down fast enough.

Posted: 11:59 pm May 13 2010
by pdiddy
>|<>QBB<
frankenschwinn wrote:I made a bracket from a small piece of angle and bolted the stock hose clamps to it.
How did you mount the bracket to the fork guard?

Posted: 12:01 am May 14 2010
by scheckaet
brake pads worn out or greasy? Clean them and the rotor with brake cleaner.

Posted: 07:03 am May 14 2010
by Jupiter2
Worth a thousand words. Thanks for the pics.

Posted: 11:52 pm May 14 2010
by pdiddy
Well, I took scheckaet suggestion and picked up some brake cleaner. I think it did the trick, the front brake seems to work like it should. Thanks!

Big ride tomorrow, its gonna be great :lol:

BTW - That brake cleaner is some very strong smelling stuff!

Posted: 12:08 am May 15 2010
by scheckaet
if your brake pads are really bad, you can soak them in cleaner.

Posted: 09:32 am May 15 2010
by frankenschwinn
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frankenschwinn wrote:I made a bracket from a small piece of angle and bolted the stock hose clamps to it.
How did you mount the bracket to the fork guard?[/quote]

I used rivets with the flat side toward the fork. I was a little nervous about having the rivet rub the fork but it has never happened in the several hundred miles since mounted. With this setup I cannot use the fork guard guides but I have not needed them as the guards are stiff enough
After the initial mount and breakage of the first set of fork guards (nothing to do with the hose clamp) I modified the bracket and painted it black...


This is a slightly better pic:
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Posted: 11:49 pm May 15 2010
by pdiddy
Rode 50 miles of trails today, and everything worked brilliantly! The forks are outstanding, the RB mods are impressive, and I didn't have any brake issues.

I did crash in a rock garden and I broke the fork guard on the kick starter side. Time to break out the JB Weld.

frankenschwinn, thanks for the photo