Thinking of selling my hybrid HELP

[bulabula09]

ok, here's the deal. i just finished the project about 8-9 months ago '99 125 w/ a 2000 200 KDX..havent really ridden it much to be honest with you. i used to buy and sell dirt bikes, so iv ridden alot of them and unfortunately i want a little more power. i like the 2t so im leaning hard towards a newer 250 2t. either that or a 450 4t. my gut tells me not to sell the bike because I built it MYSELF. but my brain says "you can always build another one later on down the road." im kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. iv got a good price in mind if i were to sell it but..price aside...what would you guys do? sell it and get another bike ,trade it for a bigger bike, or keep it...keep in mind that i just graduated college and im currently working part time and looking for a full time job so payments on a new bike are out of the question lol.

[frankenschwinn]

Keep it. What motor mods have been done?

[Lutz]

Honestly, keep it - if you need more power spend money on a 225 big bore kit by Eric Gorr. You'll get a lot more power, you'll keep the KDX reliability, and you'll have a unique bike that has been tuned to your personal needs/tastes. I'm sure you'll save money going that route rather than selling the hybrid and buying another bike.

In a straight line drag race, my 225 would run neck and neck with 250 two strokes, but not quite with 450 four strokes; anything other than straight line was condition and rider dependent. I had serious fantasies about building a hybrid with my 225 engine...but never got there.

I never would have sold my KDX, but I needed a bike with a license plate, and once I got that I couldn't afford to upgrade it without selling my KDX. It was a very hard decision for me, and I still am not totally comfortable with it.

[Tedh98]

If you are riding in the woods, more power isn't always better. I had a 250 and have ridden a couple of 250's in the woods and they were too much. Now none of these had FWW or had woods gearing, I'm sure that would have helped some.

As Lutz mentioned, the rider usually has more to do with things than the bike. A good rider will be fast in the woods on most any bike he climbs on.

I'd keep the bike and either do the 225 or go the RB route with the head and carb mod. Then focus on your skills to build speed.

Unless someone offered me a ridiculous amount of money, I just can't see selling my hybrid. The time and effort I put into it means a lot to me.

[frankenschwinn]

If you are riding in the woods, more power isn't always better. I had a 250 and have ridden a couple of 250's in the woods and they were too much. Now none of these had FWW or had woods gearing, I'm sure that would have helped some.

As Lutz mentioned, the rider usually has more to do with things than the bike. A good rider will be fast in the woods on most any bike he climbs on.

I'd keep the bike and either do the 225 or go the RB route with the head and carb mod. Then focus on your skills to build speed.

Unless someone offered me a ridiculous amount of money, I just can't see selling my hybrid. The time and effort I put into it means a lot to me.

Well put.

[scheckaet]

If you are riding in the woods, more power isn't always better. I had a 250 and have ridden a couple of 250's in the woods and they were too much. Now none of these had FWW or had woods gearing, I'm sure that would have helped some.

As Lutz mentioned, the rider usually has more to do with things than the bike. A good rider will be fast in the woods on most any bike he climbs on.

I'd keep the bike and either do the 225 or go the RB route with the head and carb mod. Then focus on your skills to build speed.

Unless someone offered me a ridiculous amount of money, I just can't see selling my hybrid. The time and effort I put into it means a lot to me.

+1
I have the RB head and carb mods and can't say i need any more power, I ride track mostly in 3 gear, and can open up the throttle on some section to 4th, and I can tell you the upgrades I need are in the suspension department. Unless you're talking drag race or desert racing, a better tuned suspension will make you a faster rider, a bigger engine won't ...

[bulabula09]

no real motor mods to say other than a full exhaust...it needs a new top end pretty bad..still has decent compression..but its the same top end since 2000 i believe...i just rejetted it not too long ago for the new pipe and got it running alot better, its just not as snappy as a 250..and that bottom end torque is really what im looking for in a bike...i def. do alot of woods riding for sure...a few tracks but not many..mainly due to not enough bottom end..its got the stock reeds...jetting is about the only close thing to a motor mod iv done to it

[scheckaet]

before you sell it, that's what I tried to do if I was on a budget:
-get some boysen reeds (40 bux i think) to replace the stock one. (probably due to replace anyway)
-get a new topend, while it's apart might as well send the head to get the RB magic. (40 bux + shipping I believe)
that would be your best bang for your buck. You'll have crispier throttle response, more snap and more bottom grunt.
if you can get the carb done, by any means do it.
If you don't like the mods and still decide to sell it, I'm sure you'd get some of your money back because of the rb head and carb.
my .02 cent

[KarlP]

I would'nt sell it, unless all the fun was in building it and you just want more power. The KDX's are limited in the power department no matter what you do.

On the other hand....

I was out running some very tight singletrack with some A and B guys. One of these guys completed the Paris-Dakar Rally in 2007. I'm a high C, low B on a 220 CR hybrid. I can hang with them no problem.

I had no idea how little power my bike made.

One of the guys was on a brand new GasGas 300. We all had to try it, and of course while I was riding this guys GasGas some one else was on my bike. After we all swapped back I noticed a few sideways glances from the last guy on my bike. I commented that I had no idea how weak my bike was. The other guys laughed a bit and said they had no idea how I kept up with anything. They commented that the handling and suspension was great, the motor ran well, but was weak as a kitten. I had to agree after riding that 300 and my other buddies YZ250.

As mentioned above, raw power is not everything, but still....

I'm seriously considering getting a new bike now!

[Indawoods]

Yes... If you are running Dakar... the KDX is probably not your #1 pick.

For this woods rider... it does everything I want.

Everything is relative... You don't buy a Porsche to drive in the snow.

[kdxtreme]

I have an 07 300xc I just picked up a 04 200 my buddies on there euro bikes can't believe how good I go on the kdx for some reason I'm faster on it . I think using all of the power of the 200 compared to using some of the 300 power makes the difference to me. Also its a bunch of fun to ride and thread trees with now I'm gonna part out the ktm I'm hooked.

[fuzzy]

^^^All those "I can't beleive's" and "for some reasons" are pretty much complete proof that in the woods you don't use the power any modern 2T produces...Even the KDX. It's all about off-idle-mid pull, throttle/clutch control, technique, and handling. I'll take 0-3/4 throttle on the KDX all day long vs trying to ride 0-1/4 throttle on a 300 Open terrain...different story. I have a Wide 2T with great woods susp, and I'll be getting another KDX this winter, and putting the stock/high-speed susp back on my 250 for open stuff. At this point if I had to keep one, I know it would be the green one, but I will be happy to have a spare/high-speed bike to compliment the 'kitten'

FWIW, I can't tell you how many times I've seen less HP win a dirt-oval kart race. On short/slick tracks the bigger motors were just impossible to get to hook/handle right despite feeling like a rocketship. Stock little 100cc piston port on gas is like driving a caddie down the highway compared to a meth huffing 125 set on kill. Big tracks with lots of grip...The stocker will be lapped in 2 laps.

Another thing I've learned over the years...If a race has corners, corner speed is everything. Machine to application to rider fitment is up there.

[bulabula09]

i was thinking...all of you pretty much say keep the bike...and trust me...your opinion def. counts...i would honestly believe you guys over most of my friends that ride..lol..but christmas is coming up..hopefully ill get some kind of bonus and maybe santa can hook me up with a new top end im intrigued by the RB stuff...not sure what goes into making it so much better than stock though. does it get polished or something? and as far as new reeds..iv got some buddies that might would sell me some for pretty cheap..so ill try that also as soon as i get some spendin money lol. but please...do digress on the RB stuff..what goes into the process for making the head better..im very interested..and thats alot for all the opinions!

[KarlP]

Unfortunately, you're starting with a 200. RBD mods don't do near as much for them as they do the mighty 220.



((((SSHHHHHH! You hear a train coming?))


You did mention that your motor was stock. If you have gone as far as you can in the suspension and ergonomics department as you deem necessary, the stock motor responds very well to mods, RBD or otherwise. You can easily get it to match a current KTM 200. I think you can get better "ridability" out of it than the typical KTM, in fact.

Its up to you, of course, but improving that little 200 is better than starting over with something else, I think.

[Indawoods]

The RB head mod works great on the KDX 200. I could immediately tell that it had more compression, responded better to the throttle and just plain ran much better. And this was after I had the carb modded which gave me greater lowend grunt and that awesome second sweet spot where it responded like a 4 stroke.

[bulabula09]

sorry i havent been on in a while...work has me pretty stretched out right now yeah...as far as suspension i have it set pretty close to where i want it...minor tweaking still left. Inda, as far as the carb goes...do you know if its just a bigger one thats been bored out or if its just polished or if its completely gutted and rebuilt?

[Indawoods]

It is bored 1mm larger to make up for the air volume consumed by the plate. The Slide is cut leaner, the throttle body is modified. New needles that work better for the setup CEK and DEK.

It is massaged in many different areas.