And yet another Aussie.

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91kdx250
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Good morning, afternoon or evening.
I chanced my 91 KDX 250 on eBay for $455 as a non runner. It came with a spare engine with the top end pulled down. I checked and it has good spark but the kick start rachet hardly engages, so I had to roll start it. I had fuel out of the fuel line but after a few roll starts a dry plug and no go. The carby is definitely in need of an overhaul. After some starting aid down the sparky hole it fired straight up. The clutch wouldn't disengage either. I filled the radiator with water and gave it another shot around the paddock. The clutch freed up and started to work, its a bit like a racing clutch or very grabby. And it seems the bike might be a "cow" because after I gave it some water and let it around on the grass in the paddock for a while it made "milk" in the sump. Hoping it is just the pump shaft seal, but the whole side cover needs to come off to replace the starter rachet. the spare engine seems to kick over, so there is my donor rachet.
This is my first 250 2 stroke, I had an IT 465 and it loved hills, so hoping the KDX is more usable than a KX as I live in the Great Dividing Range and love hill climbing. Had plenty of scramblers from CR/KX125 to RM500 and large 4 bangers, my main ride is a TT600 Belgarda which will get full road reg for touring now the KDX is about.
It may be a can of worms so I guess I will be posting questions and will be glad to share any info I learn along the way. When I work out how to I will post some pics.

I look forward to lots of reading,
Cheers
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by KDXGarage »

Welcome to the forum.

Congratulations on getting a KDX.

Keep up the good work.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
To post pictures from a device: viewtopic.php?f=88&t=24128
91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

The KDX stopped running on me. So I pulled down the carby and gave it a good clean out, it was only oily mostly. It is running a 42 and a 158 main jet. Not sure I could see how to adjust the needle hight but it runs fine now. I found a rats nest in the air box and the bugger chewed the filter so that will need replacing. I cleaned and blew it all out and back blew the the fuel line. It has a glass filter in the line and some fin rust came out, has anyone had rust issues before? It roll started with full choke straight away and no starting aid. I rode it around home here for a while and after it was warmed right up the radiator was holding pressure and its level, so I am now hoping the coolant/water was in the sump when I bought it. Any comments would be good on this, I'm not sure of how slow they can leak coolant into the sump.

So I had my first quick blat around the tracks today, and I gotta say I hopped off with a grin on my face. Thats the two stroke fun I remember. It is definitely harsher to ride than my TTR600 but that might be the tyre pressure, Any hints on what other people run. Keep in mind were I ride I have exposed tree roots, which hammer the suspension. I lost the back brakes at some stage and I cant see any fluid anywhere, but they have no feel at all. I have ridden bikes with snappier power band, but if you open up to full throttle from half throttle coasting it hits pretty good. I still believe its a racing clutch or do all kdx's have the same feel? Any hints on what grade of oil to run in the crank case, its nearly winter here with temps between 9 and 20 degs Celsius.

In all I believe I got good bike for $455 and it should last me while before I need to spend too much on it.
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by ICRage42 »

you might be out of fluid all together there isnt much there to begin with.

Could also be if fluid is there that it wasnt bled right. Bleeding the brakes not all the way will sometimes give you a peddle and nothing the next time you hit them. Good way to check is to pump the brakes and see if you get a peddle back or something of a brake. IF so it needs bled.

If no fluid you probably have a leak. What happened on mine is it leaked at the cylinder on the caliper. You can also get a rebuild kit for cheap. Since no fluid the caliper has air in it and will not function. Your gonna have to fill it up and bleed it some to see where its leaking.
If you cant fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.
91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Hey thanks for that. I checked the reserve on the brakes and it had brown sludge in them. I cleaned them out and removed the bleed screw and the the master cylinder failed to pump anything. So I pulled it down and cleaned it out as well. I have ordered a master cylinder rebuild kit and an air filter and will go from there. The front brakes are very average they have plenty of feel but little pull up power, so I guess pads and disk will need replacing. How do I post photos?
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rbates9
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by rbates9 »

To post pictures you need to set up an account with a hosting site like photobucket and load them to there then past the image code to here.
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Thanks, I think I have flickr account.
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

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And yet another Aussie.

Post by ICRage42 »

that just doesnt look right? Not saying the bike but the brake part. Is that a hard line? Like metal brake line to caliper? It should be a brake hose. Looks like someone cut the line at some time and replaced with hard line.

With whatever else you might need to repair rear brakes I would also say pick up a new brake hose for there. Peace of mind. Hose clamps dont really hold for crap under good load. Sure theres hose and metal line used in vehicles but when they meet up and connect there is a flared end to seal and its bolted to a pressed brass fitting. A very secure way just for that reason.

Just splicing in with clamps is just a way to get it back to the garage so you can repair it proper.

Nice bike btw it will be a fun scoot when you get the bugs worked out.
If you cant fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.
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rbates9
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by rbates9 »

Image
Bikes by nickybouye, on Flickr
Image
Bikes by nickybouye, on Flickr
91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Thanks for putting the pics up. I am sure it had a braided line on it, but I'll check when I get home. I think its good value at $455.
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by Goofaroo »

It is definitely harsher to ride than my TTR600 but that might be the tyre pressure, Any hints on what other people run. Keep in mind were I ride I have exposed tree roots, which hammer the suspension.
Someone has replaced the original fork with some kind of inverted fork. The original fork was set up for the kind of trails you are riding. There is no telling what you have on there now. Try to get some information on that fork and maybe someone here will have some ideas about making it work better for you. Chances are it would need a revalve and springs and even then it will never be as compliant as the original conventional fork. If that is what you want, you may just want to start looking for the correct fork.
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rbates9
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by rbates9 »

The forks on the bike look to be the correct forks for the bike. The 250's came with the usd forks and being that they are blue it would indicate that they are correct for the era.

For the tire pressure I run around 15psi but it will depend on the tire you are using, the terran, and your riding style. A little goes a long way when it comes to tire pressure. I would start at 17psi and work your way down a pound at a time. Some people run down around 10 with good results. I stay around 15 due to the feeling of the rim hitting if I go much lower then that. It might also be worth your time to service the suspension and play around with the clickers to see if that can help.
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by Goofaroo »

Oops. I missed that it was a 250. I know absolutely squat about the 250.
91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Ha ha thats cool about the forks, I'm hoping it hasn't been modified in any way. I'm a big bloke and the rear suspension holds my weight ok, its just you feel the hammering in the handlebars up to your elbows. It may even be the frequency with it being lighter and firmer than my TTR. In the past I have learnt that too harder front suspension can lead to the front washing out and too soft causing it to dive. I'll get the brakes back together and get it back out in a few weeks. I'll try 17psi and check for preload and dampening adjustments, if all else fails, i'll have to harden up...
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by KDXGarage »

If you are riding on very rocky terrain, 17 might be required. In pure mud, 10 is called for. Normal terrain is 12 - 13.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

I rebuilt the rear master cylinder and brakes work very well now.
I have the front tyre at 17psi and I got good traction on a variety of different surfaces today and its was wet. The rear tyre is around 20psi and it stepped out a few times on me today but ended up easy to predict and a good laugh. The bike still feels a bit harsh but handles well, so i will have to harden up.
It climbs pretty well Image
The gear leaver came loose so thats the next mend on the list.
Thanks for the advise

Still not loading for me, but i added some pics to flicker of the plantation across the road from home, and it yes its steeper than it looks.
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And yet another Aussie.

Post by rbates9 »

The tire pressure sounds pretty high.
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by KDXGarage »

On that rocky road, I would run 14 front and rear.

20 is almost 50% more pressure than needed. It will not flex and grab too well with 20 psi.
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91kdx250
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Re: And yet another Aussie.

Post by 91kdx250 »

Cheers guys, I ran around 13psi front and back today and it improved the grip and ride alot.

The gear leaver spline is worn as it came loose again after refitting.

Has anyone used Loctite on a spline before?
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