New KDX owner from CT

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kdxrick
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

I recently purchased a 1988 KDX200 for $450. Runs great the po said he did a top end on it (im a little skeptical) as i think i got the bike for a steal. But anyway i just replaced the air filter, spark plug, trans oil and bled the front brake as it was sticking. Will do the fork seals as well and get the trip computer working. Any other advice to get this machine in order for riding would be great! I would also like to mention that i am new to the dirtbike scene coming from mountain biking. I'm now hooked!
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Re: New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

Welcome to the forum.

Congratulations on your KDX. :bravo:

Please post some pictures, if you can.
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kdxrick
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Pictures...

Image


Image


Image

Image
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

The bike was blocking the boat. WAIT! Were you trying to show the bike? :mrgreen: Got any pics besides the wallet sized? :grin:
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

It was indeed of the bike the boat is just the backdrop :cool: . The boat should be in the water by now, even small boats are never ending headaches! Im new to the site and photobucket, are the pictures not showing up full screen? They do for me. I will post some more and try and enlarge them.
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Re: New KDX owner from CT

Post by Julien D »

Welcome to KDXRIDER! I took the liberty of fixing the pictures in your post. Looks good! Well, it could, with some TLC... A good solid start, anyway! :mrgreen:
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

Pardon me, but:

LUCKY BASTARD!

:lol: :partyman:

You have some cool parts there.

That is a white model that someone has put a lime green tank, side panels and front fender on.

SHOW OF HANDS for recognition of the handguards...ANYONE??
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Thank you for editing the pictures! i will post up more as i go through the bike. Hopefully i wont find any bad surprises! And yes the hand guards are a plus!
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

I am curious to see if anyone else can recognize the handguard brand and model. :mrgreen:
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by Toms220r »

kdxrick wrote:I recently purchased a 1988 KDX200 for $450. Runs great the po said he did a top end on it (im a little skeptical) as i think i got the bike for a steal. But anyway i just replaced the air filter, spark plug, trans oil and bled the front brake as it was sticking. Will do the fork seals as well and get the trip computer working. Any other advice to get this machine in order for riding would be great! I would also like to mention that i am new to the dirtbike scene coming from mountain biking. I'm now hooked!
Mount up a good set of tires...you'll need them in the roots, rocks and mud of New England!

Where are you located in CT? There's a few KDX owners that ride regularly at the Thomaston Dam, sometimes on their KDX's!. The Pathfinders MC maintain the trails there and are a great group of guys. Come ride with us!
------------------
Current Bikes
2001 KDX 220R
2013 250 xcw
2013 TTR 230
2000 XR 70
2004 R1100s
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2009 XB9SX
2011 KVF 360
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Re: New KDX owner from CT

Post by Goofaroo »

I am curious to see if anyone else can recognize the handguard brand and model. :mrgreen:
They look really familiar and I beleive they are preiod correct for the bike. Acerbis or MSR would be my guess.

The bike looks great. I would just service it up and get it dialed in. The white and green plastice suits it nicely.
I recently freshened up a 87 model and it's a great bike.
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Post by KDXGarage »

http://www.frpoffroad.com/Fredette-Raci ... Id=-153379


original handguards for FRP Handsavers

I think I bought mine from him in 1992.
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

I live in old Lyme right on the shoreline at the mouth of the Connecticut river. About an hour north of new haven and 30 minutes south of Mystic. I plan on replacing both tires and also am still working out the front brake. After about 20 minutes of riding it starts to clamp slightly to the point where you can barely role the bike? After about 15 minutes it lets go. I bled it 3 times so i guess im going to have to take the mastery cylinder and caliper apart and clean/replace worn parts. Also the hand guards do say acerbis on them.
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Re: New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

Oops. Yes, they are made by Acerbis (ahhhh-chair-bees).

They came with cold weather plugs for the vents and plugged into the holes by the vents.

The fluid and dust seal may be shot in the caliper.

Look on www.kawasaki.com on the left side for OWNER INFO / PARTS DIAGRAMS, the use the system to select your model and you can see the parts diagrams to see the "microfiche".
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Thanks for the info! Also the bike calls for a b9es plug in the manual but had a b7es installed. Could there be a reason for this or did the previous owner just throw in something he had laying around?
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Re: New KDX owner from CT

Post by KDXGarage »

UGH! Take that plug out. Go buy an NGK B8ES. It should be under $3 after tax at an auto parts store. Down here, we have O'Reilly Auto Parts. I buy most of my NGK plugs from them.

I will be bold and predict that a "9" is too cold of a plug for your riding terrain and skill level. If you ever move to Arizona and become a desert rat, then you can try the "9". The problem is that the plug will not retain enough temperature to burn off the carbon deposits. It is supposed to be somewhat cocoa brown. On my 1987 KDX200 and 1994 KDX200, I had to go down to an "8".

If you want to play "paranoia", then the 7 is to cover a leaking right crankcase seal, which may cause a standard temp plug to foul. Just try an "8" first, though.
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully the crankcase seals are good, i will try the b8es and report back.
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Also i was running around for an hour or so yesterday with the b9es installed. No fouling issues. Im going to pick up the b8es today and put it in as well as check the color of the b9.
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Post by KDXGarage »

Sounds good.

Let us know how it goes.
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New KDX owner from CT

Post by kdxrick »

Im having trouble finding a gas cap, the one on the bike is cracked and this was apparently a common problem. Would the gas cap from other Kawasaki or even other brand bikes work?
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