New to Dirtbikes

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2 Wheels
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New to Dirtbikes

Post by 2 Wheels »

Hey everybody glad to be here. I have always had streetbikes. My last was a KLR 650.
Before that a Honda VTX 1300. Before that a 1978 Honda CB750K.
I was bikeless for about a year until now. I had the itch for 2 wheels again so I took up a coworkers offer for a
a dirtbike. It's 96 KDX 200.
I took the KLR on some mild off-road use, but that is the extent of my "dirt" experience.
I have had the KDX for about 3 weeks now and I love it.
I live up in Northeast Montana and there are endless places to ride the thing. I got a plate on the thing and ride it to work even.
I'm catching on pretty good with the off road use. It's a blast!
The bike was in pretty good shape when i got it. I'm surprised at how slack the chain is supposed to be though.
I changed the air filter and keep the chain lubed...that's about it. Obviously 2 strokes are a new universe for me.
This thing seems pretty solid. The odometer doesn't work, i just wanna ditch the thing anyways.
Anyways, I'm sure I'll have questions for you folks. I've lurked this forum a couple times and am really impressed with
the knowledge and camaraderie.
Thanks.
1996 KDX 200
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Postigo
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by Postigo »

Welcome and congrats on your new purchase.
The Doctor says I have multiple personality desorder... But we are not agree...
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by KDXGarage »

Wow, congratulations on your KDX, especially it being plated.

Welcome to the forum.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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diymirage
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by diymirage »

welcome aboard man

you know what they say about pavement and dirt right ?
pavement is for fast bikes, dirt is for fast riders ;)

do you have a centerstand for the bike ?
if you do put the bike on there once (balancing on the front wheel) and see how far the rear wheel kicks out
this is why you need so much slack on the chain: it needs to be long enough to not pinch when the wheel kicks out in like that on jumps

so a 96...is it a barney bike?
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


-1996 KDX 200 woods weapon (converted to 99 green body)
-1996 KDX 200 plated street toy (barney edition)
-2003 Yamaha TTR125-L (wifeys bike)
-1997 KDX 220 project bike
2 Wheels
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by 2 Wheels »

diymirage wrote:welcome aboard man

you know what they say about pavement and dirt right ?
pavement is for fast bikes, dirt is for fast riders ;)

do you have a centerstand for the bike ?
if you do put the bike on there once (balancing on the front wheel) and see how far the rear wheel kicks out
this is why you need so much slack on the chain: it needs to be long enough to not pinch when the wheel kicks out in like that on jumps

so a 96...is it a barney bike?
:mrgreen: :razz:
Lol, if by Barney bike you mean the hideous color scheme of Kawi Green, Barney Purple, White, and Black yes, yes it's a Barney bike.
1996 KDX 200
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diymirage
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by diymirage »

that's the one..or in my case...two

Image

but if you can get a good deal on the parts these are very simple to re-body
here is the same bike with a 99 body on it, tank, seat and tankshrouds is all it takes
about a 20 minute job

Image


come to think of it, you also should replace the forkboots, those are purple aswell, it would take longer to do one of those then the entire rest of the bike
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


-1996 KDX 200 woods weapon (converted to 99 green body)
-1996 KDX 200 plated street toy (barney edition)
-2003 Yamaha TTR125-L (wifeys bike)
-1997 KDX 220 project bike
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by Postigo »

Image

If you like the Barney look you can just change the shrouds for green ones. Barney rocks!!!
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by KDXGarage »

diymirage, come on now. Take that VP Racing Fuels sticker off. Just don't. You ain't foolin' nobody. :lol:

"COME ON, MAN" :lol:
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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diymirage
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by diymirage »

lol, this is like the circle of life, the tank on postigo's bike is the one I replaced with the green on
as for the VP stickers, they were on the shrouds when I got them and they were FREE

you KNOW I wont turn down something that was free :lol:
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


-1996 KDX 200 woods weapon (converted to 99 green body)
-1996 KDX 200 plated street toy (barney edition)
-2003 Yamaha TTR125-L (wifeys bike)
-1997 KDX 220 project bike
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Re: New to Dirtbikes

Post by Postigo »

My tank got broke after a pretty hard crash and thanks to diymirage a got a tank today. Thanks again bro
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rbates9
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New to Dirtbikes

Post by rbates9 »

2 Wheels wrote:Hey everybody glad to be here. I have always had streetbikes. My last was a KLR 650. I took the KLR on some mild off-road use,
Welcome to the site!

So, tell me more about the KLR. I have a chance to buy one for what looks to be a steal. I am interested in anything you have to say about them. Thanks.
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New to Dirtbikes

Post by 2 Wheels »

rbates9 wrote:
2 Wheels wrote:Hey everybody glad to be here. I have always had streetbikes. My last was a KLR 650. I took the KLR on some mild off-road use,
Welcome to the site!

So, tell me more about the KLR. I have a chance to buy one for what looks to be a steal. I am interested in anything you have to say about them. Thanks.
I regretted selling it. Very popular bike round these parts. I rode mine to Sturgis-about a 7-8 hour ride.
I know 3 guys within 3 miles of me who have one, including my old one.
Very versatile. Very simple. Not very peppy-stock. Hard to break 100mph downhill with a tailwind. Same with low-end.
But, it suits it's purpose as a mid to long range dual-purpose bike. Relatively comfortable and smooth.
There's lots of mods one can do with them. I wasn't interested in any of them- I tend to like things stock and simple.
My one buddy scrapped the exhaust and welded on a glass pack muffler for a car. He's now tinkering with carb adjustments.
My other buddy got a performance exhaust and used good know-how on his carb. Huge difference. We went riding last night, and although he cant go anywheres near where the KDX can go, I could tell right away that the bike was climbing grassy hills and small buttes with far more power than my old stock job. The acceleration was noticealby better than my old KLR. He did notice a decrease in mileage from high 40s to mid 30s though.
The bikes thermostat tends to be finicky, but that's if you bother to pay attention to the temp gauge. There's no need to-the thing aint gonna
overheat. It's a super simple, liquid cooled, ribbed thumper. Supposedly there's a mod for the thermo..but again, why bother?
The bike has lot's of aftermarket accessories for long range travel. Highway pegs, crashbars, better skid plates, paneers, bigger windshields etc.
I kept mine stored outside without a cover in all the elements-it didn't mind this at all.
I put 6000+ miles on it in about 6 months. Not a single problem. The stock Dunlop rear wears out real fast. 2500 miles and it's done. I put a more
road type tire on it after that. The front tire is still going strong.
That's about all I can think of. I only had it for a year. And we can only ride about 5, maybe 6 months here. Gets waaaay too cold.
Anything else you want to know...I might be able to help. I'm not a big gearhead. I wish I was, but I am bad luck with a wrench. :doh:
1996 KDX 200
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rbates9
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Post by rbates9 »

Thanks for the reply. I did see the guy with the cherry bomb. How did that work out for him?

My thoughts for the bike are for seasonal rodes and light trail use so I think it will work out ok. Do you have a good forum to recommend for the KLR?
2 Wheels
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New to Dirtbikes

Post by 2 Wheels »

rbates9 wrote:Thanks for the reply. I did see the guy with the cherry bomb. How did that work out for him?

My thoughts for the bike are for seasonal rodes and light trail use so I think it will work out ok. Do you have a good forum to recommend for the KLR?
So far it's working great. He slapped the thing on and didn't touch anything else at first. Worked great just like that. I suppose he wants to tweak it more though.
I can't remember the forum I visited a few times. I didn't participate in it. I didn't need to really. I bought mine brand new and had 3 other guys
around me with KLRs so we just networked with each other. Plus, I'm not a modder at all. The other guys are, but I'm happy with stock stuff.
I'm going to like this forum though for a few reasons. One, I've never had a two stroke. Plus, I've never had a dirt bike before.
I can see maintenance issues arising with this bike...because of the punishment I put it through and the mud and water and dust.
Whatever you do, don't think you're getting anything close to a dirtbike with that KLR. It aint all that. Too heavy. Too logy. Geared for the road.
But she'll go through mud and dirt and holes and stones all day long.
1996 KDX 200
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