Looking to purchase a 220

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jjavaman
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Looking to purchase a 220

Post by jjavaman »

Hi people, new guy here going to look at a 97 220 today. I am a 55 yr old guy who is getting back into dirt again.I went out riding with a guy my age on his spare bike(230 crf) and fell in love with dirt riding again! That brings me to this site and this bike!!I am a 2 stroke guy and have always liked the kdx line.
I talked to the owner yesterday on the phone and he tells me the bike has a new top and bottom end with les then 20 hours on it so I'm thinking motor wise I should be ok. One thing the owner said to me on the phone was that it is a little down on power because he put a tank of regular gas, not premium in it mixed 40/1 and the guy before him ran it at 80/1??? That is kinda sending up a red flag to me. He says to drain it, put some premium in it mixed 80/1 and all will be good?? The bike seems to have a PC pipe on it so that is good! 80/1 seems real light on the oil to me( I have a old a/c RD 350 that I ride and the saying for them is lots of oil/good gas = HP) so It will be running 32-1 or 40-1.
Anything I should be looking for that says stay away from the bike would be helpful as there are 3 or 4 different 200-220s that I can look at and hopefully get the best one of the bunch!
97-220 with a PC pipe. 2015- RB carb and head mod
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Julien D
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by Julien D »

Most of us here will run 32:1 or 40:1, with the occasional 50:1. You can use some lighter mixes with synthetic oil, but if the bike is correctly jetted it should theoretically make more power at a 32:1 mix. If possible, look for receipts for top and bottom end work. At least the parts. You need to be sure that a forged piston was used in the top end, as the stock or OE replacement cast pistons have a very bad habit of breaking the skirts off. Regular fuel can certainly cause issues, although the 220's don't have too much compression in stock form, so may not be a problem there. I would certainly drain it and run premium fuel, ethanol free if possible, and at a 32:1 or 40:1 mix with a good synthetic oil. As far as things to check, same as any other bike. Make sure bearings are good, bike appears well kept, air filter is clean, etc.

Oh, and welcome to KDXRIDER!
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bufftester
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by bufftester »

As far as down on power due to regular vs premium, well, the words I have for that would probably get me a ban :butthead: I've run a lot of different stuff and until you start mixing race fuel in there isn't any noticeable difference, and even then it's not huge. Condition of the bike will tell you everything you need to know. Key spots I'd look at are under the seat if he'll pull it (gives you an instant idea of his routine maintenance habits), the lower suspension linkage (check for any slop, play, grunge...its the most overlooked/abused part of these bikes) slop in the wheel bearings/steering stem, chain condition/adjustment. A test ride is a must IMO. If he doesn't have paperwork on the engine work then you kind of take a crap shoot with what he says vs what really is. Also get an idea of what the going rate is for KDXs in your area. Since no changes took place from 96-2007, condition of the bike, and any mods, are more important than the actual age.
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diymirage
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by diymirage »

that pretty much sums it up
look for anything that will clue you in on how well maintained the bike is
look for bare metal on the frame where your left boot rubs when you shift the bike, the more metal is visible the higher the mileage :lol:

check out the tires, are they still well threaded and not dryrotted?
is the chain dry and noisy when you turn the rear wheel?
are the sprockets rounded?

in short is there anything that indicates regular maintenance has been neglected

I take it your finding these on craigslist ?

feel free to post a link to the add and we will look the bikes over as well as we can from here and we may spot some red flags that you as a novice wouldn't (or identify markers that it is a great bike)


oh, and kudos on the RD

im still kicking myself for selling my 75 RD 250

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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
jjavaman
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by jjavaman »

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/m ... 66709.html here is a link to the bike. The bikes go from $1000 to $2500.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, I can hardly wait to get one of these bikes, they sound like they are a lot of fun and still capable to do it all! I'll see if I can post a pic of the RD
97-220 with a PC pipe. 2015- RB carb and head mod
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diymirage
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by diymirage »

from those pictures everything looks to be in order
(hes got two of them, that ought to tell you how good they are ;) )

only thing that really stands out is the lack of forkboots, that will cause your seals to fail prematurely because now they are exposed to the elements

on the other hand, it has a pipe which is the best performance mod out there and a skid plate, which makes me believe it was owned by someone who took care of the bike

(it does look like the lower headlight bracket is mangled somewhat)


from what I can tell this is a decent bike, low miles (looks like it still has the original seat cover WITH print intact) and probably well maintained

if he can show paperwork of the rebuild I would definitely consider it
if the going rate around there truly runs from 1000-2500 (going rate, not asking rate) this seems like a good deal
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
jjavaman
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by jjavaman »

Woot!!!! I bought it! I am now the proud owner of a kdx 220!!! I know it's a girls bike( been reading the forums) :grin: it's a darn nice girls bike!
When I got to the po house,he was getting back from quadding and we started up the bike in 3 kicks, 1 kick every time after that. I rode it up and down the street and it seems to shift easy so I parked it and he told me about the bike. Pro circuit pipe, stock silencer, rethanl bars and grips,aceribis? Hand protectors,skid plate,new brake pads front and rear,almost new tires,chain and sprocketare good and a couple new rad hoses! I paid him $1200 and feel good about it so needless to say I am pumped!!! I've got a manual on order and am looking forward to having a lot of fun with this bike!
I'll introduce myself now since I can call myself a kdx owner:)
I'm Tim from Richmond BC, 55 yrs young, married, 2 kids, all the normal stuff, been off the dirt for almost 30 years,went dirt biking with a guy from work who is my age and got bit hard by the bug which leads us to today!!
I just washed it and oh my, folding shift and brake levers! Disc brakes!! And did I mention a Pro Circuit pipe!!! Things like these were dreams to me then,now I own a bike with all I will probably ever need!! I may try that rb head and carb mod, but 1st I'm gonna ride it till I'm getting everything I can out of it!
Damn I'm gonna have some fun!!
97-220 with a PC pipe. 2015- RB carb and head mod
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B737driver
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by B737driver »

Girls bike......hmmm. Congrats on the purchase and regardless of what "others" say, the reputation speaks for itself. Any old schooler knows that period dot end of sentence. You may get crazy looks, but when you're passing orange bikes half the age and 4X the price.....well that's sweet. Do the mods and you'll be quite surprised. Welcome.
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Postigo
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by Postigo »

Congrats on your new to you bike! KDX are not girls bikes they are great beginners bikes and the best of all is that can modified to be the perfect woods weapon for a cheap. Forgot to say they are bulletproof too.
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jjavaman
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by jjavaman »

There is a rubber " booty" on the rear brake pedal! I used to read in dirt bike mag that is what you do to stop mud build up and now it's stock? On a 16 yr old bike? I am in love with this thing!
I did not mean to offend any one with the girl bike remark. I have been reading everything I can on the bike and it may have been on another forum there was a 220 vs 200 topic which turned into a 200 being the mans bike because it is harder to ride then the so called easy to ride 220. Personally I'll take easy to ride anytime so my decision to go with the 220 was a no brainer for me! :)
97-220 with a PC pipe. 2015- RB carb and head mod
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bufftester
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Re: Looking to purchase a 220

Post by bufftester »

Lol, welcome and congrats.

You'll find some of the 200 vs 220 grind here as well, though most of us take it with a grin. As has been stated, KDXs are bulletproof, easy to maintain and ride, and cheap compared to their modern brethren. Everyone else may be riding orange, but they all know a KDX when it shows up.
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