KDXRIDER.NET

Greetings from Sammamish, WA. I bought a '02 KDX200 about a month ago for my 16 year old son. It was to be his first dirt bike. I then realized that it might be a little too much for him and then bought a used KLX140G.

That put me into the position of getting back into dirt bike riding on the KDX after 16 years at age 62. My son wondered if I was going to be able to do it. I'm happy to report that my son and I have now gone to Tahuya twice and I'm glad to be back in the saddle again. On the last trip, we went with my neighbor who has a Beta RR300. He set the pace and we both kept up with him.

My son is learning so quickly, that I think he's going to outgrow that KLX real soon! It just so happens that there's an '04 KDX220 for sale in my area. I made an offer on it today . If I get it, my son and I will rebuild and mod both bikes this winter.

16 years ago, I had a 2000 EXC300. Before that were a '98 KLX300, '89 KDX200 and a '73 DKW125.

Thanks to all who have posted such great information on this site.

Welcome to KDXRIDER! I think you'll find that 220 to be a bit more mellow than your 200, assuming it's stock. Should be a good choice for your son. Make sure you check the top end straight away. The stock 220 cast piston is a weak point.

Welcome to kdxrider. Cool story!

Welcome, kids do progress quickly, he’ll be on that kdx in no time. My son went through 4 bikes in 3 years. Started him on a Suzuki DS80 at 8 and in no time he was on a kx65 then a kx85 all in the 1st year. Then got him a kdx200 when he could start it but I could see his ability was beyond that so put him on a Husqvarna tc250 thumper. Now he's grown with a baby on the way, I miss riding with my son. Told him yesterday I was looking for another kdx so when they visit we could ride.

ericr, can you share your experience with the KLX140G? I was at the local dealer the last couple of days and saw one there. Thank you.

Sure. For my 16 year old, it proved to be the perfect beginner bike. It has a low seat height which really added to confidence by being able to put your feet on the ground. It's light.

It's low powered and very tractable - he could go anywhere on that thing. It has full-size wheels and great ground clearance. The only drawback was the combination of low seat height and high ground clearance. It was a bit cramped and made for a big transition from sitting to standing. For smaller adults or kids, that might not be a big concern - my son was 5' 10" at the time.

Maintenance was easy - we set the valves at 5 hours and otherwise, just changed engine oil and cleaned the filter. Chain maintenance was a little bit more work since it's non o-ringed. After getting it, the only thing we added was bark busters and a skid plate.

The best part is the resale value - I paid $2700 and sold it after 25 hours for $3200.

Thanks for the report.

Does it have an oil filter? When you said, "cleaned the filter", did you mean air filter or oil filter?

Which skid plate did you get?

That's pretty awesome on getting that price out of it.

I saw that MSRP is $3,700. It made me rethink my valuation of used bike prices. I imagined what could I do with $3,700 budget to buy and rebuild a KDX. I have really taken a slow step back.

KDXGarage wrote: ↑03:40 pm Jan 26 2019 Thanks for the report.

Does it have an oil filter? When you said, "cleaned the filter", did you mean air filter or oil filter?

Which skid plate did you get?

That's pretty awesome on getting that price out of it.

I saw that MSRP is $3,700. It made me rethink my valuation of used bike prices. I imagined what could I do with $3,700 budget to buy and rebuild a KDX. I have really taken a slow step back.

Used prices here are a bit high because new bikes have 10% sales tax, license, document prep, setup and freight-in charges.

Yes, it has an oil filter which I changed with engine oil. By cleaning the filter, I meant the air filter. I bought the Ricochet skid plate that has welded wings to protect the engine case.

WOW. 10% OUCH!!

Thanks for all the info!

WOW, 10% is high. I am over in Eastern Washington (Wenatchee) where our sales tax is 8.4%.

Welcome to the forum, and back to the dirt bike world from a fellow Washingtonian. Check out the NMA Offroad site for a list of the upcoming Poker Run events across the state. They are a great way to experience different riding areas in a non-competitive, supporting environment, and are great for new riders to gain experience. And if you get the chance, the Desert 100 the first weekend of April is one of the largest offroad events in the country, and something to see/ride. Tahuya is a bit of a haul for you, I believe Walker Valley is much closer, but I've not ridden there so can't say what condition it is in. Tahuya is open year round and has a good selection of trails. In the summer definitely get down to Capitol Forest, and over to Manastash/Cle Elum for some of the best riding in the state IMO.