KDX200 Fork Conversion 1990 -> 1993

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warren180
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KDX200 Fork Conversion 1990 -> 1993

Post by warren180 »

Hi,

Reacently bought a 1990 KDX200 with a bodged fork conversion.
I believe the forks are from a 1993 KDX200.

I am planning on doing the following to de-bodge it:
> Front caliper from the 1993
> Front axle/spindle from the 1993

Im sure the caliper will be fine, I have the 1990 hub still, and will check the diameter of the discs when I can ring an EBC dealer tomorrow.

Does anbody know if the axel will fit ok?

Thanks for any posts.
h
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Julien D
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Post by Julien D »

As far as I can remember, the axles, spacers, hubs and rotors were the same on my 89 and 93 front ends. The caliper is certainly different.
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Post by ldspowersports »

If you are going through the trouble might as well get a KX front end, and do that swap. The forks are a much better upgrade to the stock KDX forks.

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Post by Julien D »

Do what?

He's not doing a swap, the 93 forks are already there. He's just trying to make them work.

Get a caliper. I did some more thinking on it, and the axle is different. Not sure if the earlier axle can be made to work by using the correct spacers for the 93. You should be able to get these parts cheaply on Ebay.
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warren180
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Post by warren180 »

Thanks juliend,

Just to let you know, got hold of a 1993 KDX250:
> Front Caliper + Master Cylinder + Cable
> Front axel as it is different as you said
Which, according to the parts diagram are all the same as the 93 KDX200

Whilst at the breakers yard I picked up the 250s wheels too.
Same wheel bearings and same rear caliper as the 90 KDX200, lets hope they fit!
h
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Post by Julien D »

the 250 gear should work perfectly. Good job on the bargain hunting! FWIW, the stock 93/94 forks are absolutely perfect for the really tight and technical sections. I have done an MX fork swap, and at times when the trail gets REALLY nasty, I honestly miss the 93 forks that were on the bike when I got it. They soaked those low speed hits up so well it almost feelt like i was just floating over the really nasty stuff. Unfortunately, while I love that kind of terrain, I also have an addiction to speed. The stockers just couldn't hold up to a really big hit at more than 20mph or so. The MX forks are much better for me in general. While I'm much more comfortable going fast on the new front end, I drop it more in the tight stuff.
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Post by Fletch »

>|<>QBB<
juliend wrote:the 250 gear should work perfectly. Good job on the bargain hunting! FWIW, the stock 93/94 forks are absolutely perfect for the really tight and technical sections. I have done an MX fork swap, and at times when the trail gets REALLY nasty, I honestly miss the 93 forks that were on the bike when I got it. They soaked those low speed hits up so well it almost feelt like i was just floating over the really nasty stuff. Unfortunately, while I love that kind of terrain, I also have an addiction to speed. The stockers just couldn't hold up to a really big hit at more than 20mph or so. The MX forks are much better for me in general. While I'm much more comfortable going fast on the new front end, I drop it more in the tight stuff.
Hey, Juliend do you still feel the same way about this now that you've had more time on the mx forks?
The reason I ask is I'm looking at upgrading the 89's for a low buck and was looking at some alternatives ie, the 93 usd's or the newer ones on the for sale section.
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Post by Julien D »

Pretty much, yes. The stock KDX forks are rediclously good at really tight and slow single tracks. The MX forks are worlds better for everything else. Picture like, a really rocky steep uphill section, with a sharp turn or something. The MX front is more jittery in situations like that, where the stock KDX forks you didn't feel a thing and the front wheel stayed planted. Not saying I'd switch back, certainly wouldn't. But any fork is gonna need some work to make it ideal for you.

Those kdx forks with springs and gold valves look pretty good.....
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Post by gsa102 »

That last post should be part of a sticky. I couldn't understand why everybody was bashing the forks when they worked so well in the tight stuff, but I will agree that things get sketchy when the speed picks up. Big braking bumps and whoops are scary! :shock:
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Post by Julien D »

Mhm. To put it simply, when you start riding faster, you will need to put a lot of work into the stockers or do a swap just to stay safe. It's a compromise though, mx forks are not as good at soaking up the small fast bumps, but handle higher speeds and bigger hits much easier. I have been wanting to tear into my base valves and try some different shim configurations, but haven't found the time yet, and shim stack info is scarce, especially for older forks.
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Post by SS109 »

Newer USD forks can be made to work pretty damn good all around if you have a good suspension guy. I love my KX forks since the re-valve, however, the KDX forks were still better in the ultra slow technical stuff.
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Post by Fletch »

So are the h-series forks and tripple a direct swap for the e-series, ie can I use the e-series brake?
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Post by Julien D »

No, the caliper mount is different. The 93+ calipers all interchange, but 89-92 had that dinky single piston caliper, and a smaller mounting bracket. I may have a spare caliper around here if you come up needing one though...
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Post by Fletch »

Cool thanks
How about axle and wheel? any thing else ?
My main beef with my stockers is that the cast bar mount is too close. So rox risers are a possibility but I figured I'd try to get a performance gain out of the forks for a little more dosh
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Post by Julien D »

The axle and spacers are different, but the front wheel / hub is the same I believe.
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