KDXRIDER.NET

Great post rbates!

Ya horny there Wibby?

SS109 wrote:Ya horny there Wibby?

Looks like it!

My KDX is the PERFECT woods bike for ME

My kdx was the perfect bike to get back on the trails after 20 years. In the year and a half I have had it I have done many mods making it the PERFECT trail bike FOR ME. I can hang with the fastest of our group since hybridizing. The motor is perfect and will still surprise me at times. I could handle more power but that's all I would be doing. Not using more power but containing it. The KDX chassis is greatly limited in my view but it is reliable and comfortable. Not everyone is comfortable building a bike but from what I can tell by riding others bikes that is what I will have to do to have the perfect trail bike...

frankenschwinn wrote:My kdx was the perfect bike to get back on the trails after 20 years. In the year and a half I have had it I have done many mods making it the PERFECT trail bike FOR ME. I can hang with the fastest of our group since hybridizing. The motor is perfect and will still surprise me at times. I could handle more power but that's all I would be doing. Not using more power but containing it. The KDX chassis is greatly limited in my view but it is reliable and comfortable. Not everyone is comfortable building a bike but from what I can tell by riding others bikes that is what I will have to do to have the perfect trail bike...

Frank,

In what ways is the KDX chassis limited?

I am not trolling here. I often wonder how the latest and greatest KTM is much better than the KDX. I dont doubt that it is, I am just trying to understand the differences.

Respectfully,

D.

SS109 wrote:Ya horny there Wibby?

That is just WRONG !!!

You asking the guy if hes horny then your sticking your ass out at him ....

Sick ............................................

TWMOODY wrote:

SS109 wrote:Ya horny there Wibby?

That is just WRONG !!!

You asking the guy if hes horny then your sticking your ass out at him ....

Sick ............................................

LOL!!! Good one!

Fatherof2 wrote:

Frank,

In what ways is the KDX chassis limited?

I am not trolling here. I often wonder how the latest and greatest KTM is much better than the KDX. I dont doubt that it is, I am just trying to understand the differences.

Respectfully,

D.

Many feel that the suspension leaves a lot to be desired. The skinny 43mm conventional forks are of a very primitive cartridge design, and some folks feel that they flex quite a bit. A brace can help. The rear shock has a relatively small shaft diameter, and only low speed compression adjustment. Newer shock designs have very large shafts, and high/low speed compression adjustment. The chassis design itself, is quite good, although it is not aluminum (but then neither are the newest KTM's or Gas-Gas's).

I found the kdx chassis to be top heavy and slow handling. The suspension was great to start but as speed increased so did the glaring issues. Fast whoops on the kdx chassis felt like sure death. And weight. The kdx chassis rode much heavier to me.

Thanks Frank & Greg.

D.

Hmm. My old KDX rides a lot lighter than both my buddies 200 EXC's. Both of them agree as well that my bike feels more like a 125 in size/weight when riding. In actuality, the KDX is a hair heavier, but it does not feel that way. So I must disagree with the "top heavy" notion.

Swapping out the front forks helps a ton, the rear suspension is actually quite capable in stock form.

i am faster on my E series on the trails than i was on my old built crf 250 with a 302cc stroker..i hadn't ridden in 4 years and i felt at home immediately on the kdx

the suspension has been revalved in mine but that bike stays planted in corners like nothing i have ridden before...ive never felt so comfortable on loose high speed turns as i do on that bike...

most of the riding around here is loose rocky double track with some single track sections...i just crank down the steering dampner on the high speed stuff and it just plows through rocks..

my forks are actually slid up in the triple clamps as far as they will go and it isnt even too squirly on the 5th gear tapped fire road sections...

picking your way through boulder strewn downhills on the kdx feels like im riding my downhill mountain bike again..its always fun to smoke guys on 9k$ ktms on an 18year old bike u can pick up for a grand..

plus riding a 2smoke is so much more fun...after i came off 80s i went immediately to 4strokes...xr250, xr400 and then when i wanted to ride tracks i got a husaberg fc 501 then a crf 250f...now riding the kdx i wish i stayed with the smokers..

ill probably pick up a kx250 so i can go to the track with buddies but i dont see myself switching trailbikes anytime soon...although that gasgas ivan servantes replica looks fun

It has been four or five years since I rode a KDX, I'm just coming off of a hybrid and onto a 200XC.
I't seems to me the KDX was an "all day rider", meaning the bike was comfortable and powered just right to ride all day at a reasonable pace. It would not keep up with more "advanced" bikes in many situations, but what's the hurry? We are talking minutes and seconds, not hours.

The hybrid was great. Not as comfortable but I could definately go faster on it. I raced a bunch of Enduros and did well for an old, slow guy.

The KTM is better than the hybrid. It has taken a while but the handling and ergonomics have come together. The suspension and motor are great. It is not nearly as comfortable as the KDX was and would take a bit more out of you to ride it all day.

4 or 5 years removed can certainly change your perspective. I have a lot of seat time on 200 and 300 EXC's, and I am certainly not faster on them than on my KDX after swapping the forks. The ERGO's on the KTM are terribly uncomfortable, the seat is like a 2x4, and I have found the suspension to be wicked stiff and difficult to tune. Motor wise, the 200 and 300 are both excellent. I love the power, but can't get used to the rest of the bike.

My perspective is fine, thanks.
The clock don't lie....

I have a Yam WR450F and race harescrambles in the C class, so I am no expert. The 450 wears me out much faster because it is much more work to ride. I spend all my time trying to slow down and turn, but it is stable at speed. The engine braking makes you work much harder. I have had it for two years and am still trying to sort out the suspension, even after having a pro re-spring and revalve it. Rock gardens really suck. And then it will flame out on you in the worst spots.

I used to race a YZ 250. The power was good, but the suspension was too stiff, and punished me over a long race.

I picked up a KDX to try something lighter, and I am much faster on it in the woods. I am on the gas rather than on the brake, and it flows much more easily. The other bikes will walk away when it gets open, but then I run them back down in the tight stuff. It is wicked fun to ride, and I can go much longer on it. I plan to hop it up as much as reasonably possible, and may hybrid it if I learn to outride the chassis. I love it.

IMHO, any bike you buy, even if an enduro, you should plan on getting into the forks/shock...even if just springs. A working susp is paramount to power/etc.

I agree with fuzzy, to get the most out of any bike you need to do some suspension tuning or mods.

Regarding the "heavy" kdx, once you have the suspension modified with a usd front and the right springs and valving, and the rear is dialed for your weight/skill, the bike feels very light. The 200 I have now feels like a featherweight compared to my WR250z (smoker) and the front end is super light compared to any other bike I've owned. I have a hard time riding my other bikes because the 200 is so light and fun to ride.
I've been riding all kinds of mx and enduro bikes for a long time, and this is an outstanding light quick bike when properly modded and setup.
If the rider is up to it, it is capable of almost anything, IMO.