kdx 220 weaknesses?

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paulkdx220
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kdx 220 weaknesses?

Post by paulkdx220 »

hello!

besides lighting what are the kdx 220 (stock '01 model) trouble areas? things to look out for. ..?

thanks,

paul

p.s. having lot's of fun with my kdx so far this season...
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SS109
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Post by SS109 »

The stock piston which is known to grenade without warning and the front suspension.
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Post by scheckaet »

+1
paulkdx220
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Post by paulkdx220 »

what is it exactly that is wrong with the forks and what is the fix?
Last edited by paulkdx220 on 04:07 am Aug 09 2011, edited 2 times in total.
Brian
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Post by Brian »

The stock piston on the 220 is prone to developing cracks in the skirt area. When that happens it can suffer catastrophic failure (break), often times causing damage to the engine cases and cylinder.

The reccomended preventative action is to install a Wiseco piston as soon as you can.

The KDX cylinder is plated so the usual repair is to have it re plated. Some people have it re sleaved.

Some people feel that the stock forks are too soft and flex too much. One of the common fixes is to modify the bike to accept the upside down forks from a motocross bike, or at least put in stiffer springs.

I personally prefer the softer front suspension for trail riding. It keeps my wrists from getting sore.
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Post by gregp »

Personally, I have no problems with the stock forks, other than needing stiffer springs. IMO, the biggest issue with the KDX's, when compared to newer machines, that is *not easily remedied* is the shape of the seat. The sharp upward curve at the front really keeps you from being able to climb all over the front end. You will notice that all of the newer machines have a much flatter seat. There is a reason for this.
The stock KDX seat is very comfortable for long rides, though, and this can not be said for many of the newer bikes.
The KDX has no other "Achilles Heel" type problems that I am aware of (other than the 220 requiring a Wiseco ASAP, as mentioned here).
I still love the KDX.
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cornishwrecker220
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Post by cornishwrecker220 »

i`ve owned my 03 220 for a few years now & until recently i rode most weekends..my bike has just under 5000miles on it & is still on the stock piston, its never missed a beat & always pulls strong..i will be installing a new piston ( wossoner ) & cleaning up the kips etc soon..the stock suspension works fine for me as i only use the bike for trail use but if you ride hard or do events then just fit a set of xr 400 (2004/5) fork springs & uprate the rear spring, (i`m 95kg & i find stock fine )..the kdx is a perfect trail bike in stock form but can be made more competitive if need be...all depends on how much $$$$ you want to spend, to be honest a good pipe cleaner jetting & a change of gearing is all you may need....check the piston as some go & like mine some dont...maybe i`ve been lucky!
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Post by kawagumby »

I used stock pistons in my first 220 that I rode/raced for about 4 years. However, knowing what I know now, I'd have used wiseco pistons...it's just not worth the chance of losing a skirt into the innards IMO.
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paulkdx220
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Post by paulkdx220 »

thanks for the info guys.

are the pistons easily identified by simply draining coolant and popping off the head and reading some stamped #'s or letters off the piston?

i am the 3rd owner so hopefully someone has put in a wiseco piston...
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Post by cornishwrecker220 »

you cant really tell what piston is in it just by popping off the head ..if it has had a re-bore then there will be a number stamped on the piston top eg .25 or 1.0 depending on how many times its been bored out..if you remove the whole cylinder then you may see a `W` (for wiseco) stamped on the inside of the piston. before you start to tear down the top end just inspect the cylinder head & barrel nuts as a good indication of a strip down are nuts that look like a spanner has been applied to them.. e.g slight rounding etc along with new looking base & reed gaskets.
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kdxmaniac
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Post by kdxmaniac »

if you take the head off, you can tell exactly what piston is in it! weisco always has a MO in the part #. for example...........the 220 stock weisco piston will be stamped with a "750MO6900" on top of the piston. if its not a weisco, it will still be stamped with the bore size on top of the piston.
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paulkdx220
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Post by paulkdx220 »

>|<>QBB<
cornishwrecker220 wrote:you cant really tell what piston is in it just by popping off the head ..if it has had a re-bore then there will be a number stamped on the piston top eg .25 or 1.0 depending on how many times its been bored out..if you remove the whole cylinder then you may see a `W` (for wiseco) stamped on the inside of the piston. before you start to tear down the top end just inspect the cylinder head & barrel nuts as a good indication of a strip down are nuts that look like a spanner has been applied to them.. e.g slight rounding etc along with new looking base & reed gaskets.
are these particular cylinders re bored or re plated when clearances get beyond serviceable limits?
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Post by Fletch »

replated or sleaved. Mostly replated I think
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scheckaet
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Post by scheckaet »

most of the time a replate is all you need unless you have some serious damages like deep gouges.
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