KDXRIDER.NET

Hi all, my name is Jack and I just bought a 2000 kdx200! my first dirtbike. I've ridden 6 or 7 different dirt bikes, but never owned and maintained one. I ride and work on sportbikes, mainly. I thought I wanted to try dirt riding to train my traction skills for the street, but the first time I got out into the wilderness with a thumper I went, "WHAT have I been missing!" I live in the east SF bay area in CA.

I've also never owned a 2-stroke before....I was considering buying a TTR125. I also looked at CRF150R's...pfff that would have been a stupid rich guy mistake, especially since i'm NOT a rich guy! I'm 24 and been living on my own for 2 years now. A respectable dirt bike mentor laughed at me and said, "f#$% all that modern bling, expensive 4 strokes, go ride yourself a 2T KDX and tell me what you think", and I found one for $1100 on craigslist that had all the usual mods, has obviously been raced: fmf pipe/spark arrestor, inverted forks (haven't identified yet), number plates in place of lights, no damage whatsoever to the frame, wheels, controls, or engine casing, and all the wear and tear parts look pretty fresh! I rode it down the guys' neighborhood and freaking LOVED it. I can't believe I got it for $1100.....here it is:







I've ridden it around my block for about 30 minutes, and it runs fine (or sounds like it), and I'm going to take it to Sand Hill or Carnegie this weekend. Can you guys give me tips on what to check on this thing? I'm thinking, for starters, open up the top end and inspect, and take apart the carb and check it out.......but i don't know how to do either of those, hahaha! I've done valves on engines, but never piston or carb work. The owner got the bike with all the mods already done, so he couldn't tell me what size pilot needle is in it, how old the top end is, what kind of forks are on it, etc.

I'm really excited to join the cult of KDX! i'm already a convert and i've only spent an hour riding this thing hahahaha

Welcome! That is one sweeeeet bike for 1100. I think you did very very well. You got the right advice from your friend. That bike will be a good one. Fork id I'm not sure... They look alot like the showa's I have but someone more knowledgeable will chime in about that.

You could tear it all apart if you really were bored and wanted to get to know the bike better but I wouldn't . Pull the pipe and check the piston and cylinder from the exhaust port. That should give you a pretty good idea of condition. Even better would be to do a compression test. But if it starts and runs fine then just enjoy it!

Again welcome. you'll learn alot here.

Sweet bike! Welcome to the site

Welcome Jack.
Nice bike. I had seen it on Craigslist too. You definitely got a good deal.
It looks like the forks are KYBs off of a KX125. Probably 46mm off of a 98-01, but you can measure the tubes to be sure. 02 and newer used 48mm.
It never hurts to put some rings in. Correct jetting is the ticket on KDXs. It sounds like this has been done already, but it won't hurt to verify what jets it has. There is a jetting tutorial on this site that will help you.
KDX's are great bikes and pretty bullet-proof.
Have fun!

Howdy Jack, nice bike!
Crockett here!
Been wrenching on bikes for a few moons, be my pleasure goin' over your bike with ya, gimme a holler.
The wife and I usually ride 2~3 times a month- Hollister, Cow Mountain, Foresthill, etc.. Nothing too hard, just the fun stuff.
If ya wanna ride, let's go!

Cheers, Dan

I would second the 98-01 KX forks. The 125 and 250 use the same forks just different springs so once they are resprung it won't mater what size they came off, just the vintage and model.

Nice looking bike by the way.

Thanks, guys! yeah I should just fill 'er up and ride this weekend. Then take it apart when I'm looking for something to do after work one day, next week :)

I appreciate the offer to help, Dan, I'd definitely like to go riding some time soon! My dad is also looking to get into dirt riding. He has a DR650 but he's never been off pavement on it. I have, though! I took that big cow out to Carnegie with 80/20 DS tires, and tip-toed all over the place hahahaha. It was like riding on marbles, seriously (for those who don't know the area, it's extremely hard packed dirt with a LOT of dust and rocks).....I turned left into the front lot, and as soon as I put it into 2nd gear coming out of the corner, and smoothly let out the clutch, it went braaAAAAAAAAAP and did a HUGE lazy drift and I just started laughing inside my helmet thinking "this is insane". I spent the whole day picking my way around trails, and trying to control wheelspin on a flat oval. It was a ton of fun, but I knew I had to get something lighter.

Then I got to go to a dirtbike camp up in Orland, a really informal thing run by a guy on his own ranch, he was willing to do the whole weekend for just my friend and I, and he let us ride all sorts of bikes.....TTR125's, TTR's with USD forks, DRZ400E, Husaberg 501 (monster bike!!), and after that weekend I knew I had to buy something small and fun I could tear around on, so here I am now.

I can't wait to go riding this weekend, I love working on suspension on my MTB and my sportbike, I'll have a blast putting this thing through it's paces for the first time and dialing in the setup throughout the day. I'll have pictures by Monday! Suggestions on what to bring with me, like an extra spark plug?

Welcome!

looks like a good deal
i personaly like having my bike street legal (or passing for it) so the lack of head/taillight is not a plus in my book
but its a great bike nontheless...congrats

Jack, Husaberg??
Who in their right mind would ride such a thing?


Have you ever been to Hollister? Much larger and more fun than Carnegie. Lots of beginner frendly stuff to blast around on and the trails are one way- big plus. Nice place to get used to a new bike, and has a store similar to skips at Carnegie. Also there's technical trails if your so inclined. I know Carnegie's closer, but the extra 50 min to Hollister's worth it.

We're heading to Cow Mountain on Christmas day. Cow's similar to Stoneyford in terrain, but without the crowds. Big ass hills to rampage up, (And tumble down!) mixed with real nice tight stuff here & there.
This ain't me, but it's a great example of the trails at cow..


Here's what Foresthill looks like-
Again it ain't me (No camera), but I know every bump, and some of the trees on a personal basis...

$1100? Ride it like it's stolen.

check it for a VIN number engraved on the steertube frame. Mine didn't have it (ground off), and I paid a lot more than $1100 for it before the cops repoed it and returned it to the rightful owner.


(sorry for the debbie downer)


Hopefully I'm wrong.

Nice Husaberg! Those are great videos...they both look better than Carnegie....I'm definitely gonna explore as many of these places as I can in the next few months. Sand Hill is so tempting because it's only 25 minutes away from me! I think that's where I'll end up on Saturday. Even if a lot of it isn't begginer-friendly, I'm comfortable mixing it up with fast guys/staying outta the way, and avoiding launching off 60ft. doubles.

heckler, I haven't had a chance to check for a VIN yet, I will soon.

tirebiter, I was looking at helmets the other day, and found one that I loved (it's cheap, just looks good) but I thought, no way I could ever match this to anything......





That's a rad bike, dude

since we're on the topic of helmets, check mine out ;)





and my KDX

Cool combo! did you paint the tank purple?

i'm trying to figure out whether I should look for black replacement shrouds, or just scuff mine up and paint them with car paint. does that work on this kind of plastic? I did it on my guitar body, used like 4 coats of clear over black paint and it is CHERRY! it would be way cheap since my dad already has the air compressor/spray gun.

I'm thinking of doing that, and adding a bunch of decals, to go for this kind of look (I have this helmet already):







I know this bike wasn't ever meant to be an MX'er.....but I love that factory kawi look! --but, come to think of it, I bet with these USD forks, and good springs put in the front and rear, this thing could take whatever I can take, right?

Ooh wee, with a helmet like that I'd be stylin'!!
I raced at sandhill a few times a looongtime ago. Fun times in the mud...
Have a great time & don't forget to duck!

You can get pretty decent graphics here, paint doesn't hold up too well on dirt bike plastics.

http://graphicmx.com/kshroud.shtml

i am one of the lucky ones who own the bonafide factory stock barney bike

thats the way mine came from the factory
(i think it was only offered one year)

as for painting yours, im sure with the proper prep work it is possible BUT i think the same effect can be achieved with a set of decals (as mentioned before) and a lot less effort

I'd say that you got a heck of a deal. I paid a little less for my 2000 KDX200 but it still has the stock forks (that will be remedied one of these days...) and the back tire was dry rotted. I think you'll like the KDX. I know that I like mine.

Talk with someone at http://www.ridepg.com/ before trying to get paint to stick to plastic. You're welcome.


Oh, and great deal on a great bike. Put a headlight back on it and you've got a truly all purpose unit.

Hey, so I went to both Carnegie and Sand Hill this weekend…hot damn, I found me a bike. It felt really good to do the first few normal jobs on it and find that it's been maintained really well. When I got my second bike, a black 09 ZX6R, It only had 2500 miles on it and aftermarket rearsets, but I soon realized they were shitty Chinese CNC dup'ed ones, and underneath the right rearset the bracket on the frame was almost gone…it was only held by a double-locked nut on the backside of the frame, in pieces after being raped by a powerdrill. Luckily my neighbor CJ Pullman is a fabricating wizard and built the bracket back up with raw aluminum. Then various important gaskets were missing, and I was having nightmares about some retard middle-aged squid getting drunk and working on it before me. But it had never been dropped and the rear tire had hunks of rubber shredded off the edge, so I figured it had been ridden by someone who knew how to ride. So no complaining there, really. But yeah, this time around with the KDX I was worried that even after everything I could think of, I'd buy it and, like, end up with a dead squirrel in the engine or something. But I changed the gear oil--already brand new looking. Ran the engine all day Saturday (with breaks), felt like a champ. Brakes never faded, even after pummeling them around a mini MX track for at least an hour. The suspension was set up a tiny bit stiff for me, but absolutely even from front to rear, the steering was seeexy…it feels like I've inherited a cherry race bike that's had a long story with some savage dude who knows how to ride fast and take names.

"I'll have pictures on Monday! derp!"
^failed that one.
but on the flip side, that's testament to how freaking insane I found Sand Hill. There was no CHANCE i was going to remember to pull out my camera after I took a lap around a real MX track, for the first time. Holy……..shitballs, guys, I don't know what to say, it was freakin extreme. I mean, I've snowboarded a lot and jumped fairly high, and ridden skateboards at vert parks, and mountain biked, and ridden my ZX6R at the track, but this blew my freaking mind!! I thought it was amazing, one of the funnest things I've ever done. Don't want to make a career out of it, though. I wanted to warm myself up to it and make sure the suspension and I could both take it, so I went out to the beginner track and took some car-sized jumps and started picking up some corner speed, and then I went over to the pro track and checked out what was going on there. It was freaking packed, clumps of 2-5 riders everywhere, and I found a small gap eventually and jumped in, and it felt like I jumped into a pit of hungry lions. It was just really surprising HOW tall the climbs and drops are, how huge the jumps are, how loud 40 MX bikes are, how diabolical track builders put bumps and inopportune whoops and crap in your way. The KDX was flawless! when I kept it in the powerband it ripped as hard as I ever needed! I only ever went WOT when I was climbing big hills. But But after I put in two laps I already had to get out for a break, and I did a few more one- or two-lap spurts before going home exhausted. Nice to know that's out there, and nice to know my bike can handle flying 50 ft. through the air, and casing at least a few small jumps :) but I know now it's way more in it's element out on trails…and I think it'll be more fun in the long run. I definitely want to get good at nailing some fast closed circuit stuff, I feel like that would be a really solid skillset for a lot of other riding. But now I just want to take it on as many adventures as I can possibly think up, hahaha! Cheers guys n gals, what a fantastic bike we have.