KDX couldn't do it

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Mark W
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KDX couldn't do it

Post by Mark W »

Went riding the other day to a new place that my son and I have never visited. Beautiful part of southern MN in the Mississippi river valley area near a town called Milleville (one of the pro-national events is held in this area)

Got there and the track was quite a bit different than what we are sued to riding (lots of huge elevation changes). We were told that there were some cool trails at the top of the bluffs but that getting up there wasn't going to be easy. I tried on trail that I couldn't get up but then again, I didn't try real hard. My son really wanted to get up there and said to try again. Knowing that there was no way his KX65 could make it up, I told him to go first and that I would follow behind (thinking that he would get up maybe 1/3 of the way and tumble over therefore needing my help to get back down) This way, rather than me going first, I would only have to get one bike back down. The little **** made it to the top. I tried and tried again and again and couldn't get the bike up over a certain section of the trail. The trailk keep sending me into a hug rock with a tree behind it. I tired steering way left and kept going right. Steered a little too far to the left and went off the trail and into the woods (not a good thing) Tried to put my left foot down (the downhill side of the bike) and took quite a tumble. Then I had to lift the bike back up the hill. Man am I sore today.

The kid stayed at the top and found the trails he was looking for. I walked up the trail and helped him get his bike back down.

The KDX seemed to be lacking power going up hills. Will have to c=heck into this later in the week. Good thing this whole episode of the the KDX not getting up the hill had NOTHING to do with the rider on the bike - no way never ever....

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Post by FLAKDX »

LOL Great story...

Your right couldn't possibly have anything to do with the dude in the saddle :roll: :lol:
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Post by fulltiltboogie »

Sucks to be old and let your little man on a 65 outclimb you doesn't it? :lol: KDX might be lacking in power dept. but will climb anything!
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Post by canyncarvr »

It kept sending you where you din't wanna go...cuz....????

No traction? Shock not keeping the rear tire on the ground? Lack of bottom-end grunt? What's your final drive setup...13/47? What gear were you in?

I've seen little buggers (like KX65s) go places that were flat out tough for a 'real' bike..I understand what you're talking about.

It sure might be something fixable, though...........

Maybe that farmer you got the bike from got a corn cob stuck somewhere's it shouldn't be... :wink:

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Post by FLAKDX »

Mark go to a 50 tooth rear sprocket and the KDX will idle up a mountain. I couldn't fathom not having enough bottom end on my bike now that I geard it down. At the very least go up to 49 tooth in the rear.
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Post by canyncarvr »

Old hat...but...

If you just want to try it (gear change) to see if you like it, a 12T CSS is much less expensive and takes seconds to change vs: a rear sprocket.

Don't want to start a front/rear argument..but I've run 12T CSSs for years with no complaint regarding chain life, etc. etc. etc.

FTR, IMO, FWIW and all that...............

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Post by FLAKDX »

NO NO NO don't do that The CS will tear up ........... :lol:


J/K change what you like. I did the rear cause I was replacing both and the chain so it just made sense to me to get the Renthal rear in the ratio I was looking for.

A 12 tooth front will get you the same thing as the 50 rear.
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Post by jafo »

Hey Mark, did you give'm one of these after he made it? :butthead: Or was it the other way around? :lol: It's always demoralising when someone your trying to teach kinda shows you up hugh. Snicker........ snicker...........

I can't imagine that bike not having enough power to make it up the hill. I've been up some long steap hills and had no problem. :hmm: It kinda sounds like you were'nt carrying enough momentum up the hill or not shifting your weight or both. On those long steap ones, you can't hardly let off, you gotta stay in it to a certain point and then use the clutch and shift your wieght. It sounds like your front wheel was off the ground. In those cases the only thing you can do is steer with the rear tire. It's hard to explain. I've been over medium size logs on hill sides that I've had to shift my weight around and use my feet to get the front end to go where I want. It does'nt always work like you think it will but it does work. I've used my rear tire steering to get around alot of obsticals on hills. Sometimes I don't even realise Im doing it, so some of it is the bike. But it's all about weight transfer and using your feet to help guide the bike. You have to be verycareful on real steep hills, as the bike can get unpredictable sometimes. Just my opinion.

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Post by sluggo69 »

that sounds odd. im 200+ pounds with gear and ive climbed some long steep hills in norther mississippi with no problems at all. it has to be the rider not the bike. trace park in belden mississippi has some scary ass hills for a guy who is use to riding in southern mississippi and louisiana. :shock:
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Post by Indawoods »

I've had lots of practice doing this and my advice is, stay up on the tank, drop a gear and stay focused so you can prepare for changes. This has gotten me up many a hill. This will keep your front wheel down allowing you to stay in control, stay in the powerband and focus is focus. There are exceptions to this but very few.... :wink:
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Post by quailchaser »

First of all...if your son is going to show you up, he needs to ride back down by himself. :roll: Second, my advice would be to take his KX65 away and never ever speak of this again! :oops:

Actually, it's so cool when ones kids accomplish things that seem implausible at the time. Congrats. :supz: Please tell us more about the specifics of the climb and how you and your bike reacted to the specific obstacles. The more detail, the better. The more information, the better the group can give tips and advice.

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Post by Rod Smith »

Okay here is my 2 cents worth on the kid’s abilities. Both of my older boys are on KDX's now and going great. At first it was harder when my oldest boy started passing Dad and now my middle son is doing it too. I can still beat the youngest although he is on a KDX50. (Hey I need the advantage!) Once I finally realized I shouldn't try to be first all the time several things happened. The boys of course were all happy and I haven't had one trip to the Hospital. No more broken collarbones, separated shoulder, bruised livers etc. And then because of no more downtime from injuries the best thing of all happened. I was riding more and having way too much fun. So I guess if I learned anything it was don't try to be first but just be there for the experience of riding. oh and watching them grow up and maybe even roost me...........
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Post by Mark W »

OK, OK, I give. It wasn't the bike at all, it was the rider in the saddle - no doubt about it. As a bike rider I am definately a rookie and very cautious. Get a 9 year old on a dirt bike and there is no fear to be found.

I just don't have the experience of riding tight tough (for me at least) trails. The initial goal was to get my son and myself into trail riding. My mistake was to take him to a dirt bike school that was held at a MX track. He likes the jumps and stuff way more than trails. I figure I'll still keep the KDX and ride the tracks with him as I know the limits of the KDX and won't be attempting to jump 50 foot triples or anything (please don't tell me the KDX with the right set-up can do this cause then my strategy falls to pieces.) I also know that eventually he'll enjoy trail riding more than he does no.

Conditions of the trail were as follows: very tight, very steep and had a couple of 90 degree turns. Trail was littered with big sharp boulders and branches up and down the whole thing. There were also landmines buried along the path (OK, no landmines but you get the idea).

I have the standard whatever gearing that came with the bike. I went up the hill in 2nd gear the very fisrt time and I don't think the bike would have made it. I went up the second time in first gear and gave it a good try. I couldn't keep my line as right where there was a 90 degree turn, there was a large rut and a huge boulder followed by a tree. I kept hitting the rut and then the rest you can guess. It was all driver and nothing more than that. With more experience (and courage) the bike would have easily made it up the hill of that I am certain.

What I would like out of the bike is the following: 1. More get up and go. It seems that on the track, it takes too long for the bike to get going out of a corner. Wish I had more grunt. There is noway I can get this bike to wheelie but once again, I go back to the guy riding the thing could be the problem here 2. There is absolutley no "hit" on this bike. I don't know if the KIPS has gone bad or what. The bike has not changed since I bought it so if there is something wrong with it, I bought it this way. I rode a friends KDX200 and his bike was "similar" in the hit department.

In the offseason I plan to do the following: 1. RB Carb work and a Desert/Rev Pipe. I think this should make an improvement to what I consider is lacking on this bike. 2. New piston (yeah yeah, I'm throwing the dice with the stock 220 piston but I really don't ride the thing hard at all. 3. Check the KIPS.

And to CC, you win the prize for remembering that I bought this bike from a farmer. How the hell you remember something like this? I'll have to keep this in mind next time I write something here.

Thank goodness my son hasn't quite figured out all the crap he could give his old man for not making it up that hill. We did watch others trying to make it up another, much easier hill, and not make it so I do have some consolation I guess. Oh, he does toast me on the tracks that are tight. Been roosted by him many times. That he does find amusing.

Mark

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Post by KDXer »

I was jumping a 40 foot tabletop all day with stock standard suspension. I thought I'd try to preload the suspension on the jump face to get extra height and flat landed 25 foot past the tabletop down ramp. OUCH !!! I some how managed to stay upright. When approaching this particular tabletop there was approx. a 4' high left hand berm and then only about a 20' straight to the t/top. I had no problem clearing and landing it. During the day I speak of I was racing with a 00 YZ250 and I had him until I got stoopid and over jumped a jump and landed off the track in the bushes. :oops:

My point is that with KX forks (or even not) and a few engine mods the KDX is very capable on a track but SHHHH I dint tell ya dat......

Yeah your right CC's got a memory like an elephant. :wink: My problem is the more I learn the more I forget... :rolleyes:

BTW Congrats and thanks for sharing your great experience with us. :partyman:


IMHO and all that, if I had posted this opinion on another KDX related site I'm sure I would have been called a liar, a bragger, an idiot etc etc and ridiculed. At least here I just get ridiculed... :lol:
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Post by KDXGarage »

I couldn't keep my line as right where there was a 90 degree turn, there was a large rut and a huge boulder followed by a tree.
There is absolutley no "hit" on this bike.
...and you thought you had trouble getting up the hill before. Be careful of what you ask for. :grin: That which may help on the track may hinder on the trail.

Also, as far as on the MX track and you not being able to get the bike to rev like you want it or have a hit, sit on the bike and look just in front of your left hand. It doesn't come with an owner's manual, but it can be your best friend.
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Post by jafo »

Mark, Thats how you get better. You'll never get anybetter unless you try it. Yeh sometimes it hurts, believe me I know. But you'll never get better if you don't try those hills that you think you'll never get up it. I'd bet next time you try it, you just might make it. If you can befriend someone thats had alot of riding experience, is an exellent way to learn how to attack hills and other obsticals. Thats how I've gotten better in the short time I've been riding. Now I can do some things my riding buddy can't do and vise versa. I'm still learning, and some things I've learned on my own and just studying the coarse. Best training though is seat time. I ride as much as possible. Just remember one important thing. EVERYBODY GOES DOWN FROM TIME TO TIME. Even the pros go down. It just goes with the territory. But you won't learn anything if you don't try. Schooling like your boy went through is good, but it's just a stepping stone to where you want to go. But it probably helps.

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Post by dave04kdx »

One word. RB Carb Mod! :supz: Wait, thats one.... two.... three words..... :oops:

Seriously, my RB modded carb made as much difference as the aftermarket pipe and silencer. Get her jetted right and you will have tons of grunt.
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Post by parker72001 »

hey kay dee exer, i don't believe you, i think you are a bragger and a liar, j/k
trying to get you back for my back brake story!!!! :lol: :boogie:
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Post by canyncarvr »

re:'There is noway I can get this bike to wheelie..'

Something is very wrong.

Even at 205# on one of your 'bad days' (so much for thinking I actually remember anything. THAT is funny!) the 220 should have NO trouble getting the front wheel off the ground in at least the first two gears.

How did you set your air screw? What process/method did you use? ...and what IS it set to, anyway?

Let's (you do it I'll read about it..that's the 'us' part) check the KIPS operation. Are you familiar with how that's done?

Your bike is not performing as it should, let alone as it could. Unless you're on ice or something, a quick flick in first gear on your bike should land you on your head!

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Post by KDXSean »

Mark,

Something is not right with your bike. I have a 220 with engine mod's as follows; torque pipe, air box drilled, VF 3 reed cage, and jetted pretty well for my conditions.

I can easily get the front wheel up in the first two gears, as well as third with just a tug on the handle bars.

I think you need to do some investigating, your bike's not running right.
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