did i get an ok deal? plus a few questions

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 06:59 pm Jun 17 2013

so after searching for a two stroke trail bike for months i came across this 2003 kdx200. the owner wasnt the brightest fellow as he told me it was a xr250. i showed up and it was pouring rain so i was stuck to the inside of his garage she kicked over first kick. it was missing the front light and the rear light was chopped off the back tire is bald so i didnt take her for a spin in the rain that wouldnt be fun. i got her for 900 bucks. also how can i tell if it needs a new top end? could i do a test myself or am i better of paying a mechanic to do it? i am capable of doing my own work but have never had a two stroke so i dont know where to start. all the help would be awesome! https://www.dropbox.com/s/vaqatljruulggg1/kdx.jpg

Post by **Julien D** » 07:09 pm Jun 17 2013

First thing I do with any new-to-me two stroke is yank the jug off. It's quick and easy to do. If you leave the head on, most times you can re-use the base gasket, and so no new pieces are needed to put it back together if everything looks good. If there's a crack or anything hiding in the piston skirt, best to find out now. Replacing the top end is under 200 bucks, but if the piston were to explode on ya, it's closer to a grand to rebuild the entire engine. If everything measures to spec, and no visible wear/damage, you can slap it back together and ride with confidence. It does look to have been abused at least for the latter part of it's life, so a close inspection is definitely advisable. I would also recommend picking up a service manual before spending one other penny on any part or piece.

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 07:15 pm Jun 17 2013

how easy is it to do a top end and i cant find any manuals for sale in the year range only the online one off this site.

Post by **Julien D** » 07:28 pm Jun 17 2013

The online manual is great. You can get a factory service manual from a kawi dealer if you prefer. top end is very easy. the only special tools you need are a torque wrench. We can definitely help you with it, but its so much easier to help when the person being helped has a manual of some sort.

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Dekon · Post by **Dekon** » 07:29 pm Jun 17 2013

kpla51 wrote:how easy is it to do a top end and i cant find any manuals for sale in the year range only the online one off this site.

Look on the homepage there is a link to a manual.

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 07:37 pm Jun 17 2013

Julien D wrote:The online manual is great. You can get a factory service manual from a kawi dealer if you prefer. top end is very easy. the only special tools you need are a torque wrench. We can definitely help you with it, but its so much easier to help when the person being helped has a manual of some sort.

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the people here are alot more friendly than the wr250 fourm yes i have a yamaha too don't attack me. but ill pick up a manual and do a top end anyways just so i know for sure ill be good. it felt good to rescue her she looked beat up. is there a thread on how to do a top end or does the manual lay it out pretty easily.

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 08:06 pm Jun 17 2013

is this what i need? or do i need the gaskets too? http://www.ebay.com/itm/WISECO-TOP-END- ... dc&vxp=mtr

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 08:11 pm Jun 17 2013

what is the 10th digit (should be a letter) of the VIN ?
that will tell you the exact year
as for the piston failure mentioned by Juliend, that is an honoust risk BUT if your bike is a 200 and not a 220 I wouldn't worry about it

you mentioned sure weird coloured bikes and doing you own work on them, lets just say that if you can adjust your own valves you can replace a top end

as mentioned before, the manual is a great resource and we are a great group of people BUT our first reply will always be to check your manual (we might even tell you what page to look on)

as for the price, I think 900 is decent but prices vary widely by state

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 08:13 pm Jun 17 2013

well all the 125s and 250s were going for around 1500 and they were 95 to 98s

rbates9 · Post by **rbates9** » 08:37 pm Jun 17 2013

The price sounds ok, but you didn't post any pictures for us to look at...

And if DIY can part with the money for a manual anyone can. Anyone...

A torque adapter will also come in handy for doing a top end. Once you have done a few it really takes less then an hour to do. And that is with drinking beer. Pull the pipe, drain the coolant, pull the carb, remove the left hand nut from the paw, four nuts on the jug, one snap ring on the piston, inspect, reassemble. But if it hasn't been apart it might be worth pulling the head and cleaning the KIPS. That will take more beer but is worth the time. Also there will be more things to look at while it is apart.

A compression test would be a good place to start to see if a top end is needed. And you can pull the pipe off to look up into the cylinder to see what is going on in there. I agree with Julien about pulling the jug, but I would also recommend to do a quick look to see what can be seen with out disassembly and if things look ok then take it for a good ride to see what else you need to do to get her back in shape. It would suck to dump a few hundred into a worn but usable top end to find out that the swing arm is trying to escape, the shock is dead, the forks leak, the radio doesn't come in, ect.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 08:42 pm Jun 17 2013

rbates9 wrote:The price sounds ok, but you didn't post any pictures for us to look at...

And if DIY can part with the money for a manual anyone can. Anyone...

I never said BOUGHT a manual, I only said HE should

(sides, I used the money I was going to use on a manual and became a supporting member instead

and he did post a link to one picture,its in the first post

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 08:45 pm Jun 17 2013

i posted a link in the first post of the picture im not sure if its working. i posted another link of a top end to see if its the right one im not sure if my links are working. is there a kit to do a compression test at home? could of sworn i saw one on ebay for like 25 bucks but not sure if that all i would need or if its even the right thing

rbates9 · Post by **rbates9** » 08:57 pm Jun 17 2013

Pretty much any compression tester with a 14mm adapter will work. But I would look for one that has a rubber hose so you can check the compression with out tearing the bike apart.

There probably is a "Kit" to do the top end but I have always just bought the top end gasket set and the other parts needed. Being that it is a new to you bike you may want to get the complete gasket set so if you need to go into the clutch or flywheel you will have the gaskets. Most sets come with most of the seals too. The seal behind the sprocket tends to leak so that wouldn't hurt to change if it needs it.

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 09:00 pm Jun 17 2013

i guess what im asking is do i need the whole piston and all or just the gaskets? as stated in the new to me bike sticky i need the top end rebuild and the one i found around the 130 price has a piston. and the gasket kits are around 30 to 40 bucks

rbates9 · Post by **rbates9** » 09:05 pm Jun 17 2013

That ebay link looks like what you will need. But it might be worth checking to see if you have a standard bore still or not. Being that it is a ten year old KDX it probably hasn't ever been apart but it would still be worth checking.

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 09:07 pm Jun 17 2013

rbates9 wrote:That ebay link looks like what you will need. But it might be worth checking to see if you have a standard bore still or not. Being that it is a ten year old KDX it probably hasn't ever been apart but it would still be worth checking.

is there any markings that would tell or would i have to measure the bore?

rbates9 · Post by **rbates9** » 09:09 pm Jun 17 2013

If it is still the stock top end the top of the piston will have a letter on it. Like "A", "B", "C".

kpla51 · Post by **kpla51** » 09:12 pm Jun 17 2013

should i just go ahead and get that kit that i put a link to? i guess im looking for peace of mind who knows what the people did to her.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 09:15 pm Jun 17 2013

kpla51 wrote:should i just go ahead and get that kit that i put a link to? i guess im looking for peace of mind who knows what the people did to her.

the top end kit ?

no

because you do not KNOW what size piston you have
pull the head off and see if there are markings on the piston
if you cant find any get a caliper and see what size bore your cylinder is and in what shape it is
then, and only then can you determine what piston kit you need
(and yes, chances are it will be the one you linked)

Post by **KDXGarage** » 10:11 pm Jun 17 2013

Congratulations on getting a KDX.

NEVER buy a piston kit blindly for a new bike. You have no knowledge on what oversize options are available. You NEED to know what is in there now, before you buy a piston kit.

Are you certain it is a 200 and not a KDX220R?

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