KDXRIDER.NET

Good Morning Everybody,

I am still looking for a 220 to purchase. I have a couple of quick question for you all. Since getting back into the sport I have always owned a 4 stroke. If Devin's bone stock 05 KDX 200 scores a 7 for having a snappy throttle where does the 220 score. I like my bikes a less snappy than a 7. My skills are such that the snappier the bike the better chance something bad will happen to both the bike and me.

As far as braking while trail riding goes I do most of it by down shifting and light braking. How do you 2 strokers brake when trail riding? Front versus back? Lastly I have read some posts on how to protect the engine. I have read that down shifting from high speeds to lower speeds might be hard on the engine as no throttle is being used therefore no oil to piston. Lastly lastly, when running backroad trails I often hear the 2 strokers blip the throttle. What is the reason for the blip other than it sounds cool?

Are there any members out there from Ontario? Maybe the Ottawa area.

As always thank
KDXhopeful

You should find the KDX 200 very linear in power delivery compared to most other 2 strokes, unlike the motocrosses the KDX feels like it wines up as the rpm's go up followed by a small hit, yet still heaps of down-low torque compared to there racing cousins, I haven't ridden the 220 but it seems as they are even more relaxed. They have more touque and down low power compared to the 200 however suffer a flat high end.

I use my KDX as a daily commuter (the air cooled variety) it has done 10,000km and the engine is healthy, when riding it is best to pull in the clutch and coast while use the brakes, they have nearly no engine braking anyway and the sudden cut of oil to a hot engine doing high revs can be catastrophic, people will blip the throttle to keep some fuel and oil going in and to make noise of course.

Hi,I've never ridden a 200 but my 220 can lug to almost zero revs and pull away. It's got a PC pipe on it that gives it more power everywhere. I've heard a stock 220 does not have quite the hit the 200 has so you're probably good to go with a 220 if less hit is what you're looking for. I've also heard you can play with the timing a bit to give more low end. I'll admit that I am a biased 220 owner!

Yes, you'll need to get used to pulling in the clutch when going downhill or coasting and applying the brakes. It's a fairly easy transition. Like you, I used to always use engine compression for braking on my 4-strokes. I found it weird to coast and brake (thought I'd have less control). Now I'm fully adjusted: I'm a front brake guy, but when sitting down I'll mostly use the rear as it'll make the rear slide out a bit in softer ground, making shifting the weight/direction around easier. At high speed I'll use both. Really depends I guess, but a 2-stroke has zero engine braking (doing so hurts the piston anyways, as it's not getting lubricated). It doesn't take time to adjust: some things I prefer on a 4-stroke, for some things I prefer the KDX. Either way the transition is surprisingly easy (a few rides before you get to know the bike and feel comfortable).