KDXRIDER.NET

Just updated my website with lots more pictures. Check out my '78 RM125...The KX125 riding shots are fresh from this afternoon.

http://www.bryankimsey.com/dirtbikes/

Nice personal site.I wish have a site like that on day too.I know this site for 2-3 years now.I like your new pics!

Nice pics.

I love that wheelie pic... looks almost out of control....

Indawoods wrote:I love that wheelie pic... looks almost out of control....

My wife was taking the pictures and I was trying to impress her.


That's actually a "coming out of the corner" power wheelie- the tire marker is just out of sight in the left corner. The difference between the KDX and KX on this tight little track is VERY apparent- the KDX will lift the tire right at the corner and carry it from one to the next. The KX has to be about 1/2 throttle to get the wheel up.

NM_KDX200 wrote:

Indawoods wrote:I love that wheelie pic... looks almost out of control....

My wife was taking the pictures and I was trying to impress her.


That's actually a "coming out of the corner" power wheelie- the tire marker is just out of sight in the left corner. The difference between the KDX and KX on this tight little track is VERY apparent- the KDX will lift the tire right at the corner and carry it from one to the next. The KX has to be about 1/2 throttle to get the wheel up.

A 125 has to be about 1/2 throttle to do much of anything

Very nice site. I read every page and enjoyed the "year in the life of a rancher" part. 28,000 acres - wow that's a lot of land. Nice life you lead, one that I'm envious of.

I quick guitar story for you. I happen to work in an area that allows me to get involved in many different things. One time, I was working with a sound isolation technology invented by a person in the recording industry (Tony Bongiovi if that name means anything to you). One of the artists that Tony recorded was Les Paul and later on Les Paul and Mary Ford his wife. Les and Tony go way back and are still very good friends. Anyway, I'm in New York working on a contract with Tony and Tony says that he has a special treat planned for that evening. We went out to dinner and then took a cab over to a bar called the Iridium. There was a huge line outside waiting to get in but Tony had connections and we were ushered right in and to a reserved table at the front of the stage. No sooner than we were seated, out comes Les Paul to give Tony a big hug. Seems that on Mondays, the Iridium is home to Les Paul and his band. The line outside was to have Les autograph guitars and to be a part of the evening. Les always has guest artists come to the Iridium and play with him. I can't even recall all the artists we saw that evening but it sure was enjoyable. After the show we went backstage and talked with Les for hours on topics ranging from his invention of the electric guitar (made from railroad track he had "borrowed") to the invention of 8 track recording and so one. An evening I'll remember for a long time.

A quick question if you don't mind:

1. I read that you have owned both the desert and the woods pipe on your kdx 200. What differences did you notice between the two pipes?

Thanks for sharing your site.

Mark

Mark W wrote:
1) quick guitar story for you.

2) I read that you have owned both the desert and the woods pipe on your kdx 200. What differences did you notice between the two pipes?

1) That's a neat story. Les Paul is one of the giants. I'm a Fender guy, myself, but I have a Les Paul, too. Every body's gotta have one!

2) I like the desert pipe better because my terrain is more open. Even when I hit the woods, it's open jeep trails with very little 1st gear picking around. I'm usually running 3rd-4th gear (I'm geared down, though: 13/50). The torque pipe is just like everyone says- low/mid. No hit to it, it just kind of smooths out on top. I really didn't think the low was all that impressive, myself. After riding the Torque for 3-4 years, I finally got a Desert and WHOOOOAAAA!!! There's a whole 'nother KDX in there! I didn't miss the low end at all, and when I'm playing around in the creek, I do a lot of 1st gear "climb the wall" "crawl thru the rocks" kind of stuff, so I DO use low-end sometimes.

What I noticed is that the bike really comes alive at 1/2 throttle. Someone said it feels like a 125 with bottom end, and I think that's an excellent statement. It revs faster (not like the KX, but lots faster than with the torque pipe) and clutches much better now. I really noticed a difference on my play track where I can clutch at the base of a jumps and accelerate up them. With the torque pipe, I had to get a run at them and it couldn't do the "Supercross snap" at the base.

I thought I might be switching pipes for different terrain, but so far, I've had no inclination to do so. After running the Desert/Rev for awhile, I went to Boyesen Pro reeds (replacing stock 1 piece reeds) and that made the hit even more controllable. Without them, wheelies are a little tricky 'cause the bike comes on the pipe fairly hard. With the Pro reeds, this was smoothed out and I felt much more comfortable pulling a power wheelie and am able to control the front wheel better with the throttle. I also put 2 pipe gaskets in as a home-made torque spacer, and that helped bottom end a little.

Result of all this, is that the bike pulls very well on the low end right off idle, has a little bit of a dip about 1/4-1/3 throttle, then starts coming on the pipe at 1/2 throttle and carries power up to nearly full throttle. This powerband works fine for me because it gives me a) an area down low where it pulls, b) a smooth area where I can putt, and then c) an agressive area. For comparison, the KX125 lacks (a) and an XR250 is all (a) and nothing else.

>QBB<

Les Paul wrote:

I'm a "Dyed in the Wool" Gibson man

Your 125 looks to be squatting a good bit...the pullrods don't look OEM and the forks are up a good bit.

Are these the rods from the bay? How long are they? How much drop did you get out of it?

Showing off is a GREAT way to have a spectacular crash!! Well...so I've heard anyway.......

Doesn't mean it's not fun, though. Good fo an adrenaline rush!!

canyncarvr wrote:Your 125 looks to be squatting a good bit...the pullrods don't look OEM and the forks are up a good bit.

Are these the rods from the bay? How long are they? How much drop did you get out of it?

That's exactly how it was when I bought it. The original owner raced AX on it and he may have lowered it for that purpose. I like the bike because it sits a little low. Whenever I look at RC's bike (and I stood right next to it at Denver), it looks low, too. Watching him ride the KX125 in older races, I'm always thinking he's got a lowered bike- you can see him and anyone else go over a jump together and RC's just doesn't appear to have as much suspension. Anyway, sag is right at 100 mm with me fully loaded sitting in the pocket.

Dunno about the rods, though- I'll have to look at some other '01 KX's to see. I'm not raising it, though!

Another question about the pipes, i have a 12 tooth sprocket and whatever is stock on the back. I do a lot of woods riding but with the smaller sprocket I think the woods pipe would give my too much get up and go. I don't have much top end now so I figured that the desert would be the best. Just wondering what you think.
Thanks a lot.
Parker

I don't know. Best thing is to pop the 12 toother on and see what you think. I went back and forth from 12 and 13 a few times before I decided I liked the 12, even for "desert" stuff. I don't really need to be going 65 mph on a dirt bike and I DO ride with my daughter on her JR80. Riding with her, with the 12, I can leave the clutch out, with the 13, I was holding the clutch in all the time. She's kind of slow. It's hard to imagine a KDX200 with too much "get up and go", but then again, I'm at 6,000'.

I'll second the suggestion to try a 12t front. I've ran a 12/47 in the desert 6th gear WOT and it works great...and its certainly faster than my angel can fly! Give it a try.