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Problem after problem..

Posted: 04:03 pm Jun 17 2017
by Scrandy
Hey really debating selling the bike now.. I have an 04 220. Literally everytime I ride it there's something new that goes.. this is my second summer with it and this is what I had to do so far. Top end, cylinder replate, brakes lost pressure, electrical issues, power valves linkage snapped, linkage bearings are getting bad, shifter rod is bad, clutch went bad today and countless little things.. my buddy's with 250fs have way less problems than I do and I do regular maintenence unlike them. Idk if I just bought a dud or what but the clutch today I think that's just gonna push me over the edge I think. I just had the power valve linkage put in and had it back for 1 day now the clutch and shifter rod are bad.. also my chain goes out of adjustment everytime I ride.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 04:30 pm Jun 17 2017
by Dekon
Blow a top end on a 250F and you'd wish you had the KDX back. It's a 13 YO bike, things happen. Was the clutch out of adjustment? I've never had one just go on me. Everyone near me with a KDX say they are just about bulletproof.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 04:32 pm Jun 17 2017
by Tedh98
Something is not right, the KDX is an extremely reliable, low maintenance bike.

Can you be more specific on how your clutch went bad?

What kind of chain did you buy?

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 05:48 pm Jun 17 2017
by bufftester
If you run a non O-ring chain it will stretch....a lot....every ride. Could be you got a bike that had been neglected early in its life and now you are seeing the results. Unless its got extremely high miles, or lost a piston, a replate is generally not needed. I do my top end every other season whether it needs it or not, preventative mx. All your bearings should be done regularly, especially the linkage bearings. They are in the worst of it every ride and usually are the most neglected, followed by the swingarm. But at less than a C note thats another item I do every season, all the bearings and bushings for wheels, steering, swingarm, linkage and suspension. Generally the KIPS linkage breaking is self-induced, along with a lot of the other little stuff. What exactly is wrong with the clutch and shifter rod (I assume you mean shift shaft?) Short of needing new plates and springs the clutch is nearly fool proof, and the shift shaft doesn't go bad, though it could get bent or stripped on the end where the lever attaches.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 06:53 pm Jun 17 2017
by KDXGarage
What was the condition of the bike when purchased? What did you pay for it? What years are your buddies bikes? 2004 250 four strokes?? Did they pay the same as you?

Without more info, it is just a guess, but I go with " Could be you got a bike that had been neglected early in its life and now you are seeing the results." from bufftester.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 07:52 pm Jun 17 2017
by Scrandy
Yes it's a non o ring chain. Bike looked to be in great shape and ran pretty good when i bought it.. Paid $2600 for it. My friends bikes are: 1.) 2006 CRF250R 2.) 2007 RMZ250 3.) 2006 CR85 and 4.) 2005 YZ250. And the clutch handle had a bit of play in it so it was adjusted correctly. The ride I went on today I could feel it slipping in third gear or higher at a high RPM.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 07:54 pm Jun 17 2017
by Scrandy
Actually the guy that fixes my bike (very well known for his work in my area) says my bike has been the most finicky bike he's ever had in. He said the second was some guy that rebuilt a KX65 using all chinese parts.. So I'm really getting the feeling that my bike is a massive POS! I'm 16, Had a job at a hockey rink (now it's summer so no work) and I need to buy a car. I had money put away for that but guess it's going to the bike again. I actually can't afford to run it anymore. Which brings me to my point of selling the bike.. SO i'm probably out of the dirt bike game for a few years.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 07:56 pm Jun 17 2017
by SS109
As already mentioned, KDX's don't just have clutch failures and the shift rod almost never goes bad unless the splines where the shifter goes somehow strip out. You just had the KIPS rod replaced. That means the side cover was removed. Sounds like something wasn't done right on reassembly.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 08:08 pm Jun 17 2017
by Scrandy
Well one day the clutch was good then the next it was bad

Problem after problem..

Posted: 08:37 pm Jun 17 2017
by thirdgenlxi
Where did you adjust the clutch to? How much freeplay?

And yea a non o-ring chain will indeed stretch every single ride..... gotta put an o-ring or x-ring on there if you actually want it to last. I just rode with a guy today on a KTM 125 and a non o-ring chain and his too stretches every ride

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 09:44 pm Jun 17 2017
by Scrandy
Had about a half inch of play at the end of a long clutch lever.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 06:49 am Jun 18 2017
by Tedh98
Scrandy wrote: I'm 16, Had a job at a hockey rink (now it's summer so no work) and I need to buy a car. I had money put away for that but guess it's going to the bike again. I actually can't afford to run it anymore. Which brings me to my point of selling the bike.. SO i'm probably out of the dirt bike game for a few years.
Best case scenario, dirt bikes arent a cheap sport/hobby. Then paying someone to do the work on a bike just makes it worse.

I think you are absolutely correct - if you only have a seasonal part time job and are wanting to buy a car - the KDX needs to go.

So the question becomes sell it as is or spend more money to get it running?

How much did you buy it for and how much have you put into it already?

Problem after problem..

Posted: 08:08 am Jun 18 2017
by Julien D
SS109 wrote:As already mentioned, KDX's don't just have clutch failures and the shift rod almost never goes bad unless the splines where the shifter goes somehow strip out. You just had the KIPS rod replaced. That means the side cover was removed. Sounds like something wasn't done right on reassembly.
I agree with this. The best solution would be to grab a service manual and start doing the work yourself, rather than trust it to whoever has been doing the work for you. Sounds like they must have made some mistakes. There may be something currently rattling around in the RH engine cover interfering with the clutch operation.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 01:11 pm Jun 18 2017
by Scrandy
Every time I Rev it something rattles now. Don't know what it is. And the guy I take it to has really good rates for his work and I don't mind paying them.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 01:26 pm Jun 18 2017
by Scrandy
Yeah and about the car thing. So I bought my bike when I was 15 knowing I had to save for a car. I wanted a bike that wasn't super slow like a 230 but didn't require a ton of maintenance apart from the regular stuff like greasing your bearings cleaning your air filter every ride and washing off the bike everytime ect. That's why I bought the kdx. So then I could still own a dirt bike and buy a car. Yes I understand stuff happens and you have to buy parts and what not but what's happening with my bike is ridiculous now. This year 90% of the time the bike was getting repaired and so far I almost drained my car savings repairing it.

Problem after problem..

Posted: 11:45 pm Jun 18 2017
by SS109
Scrandy wrote:Every time I Rev it something rattles now.
That's probably just the KIPS actually working but it could be something else as well.
Scrandy wrote:And the guy I take it to has really good rates for his work and I don't mind paying them.
Not to be critical but nothing you have said indicates he is necessarily a good mechanic. There might be reason he has such good rates for his work. Wish you were closer as I would gladly help you get it sorted out.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 10:32 am Jun 19 2017
by Scrandy
Yes in my area we have one of the top 5 racers in Atlantic Canada. The mechanic who I take my bike to practices with him and does most the work on his bike. He is THE guy to take your bike to in my area. So I trust him to say the least

Problem after problem..

Posted: 02:13 pm Jun 19 2017
by pumpguy
Don't mean to sound like a preacher or anything, but as with many things in life, it comes down to what do you have more of, time or money?

If you pay someone else to fix your bike, all you'll learn is what your mechanic tells you and how much money it cost. On the other hand, if you tear into it yourself, you'll learn what the problem is, and how to fix it. You will be develop skills and knowledge that will last a lifetime.

Back in the day, both my brother and I had to fix our own bikes because we just didn't have the money to pay someone else, and besides, we liked doing that sort of work. That experience led us both to work as professional mechanics; not on motorcycles, but on other rotating equipment.

Good luck to you.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 09:05 pm Jun 19 2017
by bufftester
This is a classic case of "buy a manual, learn to do it yourself" You don't adjust clutch lever play at the end of the lever, a clutch doesn't just work one day and not the next without a lot of other ride ending stuff happening, band aiding things to get from one ride to the next never solves anything, the list goes on. You may think his rates are reasonable, but every bit of it is work easily done with common hand tools, and your labor rate is free...do the math and that ends up to more money in your pocket at the end of the day. My advice is the same as Tedh98, sell it and come back to the sport later when you can afford it.

Re: Problem after problem..

Posted: 11:54 pm Jun 19 2017
by Scrandy
So I'm gonna try and do the clutch myself. Maybe you guys can help find the problem. The bike shifts fine and goes into the different gears without any problems at all. It's like when there's a lot of load on the clutch the engine revs up but won't put the power to the wheel. I can feel it because when I go from 5th to 6th it starts to rev up and after a few seconds it will bite and drive normally. Maybe it's bad springs? Not sure but I know ever since I got it back it's been doing this and it worked fine before.