Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

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Chuck78
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

I have read several times in the past year or two about a Fredette Kickstarter lever (all posts from 2006-2009). I have searched the FRP website and cannot seem to locate this. Several times, last year, and last night. Do they not offer this anymore?

To build a similar shorter kicker than stock, I believe I read that you can use the knuckle off of a KX 125 and the lever off of a KX 250, mid-1990s, and accomplish about the same thing as the Fredette model lever. I may go this route. My Kicker is completely worn out, to the point where I took it apart and welded more metal on to it and ground it back down so that it would engage properly without laying back at too much of an angle pointed out beyond perpindicular. The pivot is pretty sloppy now, so that is just a partial temporary fix, and now the snap ring clip is so deformed from the slop and movement that it is popping out of place.

The shorter lever sounds good as I find myself halfway up a hill with the bike on its side quite often, kicking profusely with a muddy slippery boot on a bike that is hard to start after it goes upside down, and that it was but the final blow for the original kick lever before I took it apart and made some makeshift partial repairs to it.

Also the resting spot stops for the original lever got severely worn, and the lever was flopping around and darn near rubbed a hole through my gas tank! I applied some JB Weld there to patch it back up and give a protective layer for in the future if this kicker wears back down that direction again
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by KDXGarage »

He can sell you a new knuckle (boss) if need be.

https://www.frpoffroad.com/fredette-rac ... Id=-154651
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

Well darnit, there it is! The search feature on the mobile version of the Fredette website is not very user-friendly or conducive to good results.
$100, a bit pricey, but I cant find a good used KX kicker lever assembly on ebay for less than $90!
The FRP was designed specifically for the KDX, so I'm sure it probably fits a bit better, and hopefully has better Metallurgy than OEM even, and withstands a lot of hard kicks without mushrooming out.


Just basing this off of some talk on the forum that I read, and looking at the parts cross-references, apparently it was stated that a KX 125 knuckle/boss and a KX 250 lever are used to make a KX hybrid shorty kickstart lever for the KDX? So.... apparently there is some problem with the knuckle for the KX 250, and it interferes with the cutout recess area on the case of the KDX 200? Or possibly the shaft is just a different size.

92-98 share same part # on the KX125 knuckle (no longer available from Kaw)
95-98 share the same part # on the KX250 entire kicker lever/knuckle assembly (available new from Kaw still)

I might spring for one of the Fredette kickers here next paycheck, and I also see they sell KDX UFO rear fender. My rear fender is destroyed, as well as the tail light! Perhaps I will get that and bolt it on after I get used to the Ron Black engine mods and ported cylinder! I don't want to put it on prematurely, as the bike will be much more wheelie prone than it currently is with it's trashed cylinder from two blown up 220 pistons!
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
'88 Toyota 4x4 pickup
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

OUCH!!!!!!!
$197 for the new $100 FRP kick lever, new $52 OEM KDX knuckle, and new o-rings, washer, clip, bearing, and spring!!!!
I will have to weigh this thought for a minute!
In 4 years of owning this bike here in the future (2.5yr mark now), I will have probably dumped $4,500+ into it, and would be hard-pressed to get $2,600 out of it... I guess I could have bought a new orange bike for $7g's + mods & tires & tubliss, and ridden it for 4 years and get $3,000 out of it used if I sold it. So I guess the KDX makes more sense monetarily in the long run! And I like to wrench on old stuff. I would get frustrated wrenching on something new with the reputation KTM has for frequent maintenance...
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
'88 Toyota 4x4 pickup
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by John_S »

The cheapest way to get the shorty lever is by using an 84-89 KX 125 kickstart. This is considering your boss isn't shot. The older lever attaches just like the KDX lever (with a circlip) so you use your existing boss and install the lever right on. There is a 1987 one on ebay right now for $55. I'll try to find a message I wrote when I installed mine.
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

I will have to do a little welding on my knuckle/boss as well, but it could potentially be reused. The top was a little bit mushroomed out for some reason. I don't think the post part has a terrible amount of wear on it but I will have to check.

Can anyone else chime in with other shorty kicker levers and bosses that will swap on to a kdx220r?
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by John_S »

Here's where I was talking about installing my 84-89 lever with some pictures. About halfway down the first page.

http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 13&t=21872

Here's the one on ebay currently

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-KAWASAKI- ... start.TRS0

If your boss is workable then $55 and you're done.
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

THANKS, JOHN_S!
John_S wrote:
Regarding the KX125 kickstart. The cheapest route is a 84-89 lever. With those years it's a direct swap onto the stock KDX boss. Uses the same circlip, washer, Allen bolt, spring, and ball detent. I recently found one on eBay for $49 and did the swap Monday night. It's so easy to kick over!! Not that it was hard before. It was a surprise at first that my leg moved so little and the engine was running, I love it! My stock lever was starting to swing too far backwards a little bit but the wear was more with the lever than it was the boss.
The 84-89 aren't very common on eBay.
The 90 and up 125 lever works also but you need to buy a kx250 boss and I don't see those come up used so that swap would likely be more than $100 before all was said and done.

Partzilla sells the OEM 84-89 whole assembly for $88. Your KDX boss has to be in good shape though. If mine was worn I would've went with the 90 and up kx125 lever (more commonly found on eBay) and a new kx250 boss. I forget the years of the 250 boss but there's a YouTube video where the guy gives the Oem part numbers and some posts here as well with the boss information.

This is exactly what I needed to know! So the newer KX Parts work up through at least 98, I thought I might have read someone saying up to 2002? Part numbers change after 98, however.
If I bought just the Fredette Kickstarter, and bought the rest of the brand new 220 parts from Partzilla, along with some other parts to get free shipping from Partzilla, I would be at about 160 plus the FRP shipping.
If the KX125/250 or KX125/KDX parts creep up much over $100, I might just go the FRP kicker route and new 220 parts from Partzilla.

Thank you guys for the food for thought, I will have a lot of searching and comparing to do while I weigh my options.

Now if I could only find a nice aluminum kicker lever to fit my portly 1977 Suzuki PE250... A team green part may fund its way onto the yellow bike. It's 240lbs stock, trying to shave that down slightly while giving it longer legs (alloy RM250C2 swingarm vs steel, taller shocks, taller 83 DR forks)
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

Can you still use the O-rings on the 200 knuckle / boss, if using the 84-89 125 lever?


Also, if going 125 / 250 route, what years of 250 boss/knuckle can be used? There are at least 4 part numbers between 1990 and 2002 for different KX250 knuckles/bosses.

Another consideration is which is better, the 1990 + kKX style lever with no opening in the top, or the KDX200-220 / 84 - 89 KX125 style that uses washers and clips and is open on the top. It does use O-rings to seal it, but it is open on the top and I wonder if the clips will ever get as deformed as mine currently is! Wow.

I guess either one is going to work fairly well. Looks like a ball bearing and spring hold in the 1990s KX style lever on to the arm in the very large bearing groove.

I would possibly try and cut a washer out of a clear plastic water bottle and put between the knuckle and the lever if going with the 90s KX style, as it does not appear to use any O-rings. That would give it something to seal a little better on that will we're a lot better than smashing in o-ring in there without an O-ring Groove.
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
'88 Toyota 4x4 pickup
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by KDXGarage »

Yet another part to study up on. :grin:

My 2005 KX125 has a shortkickstarter lever. I have never thought that I needed a long one.
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Re: Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Julien D »

I'm using the 125 lever with the 250 boss, I forget the exact years that work, but it works quite well. I do actually miss the longer KDX lever though, since I could start the bike with my hand if I was in a tight spot. I lost that out on the trail though.
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Kicker lever upgrade - Fredette(?) vs KX pieces&parts?

Post by Chuck78 »

Does anyone know which years KX250 boss/knuckle works on our 95-06 KDX's with the 1990-2005(?) KX125 lever?
The KX250 boss shares the same part # for 95-98. I wonder if an 88/89/90-94, & 99-(??) will work as well?

I'm leaning towards the 90's KX style boss with the closed top, #1 because my KDX boss is pretty worn out, & #2 because it is more well sealed to keep grit and muddy water out od the top, & #3 because the retaining clip on mine is warped and destroyed... i wonder if it got that way just from use, or due to the knuckle/boss or lever pivot hole being worn out???

EDIT - THIS is the kick lever boss that I used:

https://www.partzilla.com/product/kawasaki/13061-1692
99-01 KX250 kickstarter boss
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
'88 Toyota 4x4 pickup
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