KDXRIDER.NET

When i bought my bike last year. the fork seals leaked. So, I sent them with a neighbor who has been riding and had his own shop for like 30 years. He put new seals and oil in them, and I re-installed them. Alot of us kdxrider.net guys got together for a ride at Haspin Acres in Indiana in the spring. The first day, the bike felt great! No problems, and felt I was riding pretty fast. The second day,It felt like my bike was sagging down in the front end. I thought It was just because i filled up the tank, and I was fatigued from the first day. Well, ride after ride, it still felt this way. So, I had my guy go through the forks again. He said nothing was wrong. He added a couple shims in the forks, to try and raise the front end back up. It didn't work. I tryed every setting I could on the forks, but it didn't help. Then I found a set of KX forks on E-bay, from the same era, and bought them. The seals were out, so my bud suggested we pull the springs out of them, and put them in mine, since the seals and oil are brand new. So, thats what we did. Guess what, still no good. I don't know what the hells going on. This guy has been working on bikes, as long as i've been alive! Is it something he is doing? Oil, oil level, seal brand? I feel bad, because he's really trying, but nothings working. After my ride yesterday, he stopped by, and asked me how it was. When I gave him a thumbs down, I could see the frustration on his face. Almost like he thought it was me, and not the bike. Its not me. I have been riding way too long. I would be able to tell. Plus, like I said, first ride great, second---not good. So, I'm looking for ideas. A bent fork? Tight seals? They've been rode on ten times! Oil? Bad Mechanic? I hate to do it, but I'm thinking about pulling the forks, and taking them to a local shop. I don't want to hurt my buddys feelins, but riding this thing the way it is, is wearing me out. Theres no rebound. I hit a bump, and the bike just stays down. Its getting very old.......Help!

Rick - The guy that repressurized my shock works on suspensions. If you'd like I'll give him a call Tuesday, maybe he thinks he can fix it . . .

Thanks buddy. I might go riding Monday with the guy who did them. If so, I'm going to let him ride it, and see what he thinks. There not right. I know you and Andy are probably tired of hearing about it, but its very frustrating. I just want to be able to ride a predictable bike. Its beating me to death! Ill give you a call this week, and let you know if we made any progress. Thanks, Rick

The KDX springs are shorter than the KX and you end up with too much spring overhang. The spring is already too compressed. That is what another person told me. I would see if the KX ones slide right in this way you have comp and rebound. I was wondering if that was possible and YOU can tell us how it goes.

Over tightened lower triple tree pinchbolts?
A little unclear in your post, but I take it the KX and KDX from '91 both had USD forks?

KarlP wrote:Over tightened lower triple tree pinchbolts?
A little unclear in your post, but I take it the KX and KDX from '91 both had USD forks?

Yes... But the KX had rebound & compression adjustment

He said wrote:He added a couple shims in the forks, to try and raise the front end back up.

The term 'shim' refers to a valving component in the valve stack(s). Considering the use of the term to be correct in this case..and the result intended indeed to have been to 'raise the front end back up'...the two are not related. Anyone thinking they are related doesn't know anything, regardless of the number of years of anything.

I suspect the term is mis-used in this case, still...IF true..someone else needs to do the job.... correctly.

BTW...preload configuration is changed using spacers cut to different lengths, or a different washer thickness configuration. 'Shims' are NOT used to change preload.

Oil and/or oil level do not effect race sag position to much of any extent. Seals do. Some seals do require a fair break-in time before they give up their stiction effect.

I don't see a response to KarlP's question. What is the torque value on the bottom clamp?

Torque was to kawi's specs. Dont have the book in front of me, but it was like 15 pnd's or something. I think its the stiction thing myself. At this point, i dont know, and im having trouble explaining it.....

15ft/lb is too much. Make it 10ft/lb for the bottom clamp, 12ft/lb for the top.

The difference is a big difference.

You can help the stiction part of new seals (old for that matter) with a variety of hi-falutin no-stick products. Forkslyk (spelled something like that) is $30-40 for a few ounces.

Triflow (teflon-in-a-can) helps. Better applied when the spring is at least out (to fully extend the tubes), but still helps even when assembled. Unload the forks, spray the inner tube, rub it 'in' with your hands, bounce 'em up and down a couple times, let sit a few minutes, buff off with soft cloth.

Obviously start with clean fork tubes.

Changing from 15 to 10ft.lbs will have a bigger effect. Even at 10 it will take a quite severe crash to tweak 'em.

If it's seal break-in that's the problem...nothing for that but riding.

SOME seals don't ever loosen up. Punkins are particularly sensitive to that. So I've been told, anyway.

Who cares what punkins are sensitive too (sic for Inda), anyway.

Thanks CC. Ill re-check the torque on the clamps, and see what that does. I would say I've put about 100 miles or so on the seals. Will the Teflon stuff work if I'm using full length seal savers?

While you're checking..DO use an in/lb wrench if you have one. A ft/lb wrench (a clicker anyway) is less likely to give correct readings on the bottom end of its range. 1/2" drive wrenches commonly go from 10-150lbs...10 being the bottom. Don't know if that is true for beam and/or digital wrenches. I'd suspect so..don't know.

Did you run through a wheel centering process when you put the forks back on the bike? Maybe things were good for a ride then went south 'cuz you tweaked'em. You might consider running through that routine again.

Also along the line of 'I don't know'...

The teflon part is more a 'can't hurt' than any known or proven effect. Fact is lots of forks have stiction and the more slicker the tube, the more better the feel will be. I'm not going to spend $30-40 (or 1/2 that, either) on a couple ounces of special stuff. I DO have some Triflow..and lot'sa folks use it for chain maintenance. So...if you're of the same mind (not going to pay the $$ for ounces)..and have some Triflow around..

...it can't hurt!

Seal savers, long or short don't matter as to the effect of the teflon. Some claim a seal saver type device INcreases stiction to start with..and don't like them for that reason. If you do use the long savers..you are supposed to trim them, or place them high enough on the outside tube to prevent them from crumpling at the bottom.

I use long savers (had sealsavers, now have a Moose product 'cuz that's what was available), did NOT slip them high on the tube, DO have them crumpled at the bottom. No ill effect that I could tell.

A btw...but you can tell what the stiction factor is by compressing then releasing the forks..measure where things end up. Top the forks out, let them settle..measure the end point again. A fork with no stiction is going to end up in the same place. The greater the difference in settling points, the greater the stick.

Yeah...a common sense btw..but th'ar 'ya go!


Good luck!

Thanks. Now that you mention it, i did use a ft/lb wrench on the clamps. A cheap one from Autozone. I do have an in/lb one i could try. I think my seal savers are made by PC racing, if that has any relevance.

I have Fork Dyne 11 for $15 shipped....

Theres a set of 97 kx 125 forks on the bay at $41 bucks as of now, with like 15 hours to go. These are 46mm correct? How does that sound?

Didn't see that set, but $41 is MADNESS! Here is a clean looking 46mm '96 set that's just little more expensive http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI ... enameZWDVW

here we go.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1997-KX- ... enameZWDVW

I don't know..but neither one of 'em looks to have bushed bar pedestals. Not the second one anyway. A matter of choice..I prefer bushings. Much less vibration to your hands.

Hard to say what the price will get to..but they're sure cheap now!

Getting the triples with is good.

You would still need an axle and a wheel...unless you're one'a those, 'I can make my own axle!' metallurgy types.....

I have those same forks and like them. The bar peds. are not bushed, but fixed so they will not spin. I even have a spare axle if you need one. The 97's have .38 progressive springs, whatever that means.