BEST OF THE BEST MODS!
Posted: 01:08 pm Apr 05 2009
First and foremost should be suspension upgrades.
On stock forks you should get springs that support your weight. Stock springs on a E series KDX are .32kg and stock springs on H series KDX's are .35kg. These forks on the different series KDX's are of different technologies but the H series springs are an upgrade to the E series springs and are usually the first step to getting the E series forks up to snuff. When I say E series I am not talking about the 93-94 USD forks. These forks require aftermarket springs I believe.
The shock should be serviced once a year. make sure the spring installed is for your weight. The stock spring is generally good to 180 pounds.
KX fork Conversion....
I personally believe the best fork modification for the KDX is a KX fork conversion. The benefits are newer technology through rebound and compression settings, less underhang and better control through less flex. It is believed that and KX forks 96 and up are the best upgrade. All of these can be made to work very well with only modest modifications. A KX 500 front end is a direct replacement for the KDX so this will require almost no modification to work and many people look for these to ease installation. More information is posted in the Fork Conversion Forum.
PIPE...
While the stock pipe is very quiet due to the multi-layer design, it lacks the expansion room required for your KDX to run at it's best. There are many avaiable pipe configurations available so you will have to know what you are after to choose the correct pipe for you. FMF pipes are a popular choice. There is a Woods profile pipe which will give you greater low end perfomance and is generally better than stock all over. FMF's Desert pipe is a upper end performance pipe. So, if you are riding allot of wide open areas, this may be a good choice for you. Again, it will outperform a stock pipe everywhere. PC pipes are more of an all over pipe. It will give you performance gains over the RPM range and is a good general purpose pipe. DG makes a very good pipe for the E series bikes which is more of a midrange pipe.
Silencer....
The KDX stock silencer is a great silencer/spark arrestor. No repacking required. I have not found any performance difference between the stock silencer or a high priced one. Unless you are going for looks, save your money and stay with the stock silencer. If you are going to buy an after market silencer make sure it is also a spark arrestor. This will keep you legal in wooded areas. Spark arrestors are generally more quiet also and that is highly desireable in these times. FMF makes a very good Silencer / Arrestor for the KDX and even have a Q version that is quieter.
Reeds.....
Reeds do make a difference! The RAD valve setup is not generally a good setup for the KDX and I would steer away from it. However the Boysen Power reeds are very good and you will feel the difference using them and they are a good budget setup. The ultimate reed setup for the KDX is a mototassinari Delta Force III reed block and carbon fiber reeds. They perform better than the power reeds from Boysen and have a benefit of a slight spacer built into the block. They are a little expensive but well worth the money if you are looking for performance.
RB Mods...
Ron Black has some of the best machining modifications for the KDX available. The carb mod will completely wake your KDX up and your carb will be allot more tweakable after his mod. Better low end and a mystical second sweet spot you can dial in around 2 1/2 turns out on the air screw in which you bike will act like a 4 stroke and motor over anything without dying if it has any RPM's at all.
The head machining that Ron offers will give you a little more compression, a better squish band configuration than stock and you can really feel the difference. Please check his site at http://www.rb-designs.com
Lighting Coil
A high output lighting coil is not only safer allowing you to have great lighting in case your ride runs into the dark but allows you to run higher rated lighting and possibly accessories like hand warmers. A high output lighting coil also has an effect on performance by exciting the ignition coil to a point. You will notice how much better your bike runs with a new high output lighting coil. These are avaiable through the site and are 100 watts vs the 40 watt stock coil.
Tires...
Tires make a difference in how safely you operate your bike on the given terrain. Environmental impact should be a consideration if you are riding on puplic land. Trials tires have been all the rage lately and should be considered. Although they make trials front tires, most still run a knobby type tire on the front for added grip in corners. Again, it all depends on your terrain in which tire you use. Never buy Cheng Shin tires as they are not a safe tire to run.
This is a work in progress and I am tired of writing right now so I will leave it at this for now....
On stock forks you should get springs that support your weight. Stock springs on a E series KDX are .32kg and stock springs on H series KDX's are .35kg. These forks on the different series KDX's are of different technologies but the H series springs are an upgrade to the E series springs and are usually the first step to getting the E series forks up to snuff. When I say E series I am not talking about the 93-94 USD forks. These forks require aftermarket springs I believe.
The shock should be serviced once a year. make sure the spring installed is for your weight. The stock spring is generally good to 180 pounds.
KX fork Conversion....
I personally believe the best fork modification for the KDX is a KX fork conversion. The benefits are newer technology through rebound and compression settings, less underhang and better control through less flex. It is believed that and KX forks 96 and up are the best upgrade. All of these can be made to work very well with only modest modifications. A KX 500 front end is a direct replacement for the KDX so this will require almost no modification to work and many people look for these to ease installation. More information is posted in the Fork Conversion Forum.
PIPE...
While the stock pipe is very quiet due to the multi-layer design, it lacks the expansion room required for your KDX to run at it's best. There are many avaiable pipe configurations available so you will have to know what you are after to choose the correct pipe for you. FMF pipes are a popular choice. There is a Woods profile pipe which will give you greater low end perfomance and is generally better than stock all over. FMF's Desert pipe is a upper end performance pipe. So, if you are riding allot of wide open areas, this may be a good choice for you. Again, it will outperform a stock pipe everywhere. PC pipes are more of an all over pipe. It will give you performance gains over the RPM range and is a good general purpose pipe. DG makes a very good pipe for the E series bikes which is more of a midrange pipe.
Silencer....
The KDX stock silencer is a great silencer/spark arrestor. No repacking required. I have not found any performance difference between the stock silencer or a high priced one. Unless you are going for looks, save your money and stay with the stock silencer. If you are going to buy an after market silencer make sure it is also a spark arrestor. This will keep you legal in wooded areas. Spark arrestors are generally more quiet also and that is highly desireable in these times. FMF makes a very good Silencer / Arrestor for the KDX and even have a Q version that is quieter.
Reeds.....
Reeds do make a difference! The RAD valve setup is not generally a good setup for the KDX and I would steer away from it. However the Boysen Power reeds are very good and you will feel the difference using them and they are a good budget setup. The ultimate reed setup for the KDX is a mototassinari Delta Force III reed block and carbon fiber reeds. They perform better than the power reeds from Boysen and have a benefit of a slight spacer built into the block. They are a little expensive but well worth the money if you are looking for performance.
RB Mods...
Ron Black has some of the best machining modifications for the KDX available. The carb mod will completely wake your KDX up and your carb will be allot more tweakable after his mod. Better low end and a mystical second sweet spot you can dial in around 2 1/2 turns out on the air screw in which you bike will act like a 4 stroke and motor over anything without dying if it has any RPM's at all.
The head machining that Ron offers will give you a little more compression, a better squish band configuration than stock and you can really feel the difference. Please check his site at http://www.rb-designs.com
Lighting Coil
A high output lighting coil is not only safer allowing you to have great lighting in case your ride runs into the dark but allows you to run higher rated lighting and possibly accessories like hand warmers. A high output lighting coil also has an effect on performance by exciting the ignition coil to a point. You will notice how much better your bike runs with a new high output lighting coil. These are avaiable through the site and are 100 watts vs the 40 watt stock coil.
Tires...
Tires make a difference in how safely you operate your bike on the given terrain. Environmental impact should be a consideration if you are riding on puplic land. Trials tires have been all the rage lately and should be considered. Although they make trials front tires, most still run a knobby type tire on the front for added grip in corners. Again, it all depends on your terrain in which tire you use. Never buy Cheng Shin tires as they are not a safe tire to run.
This is a work in progress and I am tired of writing right now so I will leave it at this for now....