KDXRIDER.NET

"and I just don't see it blowing us away!"

It won't. You might get close, but it'll always be a KDX motor.

I let a buddy who rides a CR250 ride my hybrid just after I finished it - RBD head and carb, fresh piston, real carefull jetting. He did not know it had a KDX motor.

He wanted to know how I had gotten the motor so happy and smooth. He really liked it, but wanted to know how I had flattened out the hit so much and moved so much power down low. He commented that it was missing out on overrev.

Compared to his CR250 it was short on hit and over rev, and his CR was not even in very good shape

I just fail to see the point of riding a bike that is out of control. The KDX can easily be tuned to the point of it is very hard to hang on... beond that... it would be out of control. I know kids are adrenaline junkies... and that is what gets them hurt. That services no one but the hospitals.

juliend wrote:Well, it would seem that you're the kdxpert here now, so I'll leave you to your own devices.

see! comments like that is what really bugs me! i dont remember anywhere on here where he says he's a "kdx expert"........ hes only telling you the way he sees the kdx........ if all you owned in your lifetime is a vw beetle.....then yes, thats the fastest car you have ever owned. :lol:get my point?................. as far as kids getting hurt on bikes.....thats why MEN ride big bikes!

Yeah... that hurt on bikes statement makes no sense....

juliend wrote:
Well, it would seem that you're the kdxpert here now, so I'll leave you to your own devices.

I felt that was uncalled for too, actually.

However, you know what they say about arguing on the internet.......

The riding terrain and trail type is what really decides the usefullness and suitability of a bike, IMO. The trails at my house where I do 90% of my riding are tight tight tight. A lot people curse us and our trail building methods and claim they are unridable. To a lot of people and bikes they really do suck. If you can average 14 mph for the whole 20 miles you are pretty fast. These trails suck to a lot of people because they got way too much bike for them. It is kind of like taking a 250 hp bass boat up in the bayou; you can do it, but why would you.

On the other hand, when we go out to the National Forest trails I am at a bit of a disadvantage. Those trails are typically 40" wide and pretty fast flowing. Even the so-called motorcycle loops are 24" to 36" wide and run pretty fast. I actually find myself bumping the throttle stop a good bit. Nice terrain for a bike with more horsepower.

The OP felt like the KDX did not meet his needs. Who can argue with that?

No one... I just don't think it is set up properly. As I said... a Rev pipe instead of a Woods and reed change would probably do wonders. And to throw more money at it... the RB mods. I can see where you may be at a point where you may not want to throw more money at it but if you are overboring a KX to get more out of it... what is really the difference?

Wow this whole thread has taken a turn that I never would have foreseen.

My closing points:

1. I feel the KDX is a perfectly fine bike, just not sure if it is what my son will enjoy the most at this point in time.

2. As far as the money thing goes: $1400 for the bike, $900 dollars spent in restoration and getting it back up in a close to new condition. That's $2300 on a 2006 KDX, at some point I have to ask myself how much I want to spend, $250 more for some nice RB mods? Could make it really nice, but will it achieve the desired results? Ride it as is and enjoy it as the nice clean smooth running trail bike that it is? Start porting and really going nuts? Sell it, and get something different, after all I did get great enjoyment out of fixing it up, so it is not really a loss to me, it was fun! And the KX my son has been riding, Eric Gorr charged less to build that stroker motor than what I have spent on this KDX. Hobbies cost anyway, right, just a matter of where you feel like stopping.

2. I never said I was a KDX expert, but I do know how to work on bikes and perform the task of properly jetting a two or four stroke engine. Jetting btw is some what subjective as to what could be considered perfect. If a bike is not drooling, fouling plugs and runs clean, then it is technically jetted correct. That is not to say that once you reach that point you have found the type of power delivery that you are after. Although jetting is the single most important part to get correct, jetting alone will only get you so far towards specific goals, or at least in some circumstances.

3. My son's current bike is actually very smooth, but that is not to say that it is not lively and very responsive in the right ways to suite him. I feel he is on a very safe bike and one that he has gotten great enjoyment out of. It is not like I am going to put him on a YZ250! Heck I don't want to ride a YZ250 as a woods bike, though some people do.


4. Never meant to ruffle any feathers, never meant to come across as a know-it-all, never meant to give the impression that I am a beginner when it comes to bikes either. I am just interested in sharing information and gaining information from others, then we all win!

5. And last but not least, I only started this thread because I was curious about something that I had read somewhere on this site. Where is the illusive cylinder stamp?

Let me go snap a pic for ya.... if I can get to it.

It's all good. I have a feeling that your son is more than likely used to his bike and anything different is going to feel... well different!

Indawoods wrote: Let me go snap a pic for ya.... if I can get to it.

It's all good. I have a feeling that your son is more than likely used to his bike and anything different is going to feel... well different!

DING DING DING I think Indawoods just hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!
Change is hard sometimes and this is especially true of my son due to some special circumstances that he has.

Here ya go... this is a "B" stamped cylinder and my current spare. The one that is on my bike is a "C" I believe...

Griffbones wrote:

Indawoods wrote: Let me go snap a pic for ya.... if I can get to it.

It's all good. I have a feeling that your son is more than likely used to his bike and anything different is going to feel... well different!

DING DING DING I think Indawoods just hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!
Change is hard sometimes and this is especially true of my son due to some special circumstances that he has.

I have hated every new bike I have ever gotten until I got used to its characteristics.

Good luck to you in your search for the perfect bike for him.

I have a KX100 basket case sitting in my shop waiting for a full rebuild for my son. He is not ready for the power or the "livelyness" of the bike yet so there it sits.

BTW. This has been one of the best threads ever.

frankenschwinn wrote:

BTW. This has been one of the best threads ever.

yep......got that right! this is more like it........ if we all agreed on the same thing, what would we talk about?

AWESOME! Just what I was after, thank you very very much Inda.

I don't think that I would have ever seen that with out taking the tank off. I was looking all around the sides, above and below the intake flange etc....
Now I can hardly wait to get out to the garage and see if our bike has a stamped cylinder too! Not that this negates measuring things, but I am just a curious kinda guy. Good things come to those who wait!

You know it is so hard at times to know how to take what people type in a thread, it's not the same as actually listening to and hearing a human voice. So I figure I should try to keep my words soft and do my best to hear everyone out. Oh yeah that's the problem..........I can't really hear them.

Well guess what, this stamp can easily be seen without removing anything from the bike!

For what it is worth, our bike is stamped with an A.

Funny thing is, our's is stamped on the left front corner instead of the right front corner as shown in Inda's picture.

Hmm. I'll have to go check my cylinders for stamps now, lol. Never seen that before.......