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Indawoods
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BEST OF THE BEST MODS!

Post by Indawoods »

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....
Last edited by Indawoods on 09:00 am Oct 09 2009, edited 2 times in total.
*** Administrator //***
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"People ate cows a thousand years ago for the same reason we eat them now. Cause they are easy to catch.We're not savages,we're just lazy. A cheetah could taste like chocolate heroin. But will never know. Those bastards are fast!!! "
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Post by canyncarvr »

Set the sag on your shock! Inda mentions having the correct spring rate for your weight. That is determined by setting the race sag and then measuring the free sag. With a correct race sag (100mm is common), the resultant free sag will tell you if the spring you have fits your weight. TOO MUCH free sag (arguable..but say more than 40mm or so) indicates your spring rate is too high. TOO LITTLE free sag (again, arguable..but 12-15mm or less) indicates your spring rate is too low.

___________________________________________________________

Clickers. Know what they do by changing them and judging the effect.

On the OEM forks (no rebound adjustment), the compression clicker is on the bottom of the fork leg under a rubber plug. Change it 'til you arrive at what you know works best for you.

The shock has both rebound and compression clickers..bottom/top respectively. Again...change 'em...note the effects..set them to what works the best for your situation. There are a number of 'guides' for suspension adjustment on the web.

___________________________________________________________



Put fork bleeders on the OEM forks. Normalizing the pressure in your forks a few times over the course of a days ride (easy to do with the push of the bleeder button) will make a marked improvement to your riding enjoyment.

___________________________________________________________

If you're riding OEM forks, try a base valve shim stack reconfiguration. Remove the base valve (14mm allen, impact wrench very helpful, fluid drain not required), count the number of 24mm shims stacked against the OEM piston. Probably 12 or so. Remove 1/2 of 'em.

___________________________________________________________

If you have questions about any of these, please start a separate thread and/or PM me. That will keep this thread 1/2 way sanitary.

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Indawoods
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Post by Indawoods »

*** Administrator //***
****'95 KDX 200/****

"People ate cows a thousand years ago for the same reason we eat them now. Cause they are easy to catch.We're not savages,we're just lazy. A cheetah could taste like chocolate heroin. But will never know. Those bastards are fast!!! "
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Julien D
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Post by Julien D »

KXF250 front brake discs........
GreatBritishRob wrote:actually do fit the KDX220R. Very handy to. Now got a nice wavy front disc brake on my KDX. No doubt everyone already knew that but theres not a lot of call for the KDX in Britain so its mostly trial and error. :supz:

Only thing you have to do is either drill out the mounting holes a little bit to use the original bolts as they have a collar on or simply use normal 8mm bolts. Thats ok as the disc only comes under load one way anyway. Apart from that the diameter, internal and exterior is the same, mounting holes etc all in the same place. Fitted mine last night and the wavy disc looks a treat and its solid which personally i prefer. :mrgreen:
View original topic here: http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=11085

Thanks, Rob!

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Bigfoot Captured!!!

Post by Julien D »

Bigfoot CAPTURED!!!
dfeckel wrote:We've all heard the tales, the descriptions, the legends...but we've never definitively seen, let alone captured for study, the E series KIPS subvalve Bigfoot, also known as Juliend's mythical KIPS reinforcement plate. I am ecstatic to announce that I've captured not just one of these plates, but two, and I have photographic proof!!!!!

This all began with my basket case 1994 KDX 200 that I originally bought for parts, but decided I would resurrect for cheap and give to my buddy.
There were a couple problems on the transmission, so I had to tear down the motor and split the cases. The powervalves were absolute trash, the worst I've ever seen. Basically broken for decades and left to tumble around in their journals until they were turned into little aluminum marbles. So I got the die grinder out and removed the remnants of the subvalves that had melted onto the ports and cleaned up the journals enough to receive new sub valves. Once everything was installed and timed, I was having a lot of binding in the pushrod because the retaining screw wouldn't hold the guide square to cylinder.

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Here is how it's supposed to sit.

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Here is how much it moves even with the seating screw fully tightened.

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The solution--Bigfoot in the flesh!!!!
I made the plate out of some aluminum I had bought to make my hybrid headstays last year. I made a rubbing of the seating surface using paper and a crayon, and then I was able to transfer the hole centers onto the aluminum with a punch. A few holes drilled on the drill press, a little coping saw action, and a little dressing up with files and sandpaper, and Bob's yer uncle!

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You have to remove the c-clips that hold the collar at the end of the shaft so that you can slip the plate on, and then reassemble the shaft. I used a little gasket maker between the plate and the cylinder, and I used the paper gasket between the cover and the plate.

Now, the shaft is much more stable, and the valves don't bind anymore. While I was at it, I made another for my hybrid. I'm pretty sure it has a broken sub valve less than 30 hours after they were all new.

Anyhow, it's nice to finally have the Bigfoot conspiracy theories sasquached. I mean squashed. Enjoy! Thanks for Juliend for passing on the idea, and special thanks to my daughter Lilly, who helped immeasurably with the photography!
LOL, thanks! :partyman:

View original topic here: http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=10847
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Post by Julien D »

KDX Lighting Stator Rewind How-To
Slick_Nick wrote:Quick How-To on rewinding your stock lighting stator. The setup I ended up with tested out at 98W, the stock stator at 60W. Now, I don't dual-sport my bike, but I wanted a brighter headlight for those nights when you're caught out just after sunset. 100W is more than enough for a standard headlight / tail light. This procedure was done on an A/H series KDX, but the basic procedure should apply for any bike with a single coil AC generator. Onto the rewind.

You will need:

- A flywheel puller
- A flywheel holder
- Socket set
- Soldering iron
- Side cutters / wire strippers
- 17GA coated magnet wire, 1 small spool should do

Remove the flywheel cover, use a flywheel holder to remove the 17mm nut on the flywheel. use your puller to remove the flywheel. Remember, on the KDX those are LEFT HAND THREADS for the puller.

Image

Unplug the stator wire. The connection is found up on the right side of the bike just by the shock reservoir.

Remove the three phillips screws with an impact hammer if they're stuck, and remove the stator. Pay close attention to the timing reference marks, so you can put the stator back in correctly.

There are two coils on the stator plate, the ignition coil, and the lighting coil. The lighting coil (the one we're concerned with) is the larger, uncoated coil. Go ahead and remove the coil from the stator plate, by removing the two phillips screws. You will need to clip the power wire, do so as close to the coil as you can. This will leave lots to solder back on later. You should now have the coil all by itself.

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Now, de-solder the ends of the coil wires, the black ground wire can remain. You want to clean all the old solder off. Remove the old coil of wire. There will be a LOT of it, like 200 yards worth, not kidding.

Pay special attention to how the wire is wrapped around! What direction, and where it starts and where it ends.

Using your coated wire, simply rewind the stator just like it was stock, leaving extra at each end for soldering. Read:

For the best possible result, keep the wire as tight as possible. I had a friend hold the spool taught while I wrapped the stator. This is a time consuming process, be patient and it will pay off. The more wraps of wire you can fit the better, and the tighter they're packed the better.

Be really careful not to scratch the coating off the wire. If there's a short in the stator, you've just dropped your output to nothing. The idea is to fit as much wire as possible on the coil, obviously without hitting the flywheel. The stock wire was wound about to that point, you can use my pics for reference, but that is about all that would fit under the flywheel.

Done wrapping now? Good. Time to solder those ends on. I cut just enough to reach the soldering terminals. This is definitly a measure twice, cut once kinda deal.

Scrape the coating off the last 1/4" or so, and solder the wire to the posts. This was easily done because you paid attention to how it all came off, right? :thumbsup:

Solder on a new output wire where the old one was attached, leaving about 3" to work with. Your finished stator should look like this:

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Cut the output wire to length, solder it back to the output wire you cut in the harness, and heat shrink wrap it to seal it in.

Bolt the coil back to the stator plate:

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I like to check the coil for continuity at this point, right from one end of the coil wire to the end of the harness yellow wire. Would be a shame if there was a short and you waited until it was back together to find it, wouldn't it? Any good multimeter is capable of checking continuity.

Reinstall the stator plate, paying attention to the timing marks. This would be a good time to advance or retard your timing, depending on your riding preference. Refer to your service manual for details on that.

Image[/IMG]

Reinstall the flywheel, make sure it doesnt contact your coil! Bolt the flywheel cover back on, and fire it up!

I tested my bike right at the headlight socket, with the stock headlight and tail light on, no other electrical equipment installed.

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12.53v AC @ 7.90a AC gives 98.987 watts. Measurements taken just above idle.

Idle gave 12.34v AC @ 7.81a AC, which works out to 96.375 watts.

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VIDEO: [youtube][/youtube]

So, just under 100W for about $18 and a bit of spare time. Good luck!
View original topic here: http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=10226

Thanks, Nick!

:supz:
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Re: BEST OF THE BEST MODS!

Post by SS109 »

I figured this one was worth adding as it is a game changer for the KDX. Also, this makes quick work of finding it for future reference.

Clutch Actuator Arm Mod viewtopic.php?f=77&t=23324
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Re: BEST OF THE BEST MODS!

Post by SS109 »

Adding another excellent and rather simple mod/upgrade for our aging KDX's... the KX250F kickstarter mod! NOTE: I believe this mod should work even for an '89-'94 E-series bike as well depending on tank clearance. No one has tried as of yet so can't say for sure. Will update when someone tries it.

KX250F Kickstarter on H-Series?
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Current KDX: '98 KDX220
Old KDX: '90 KDX200 -White/Blue
'11 GasGas EC250R
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