I was a lurker, now a member!

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Bravo4Yeti
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I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Bravo4Yeti »

Just wanted to introduce myself. Been lurking on this forum for nearly a year now, finally decided it was time to join! I learned to ride dirt bikes on a 1985 KDX 200 back in the '80's and have been smitten with them ever since. Finally bought my first dirtbike in 2003...a pristine 2001 KDX 220. I rode that bike until the price of gas hit $4.00 a gallon here in Oregon back in 2007/2008-ish. I hated selling it, but times were tough. Never thought I would buy another bike (I was already in my late '30's at that point) when early last summer my younger brother started talking dirt bikes, and then bought a little KTM 65 XC for his son...IT WAS ON! Not long after, I bought a very used 2001 KDX 200. At first, I had no plan to fix it up. I was just going to ride it to get used to the sport again before ponying up for a brand new KTM. Well, I dropped over $10K (!) on a new 300 XC W 6 Days (fantastic bike, BTW) but I just couldn't help myself with the little Kawi. First it was a nice set of Pro Taper bars to replace the best OE steel bars. Then new grips and levers. A cool Hammerhead anodized shifter...before you knew it, I had replaced all of the plastic and applied custom graphics, gripper seat cover, Acerbis hand guards, new OE lighting system, one of the radiators, and built new black Excel rims on new OE hubs with new Dunlop tires. What can I say, I'm 48 years old, a full 30 years since I first swung a leg over a Kawasaki KDX, and I'm still smitten. Rode both of my bikes today after work, doing a lot of comparison in regard to suspension performance. Naturally the nearly new KTM is much better than the Kawi in this department, but I can definitely do something about that. So here I am, ready to learn, and hopefully impart some useful info that others might find useful. I'm planning a complete bike teardown starting in early December, replacing all bearings, rebuilding the rear shock, installing a heavier spring in the back since all my friends and I weigh more than 200 lbs. Also think I would like to do a KX 125 front suspension swap like the one I read about here on this forum, though I want to keep the OE odometer if at all possible. Can't wait to get started!
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bufftester
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by bufftester »

Welcome back to the sport and congrats on the bikes.
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KDXGarage
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by KDXGarage »

Welcome to kdxrider.net. :bravo:

Congratulations on getting back into it.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
To post pictures from a device: viewtopic.php?f=88&t=24128
John_S
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by John_S »

Great story! It's nice to see you have the KTM but still love the KDX. I'm looking forward to seeing the bike come along this winter. You can still keep the stock odometer if you get RB designs to do the axle mod. That side stays the same, he machines a spacer for the left side, and modifies the axle to use the stock wheel on 99-02 (maybe 03) KX 125-250 forks. More info on his site. Welcome to the forum.
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SS109
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I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by SS109 »

Welcome! I feel ya. I have a GasGas EC250R but I still have and love my KDX.
Youtube Channel: WildAzzRacing
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Current KDX: '98 KDX220
Old KDX: '90 KDX200 -White/Blue
'11 GasGas EC250R
Skoalman
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Skoalman »

Welcome B4Y.

I've had the same experience as you. I replaced my 2015 Beta 300RR with a 2017 model this summer. Great bike, all the bells & whistles one could ever ask for, dialed-in, yadda-yadda. But, and, as I've mentioned in previous posts, my lil' 96 KDX 200 never fails to impress and admittedly probably brings me more smiles than my Beta. I've had a lot bikes over my lifetime, but the KDX is the one bike that never escaped my thoughts...This is my 3rd KDX, and it's not going anywhere this time.

Truly the "Little engine that could," and does not fail to impress.
Bravo4Yeti
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Bravo4Yeti »

bufftester wrote:Welcome back to the sport and congrats on the bikes.
Thanks! Ordered the shock rebuild kit from Pivot Works today. Did a poker run earlier this month with my son riding the KDX. The bike did fantastic, even if my boy needs to work on his skills and fitness, hahaha. Trying to figure out how to post some photos on here
Bravo4Yeti
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Bravo4Yeti »

John_S wrote:Great story! It's nice to see you have the KTM but still love the KDX. I'm looking forward to seeing the bike come along this winter. You can still keep the stock odometer if you get RB designs to do the axle mod. That side stays the same, he machines a spacer for the left side, and modifies the axle to use the stock wheel on 99-02 (maybe 03) KX 125-250 forks. More info on his site. Welcome to the forum.
Wow! That's great to know, thank you. I will definitely check him out.
Bravo4Yeti
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Bravo4Yeti »

Skoalman wrote:Welcome B4Y.

I've had the same experience as you. I replaced my 2015 Beta 300RR with a 2017 model this summer. Great bike, all the bells & whistles one could ever ask for, dialed-in, yadda-yadda. But, and, as I've mentioned in previous posts, my lil' 96 KDX 200 never fails to impress and admittedly probably brings me more smiles than my Beta. I've had a lot bikes over my lifetime, but the KDX is the one bike that never escaped my thoughts...This is my 3rd KDX, and it's not going anywhere this time.

Truly the "Little engine that could," and does not fail to impress.
Yep, gotta agree with your sentiment. Just something about the KDX, kind of a romantic charm to it. Such a sweet and forgiving bike to the novice, and a reliable steed for the more experienced rider. Had my brother ripping around on the KDX yesterday after his KTM ran out of gas, so cool.
Skoalman
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Skoalman »

Bravo4Yeti wrote:
Skoalman wrote:Welcome B4Y.

I've had the same experience as you. I replaced my 2015 Beta 300RR with a 2017 model this summer. Great bike, all the bells & whistles one could ever ask for, dialed-in, yadda-yadda. But, and, as I've mentioned in previous posts, my lil' 96 KDX 200 never fails to impress and admittedly probably brings me more smiles than my Beta. I've had a lot bikes over my lifetime, but the KDX is the one bike that never escaped my thoughts...This is my 3rd KDX, and it's not going anywhere this time.

Truly the "Little engine that could," and does not fail to impress.
Yep, gotta agree with your sentiment. Just something about the KDX, kind of a romantic charm to it. Such a sweet and forgiving bike to the novice, and a reliable steed for the more experienced rider. Had my brother ripping around on the KDX yesterday after his KTM ran out of gas, so cool.
Couldn't agree more with what you stated. It's kind of like that first, really sweet girlfriend you had, and then she moves away and you never hear from her again, and then by chance , 15-20 years later you run into her. And, she's still just sweet as you remember her. Can't let her get away this time!

Quick story today: Haven't ridden in about 2-3 months. Had to do some yard clean up this morning, and so while I was out in the garage I decided to fire up the KDX and Beta. Of course, you know which bike fired up on the second kick, right? Went to fire up the Beta with the e-start - low battery. Too many bells & whistles, man! KDX -- 2 kicks, all good. Need I say more? :)
Bravo4Yeti
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Re: I was a lurker, now a member!

Post by Bravo4Yeti »

That's cool Skoalman! Yeah, I have the same experience with my KDX...fires up in one or two kicks every time. Haven't had my battery go dead for the e-start KTM yet though. But I also haven't gone more than a few weeks without riding it. Having a brother with 4 acres to ride on helps a ton in this department! Otherwise I'm sure I would be going longer periods without riding.
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