PROJECT-KDX
This is the page where I will keep those interested, up to date on the 1989 Kawasaki
KDX200 that I am in the process of restoring.
Early December, found ad on internet for used KDX200 at extremely low price, near the
mountains of North Carolina. Bike talked up very well over phone, said to only need rear
wheel bearings to put it back on the trails. Seller stated top end had been recently rebuilt
and led me to believe bike had been well maintained. Low price and an urge to get back into
the dirt-bike scene led me on a 4.5 hour drive to pick up this.
Needless to say I was not thrilled, but you get what you pay for...at least thats what
they say. Enough moaning....here we go.
First thing to do.....strip the bike down to the frame, and start building from the
ground up. I have taken several pictures of the bike in different stages of disassembly, and
figure those really don't warrent posting here, so I will start off with a pic of the bike
completely stripped down to the frame.
Since I had the engine on the bench, I figured now was a good time to break open the top
end and verify that it had in fact been rebuilt. It sure enough had a new piston and rings installed,
and the top of the piston and the head cleaned easily with a simple swipe of a rag, but when I
turned to the valves....I found a different story. Obviously carbon had restricted valve movement
at one time or the other, and they were a mess. Not only were the gears stripped, but the valves
had actually snapped in a couple of places. The geared shaft that slides in and out to move these
valves seemed to be in good shape. This shaft was made of steel, as opposed to the aluminum construction
of the valves, so when a bind ocurred, the valves lost. Good design I guess. Here
is a pic of the valves spread out on the bench. If yours look like this upon inspection...get ready to
purchase a new set.
At this point, let me do a couple of things. First off let me give thanks and appreciation to a
forum that anyone who owns a KDX will find extremely useful. That forum is located on the web at
http://dirtrider.net and it's name is Canadian Dave's JustKDX. Believe me when I say it is worth your
while to register for the forum and become an active participant. Second, I would like to take issue
with the person on that forum who stated that replacement of these valves was cheap. Actually, I think
I know what they were getting at when they said this. KIPS valve replacement is cheap compared to most
of the other things that you could be replacing on the bike, but in all reality, I have found no cheap
replacement parts for the bike as of yet, unless they where picked up used. You can save a great deal of
money buying aftermarket products, but again we use cheap here as a comparitive term. Example:"That after-
market seat foam was cheap compared to having to purchase the entire seat from Kawasaki!!" I have found
substantial differences in parts prices from one Kawasaki dealer to the other. A particular item I needed
was quoted to me for $30 at one dealer, while another quoted $35 for the same item. Keep this in mind, and
make some calls before dropping the cash. On the forum I was made aware of a Kawasaki dealership in Florida
that takes orders via the internet that could possibly save me money. I can attest to this, and have ordered
parts from them. I will place the links to dirtrider.net and the Florida dealer below this paragraph so that
you can check them out yourself.
DIRTRIDER.NET (GREAT FORUMS HERE)
TREASURE COAST (GREAT PRICES ON PARTS)
1-18-02 : At this point, I go live. All of the above info occured prior to me adding this particular page to
the site. The frame is off to be "powder coated". Something I had not planned to do, but I found a place that
would do it for a reasonable fee, and bit the bullet. In a week or so, I should have it back. Me being of fragile
memory, decided to catalog the bolts I removed from the bike via pics and some nifty coin envelopes purhased at the
nearest STAPLES. Any time possible, I left bolts attached to removed parts, otherwise I would be scratching my head
when it came time to reassemble. This is an example of how I did the cataloging.
As you can see from the pic, assigned a number to each bolt, then I dropped the bolt in a tiny envelope and numbered it.
KIPS valve parts have been ordered via Treasure Coast, and should be here within a couple of weeks, so at this point
I'm preparing to replace fork seals, clean up the swingarm, recoat the handlebars, and clean up the various other parts
while I wait for the frame to be coated and KIPS parts to arrive.
2-17-02 : Still on hold with the frame. Seems there is some delay in getting the correct color for the powder coating.
In the meantime, the KIPS valves and needed gaskets arrived and were installed. Click here to see a shot of
the valve alignment. No major difficulties here other than the manual being vague on the positioning of the main valve which
is locater over the exhaust pipe opening. Handlebars have been wirebrushed,primered, and painted.
2-22-02 : All work at a stand still ....still! This is the frame at the
powder shop, waiting for its new skin. Maybe next week.
2-23-02 : Since I have nothing else to report at this moment.....get a load of this. My sorry brother-in-law just informed
me that he has purchased this. Seems that a road trip is planned to
the heart of Nashville to pick this puppy up. Shortly there after....I plan to break a blackjack over his head and confiscate the bike.
Will update you on the crime after it occurs.
OK people, I have been a slacker. The bike is completed, and I failed to update the page for a while. I will give you the shorthand
version. First off....here is the bike.
Going back together with the bike took a while. I decided to wirebrush all bolts head to toe. Of course, all pivot points were re-packed
with grease, and bearings were replaced when necessary. Ebay was amazing when it came to finding replacement parts. I think I just happened to be
doing the job at the right time because since finishing the project, the bay has been a little bit more skimpy in the KDX parts catagory. I found
a practically new exhaust system on the web. It had been removed after one ride in order to install an aftermarket pipe. I also found original
plastics the same way. Someone had opted for purple plastic instead of the Kawa-green, and put the originals up for bid. The headlight/number plate
assembly is new, and manufactured by Maier. It is very close to the original, and the only bone I have with Maier products is the way they expect you
to attach it to the bike. The hardware included with them usually consists of a few screws, and couple pieces angle brackets. The instruction "paper"
that was included was as worthless as tits on a boar hog. Improvisation is the name of the game. Since the picture above was taken, I have opted to
remove the headlight assembly for the time being....just for safe keeping. We have just completed a single-track course that is very tight, and since
we are not night racing, I decided to go with the Maier MX number plate on the front. It can be found in the Dennis Kirk catalog, and after installation,
looks pretty nice. This being a Maier universal plate, once again its up to you on how you get it mounted.
I was pleased with the powder coat job after finally getting the frame back. A tad lighter than original I think, but hardly noticable. The original
seat cover was replaced by a Ceet brand cover. Foam was replaced also. The KDX emblem/sticker was designed and cut by a local sign shop. After looking at
the prices of the originals, I almost opted to go stickerless. Though the emblems you see in the picture are not manufactured by Kawasaki, I like them, and
saved myself $25. The Knobbies are Dunlop, front and back. The sprockets are new, as is the chain. I had two sets of forks to choose from, and decided to go
with a set from a 1995 KDX. They were in better cosmetic shape and had less mileage on them. Also used a 95 front rim and braking system. The 1995 caliper is
a dual piston model instead of a single piston. Brake pads both front and rear were replaced. Scott grips, Factory Efx crossbar pad, UFO front and rear fenders.
New clutch cable, and exhaust mounts. Engine had been refreshed with Wiseco and Boyeson products prior to bike disassembly. As stated above, KIPS valve system
was replaced. Opted for no stickers on swing-arm. Sandblasted, then polished it with fine grit sandpaper, followed by steel wool. Easy to clean so far with same
steel wool if needed. New fork boots are Daystar brand.
there are many details of which I will skip, such as the leveling of the footpegs via filling the worn area with a mig welder, then grinding and brushing
them back to there original level.
First Ride: Bike started without a hitch. Wanted to pull a bit, but some clutch adjustment set things straight. After a couple hours of riding, fouled a plug.
Checked out the carb settings that evening and found air screw practically closed. In the eagerness to take her for a spin, had completely overlooked it. After adjusting
the air screw, the plug fouling problem was cured. The bike is running great, and the new single track is drawing complaints about a couple of tough places on the course.
Sounds like a thumbs up to me. I will post some pics of the course soon.
Here is a couple of snaps after front #plate swap-out.
Will update as progress occurs.
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