Personal Bike Reports!
Mark Nelson
> I bought a 12t front sprocket
>for future woods use but haven't used it yet. Stock gearing is 13/49.
Cam
Make sure you check clearances first. I sold my KX 500 to a guy and he put a
smaller front sproket (1 tooth) on it. The chain ate into the case material
really bad. If you run an O-ring chain look really close. I'd hate to see you
cause yourself problems.
Mark Nelson
#567 Oklahoma Cross Country Racing Association
1996 YZ 125
1999 YZ 250
2001 YZ 250F
LBZ351
no top end whatsoever, I'm happy to say the bottom end is still very strong
and it revs much much higher than say a 94 or 95 KX250. The power comes on
really smooth. It still does not has as much power up top as a CR250 but it
has so much more bottom and comparable midrange. Top end it close, probably
the most similar motor to it is the YZ250, I would give a slight edge to the
YZ on top and an edge to the KX on the bottom.
The suspension is much stiffer after cries that it was too plush in previous
years, there are straight rate 0.43 and 5.2 springs on it and they should be
perfect for people around 180 pounds I'm guessing, its a little stiff for
begineers or light people though (like me).
The brakes on KX's have been ALL the magazines main point to bring up
against the KX, well not anymore, the front brake is amazing, no spongyness
at all, there is a CR250 in my garage next to the KX and the KX brakes feel
better, so much for wanting them Honda-Like, they are better!
Comes with factory frame guards which is a nice feature, shifting problems
on the 2000 appear to have been solved.
The Honda and Kawi felt about the same for spaciousness but I felt really
weird on the CR, I dont know what it was but it was much different than my
KX. The YZ felt more comfortable and similar to the KX however I felt
cramped on it, it felt like the footpegs were too high, I'm 6'2 so I think
the YZ would fit smaller riders good.
As for CR vs KX, its purely opinion on the feel... both were fine for tall
riders, I didnt feel cramped on either, just a different feel to them. But
if you have a YZ and feel cramped at all I think you'd like the KX better,
its really similar in powerband but a little more spacious
More than happy with it, I like the huge bottom end on the KX's, and the
addition of a top end to the new KX250's make it a much more well rounded
bike.... what can the mags complain about now?
--
Jere
2001 KX250 2000 ZR600
1994 KX250 1999 ZL600
1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Indy
"Cam Mitchell" <cmit...@attcanada.net> wrote in message
news:9vt18tsdi0lchri7f...@4ax.com...
> First, someone else came up with the idea for us to share our bike
> reports.. I think that's a great idea, because you really can't
> blindly follow the magazines.. There are no politics in RMD!
>
> Bike: 2000 KX250
> Rider: 19 y/o, 6'5, 275lb Novice MXer.
>
> I'll try to address every issue, if I forget any major details feel
> free to remind me.. I'll do this as honest and un-biased as possible.
>
> 1. Engine
> The motor of this bike is sensational.. It has no weak points. When I
> first rode it, it really felt on par with my previous '94 KX500. Tons
> of grunt and a nice wide spread of power, no real hard hit anywhere.
> It has a ton of bottom which keeps building through the midrange and
> still pulls well up top, too. No weakness! I'm completely satisfied. I
> got a ton of holeshots last season starting from the far outside line.
>
> 2. Jetting
> I am at pretty close to sea level, but ride as high up as 5000+ ft.
> The bike felt fine to me stock, but I was told that dropping the
> needle one notch on the clip gets best results. Honestly, I didn't
> really notice any difference but it's not too lean. This is all I've
> had to touch on the carb.
>
> 3. Gearing
> I haven't done anything with the gearing. The only shortcoming is in
> very tight woods, 1st gear is too tall. I bought a 12t front sprocket
> for future woods use but haven't used it yet. Stock gearing is 13/49.
> Shifting from 1st to 2nd needs a solid lift of the foot, or else I
> find neutral almost every time.
>
> 4. Rear Suspension
> With my weight, both ends of the suspension were very undersprung as
> they would be on any bike. I went up to a 5.8 shock spring. I don't
> know where I have my clickers set at. The rear suspension still
> bottoms pretty hard over medium sized jumps, I plan on revalving this
> spring. Other than the bottoming, I don't have much to complain about.
> Honestly, though, I'm really bad at feeling out my suspension. If it
> works it works.
>
> 5. Forks
> Ditto on the weight thing, I went to .46 springs up front. Again, I
> don't know where my clickers are. The forks bottom out pretty hard too
> still, but I haven't tried adding oil yet. They could be a lot more
> supple over braking bumps and choppy sections, too.. But I'm sure the
> stock valving is not aimed to work with that big of a spring change.
> Ditto with the rear. The forks will most likely be revalved too.
>
> 6. Handling
> The handling is excellent on this bike, it is very stable. I've only
> gotten headshake once, I was being stupid while tapped out in 5th on
> the highway and began wiggling the bars on purpose, I could feel it
> starting to get out of control.. But I quickly got it back. It's not
> as stable as my old 500, but not much is. The bike turns really well,
> but I have noticed it doesn't like inside lines much, and it feels
> like it would rather be turned than leaned.. It still leans well, a
> lot of this may have to do with my riding habits.
>
> 7. Brakes
> The rear brake works well, no complaints there. My front brake is bad
> by any standards.. I don't have much faith in it for stopping power.
> The lever is spongy and braking power is weak.
>
> 8. Detailing
> The bike is quite well equipped. The bike has little radiator braces
> that supports it to the frame in behind, which definitely saved my
> radiator a couple of weeks ago from being smashed completely.
> The frame guards are a nice touch. I would have bought frame guards if
> it didn't come with them.
> The pipe coating is nice, so far it is very durable. I don't like the
> drain holes in the silencer, though, it makes a mess when your packing
> gets a bit wet and it starts dripping all over the back of your bike.
> An 8mm socket takes off every piece of plastic on the bike, which is
> also nice. My riding partner has a '01 CR250 and you need a 13mm
> socket for some bolts, 8mm for the others.
> The stock plastic keeps its shine pretty well. Green side panels would
> have been nice, though, black boots rubbing on white side panels
> really makes it look bad. It does rub out for the most part, though.
> The stock graphics have held up extremely well, compared to what the
> magazines said. Mine have not started peeling at all, until my last
> crash. The left side shroud got folded and cracked in a few places,
> which split the graphics and they chipped off around those parts. A
> few more rides and it will look bad on the one side.
> For some reason my swingarms on both this bike and my 94 KX have
> stayed looking good.. I don't have any black primer paint showing
> through like the magazines complain about.
> The stock tires (Bridgestone M51/M52?) wore out quite fast compared to
> others I've used. They were decent tires, performance wise.
> The airbox design could be better.. It's not the easiest bike for
> changing filters, with the CDI taking up extra space in the airbox.
> I don't like having electrical connections running all over my bike..
> I can't take my subframe off without unplugging the CDI. I can't take
> my carburetor off without unplugging the powerjet circuit. Etc. etc.
> The bike isn't the easiest to work on, compared to my 500, but it's
> definitely easier than my buddy's 01 CR250. That aluminum frame is
> difficult to work around.
> The stock reeds began chipping in the bottom right corner after the
> second or third ride. I kept using them up until now. It kept getting
> worse and worse until I had barely any bottom end and the bike was
> very difficult to start. It doesn't feel like it would pull a 2nd gear
> start now.
> Both of my rims are really tweaked. My rear spokes still come loose
> almost every ride! Mostly on the sprocket side. I've been tightening
> the spokes so often that I think I put my wheel out of true.. It has a
> very pronounced wobble to it when spinning on the stand. My buddy even
> noticed it when riding behind me on the track.
> I really wish Kawasaki would begin using sturdier fork guards, like
> any of the other big 3. The Honda fork guards are very nice in
> comparison.
> My lower shock mount bearing is seized already. I recently regreased
> everything and most of the bearings looked well greased from the
> factory.
> The rubber mounted bar mounts are VERY nice! It is much cheaper to
> upgrade to oversized bars this way.
>
> Overall:
> I am very pleased with the bike. If I could afford to I would upgrade
> to the 2001, just because they addressed all of the minor shortcomings
> the 2000 had.
>
> Here is a list of stuff I have done to the bike:
>
> Applied Racing +15mm height offset bar clamps, Applied Racing
> honda-style bar clamp rubber mounts, Works Connection aluminum
> throttle tube
> Renthal Emig-bend Twinwall bars, Pro Grip grips
> Race Tech springs, 0.46 fork 5.8 shock
> Acerbis Rally Pro black hand guards, Acerbis Pro Taper mount kit
> Acerbis black seat cover, Ceet tall seat foam
> V-Force Delta 2
> UFO black vented front number plate, UFO black fork guards
> MSR aluminum radiator guards, Works Connection glide plate
> Spare MSR enduro skid plate
> Regina O-ring gold chain, spare JT steel 12t front sprocket
> No-Toil filters
> Michelin S12 tires, 90/90-21 & 130/70-19, Bridgestone heavy duty tubes
> needle dropped one notch in carb
>
> The V-Force reed cage was only purchased because the stock reed cage
> is a bad design that contributes to excessive wear on the bottom right
> reed petal. The one time investment will hopefully provide less down
> time for the bike, less maintenance, pay for itself over time due to
> not needing reeds often, and any performance gains are a welcome
> bonus.
>
> All I have left to do is some new shrouds and graphics, revalving of
> shock and forks, a new lower shock mount bearing, and possibly some
> excel rims.
>
> This really turned into a novel, if anyone got down this far, get back
> to work! ;)
>
> I'd love to read everyone else's reports on their bikes.. Please
> contribute!
>
> Cam
>
Jeff Deeney
better if we could archive these somewhere. David? I like the idea of
an source for unbiased evaluations. With pictures, I could see how the
size of this site could quickly become a problem for the host.
-Jeffrey Deeney- DoD#0498 NCTR UTMA BRC COHVCO AMA
'99 ATK 260LQ-Stink Wheels '94 XR650L-DreamSickle
We don't stop riding because we get old, we get old because we stop riding.
Brian McGarry
Jeff Deeney wrote:
> Thanks for the bike report. This is a great idea. It would be even
> better if we could archive these somewhere. David? I like the idea of
> an source for unbiased evaluations. With pictures, I could see how the
> size of this site could quickly become a problem for the host.
I second that idea. I'd like to see all kinds of product reviews and
'How Too' write ups.
For instance:
I just added a fly wheel weight to my 1996 KX250.
One of my 1996 KX250s has a Clark tank the other has a Acerbis.
They both have advantages and disadvantages.
I've played a lot with different lighting
systems on these bikes.
How I fixed a rim flat spot.
The problem is, where do you draw the
line. The amount of information is limitless.
Brian
>
>
James T. Holter
>
> Thanks for the bike report. This is a great idea. It would be even
> better if we could archive these somewhere. David?
deja?
James
00CR250
JamesG
be added quite easily.
http://www.georgiaoffroad.com/dbselect.phtml
Well worth checking out.
JamesG
1996 CR250
"Jeff Deeney" <nos...@thank.you@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE> wrote in
message news:95rtmu$ctn$4...@fcnews.fc.hp.com...
IRKurt
cliches. Made me uneasy as I could find no "this bike could be a potential
winner in the right hands if they addressed... blah, blah..."
What if we devised a template with critical information (on Word or whatever)
that could be downloaded from the RMD site, then filled out including comments
and then posted/archived? It would be cool to look up a bike and see
real-world feedback about a potential bike.
Some basics:
1. bike type
2. rider information
3. bike use
4. various qualitative feedback.
Kurt
99 KX 250
George Loch
"JamesG" <ja...@kimberley.co.za> wrote in message
news:95s4v1$91k$1...@ctb-nnrp2.saix.net...
David Jones
>Nice write-up, Cam. You were right-on, but omitted the imperative magazine
>cliches. Made me uneasy as I could find no "this bike could be a potential
>winner in the right hands if they addressed... blah, blah..."
>
>What if we devised a template with critical information (on Word or whatever)
>that could be downloaded from the RMD site, then filled out including comments
>and then posted/archived? It would be cool to look up a bike and see
>real-world feedback about a potential bike.
With all my newly found database knowledge I could devise an online
form to shoot the info into a DB, then search/display the data based
on the bike year and/or model.
You guys figure out what you want on it and let me know.
>Some basics:
>1. bike type
>2. rider information
>3. bike use
>4. various qualitative feedback.
>Kurt
David Y2KTM2E
djo...@lsidaho.com
http://www.motosports-boise.com/rmd
"The Very Unofficial RMD Page"
Cam Mitchell
>> I bought a 12t front sprocket
>>for future woods use but haven't used it yet. Stock gearing is 13/49.
>Make sure you check clearances first. I sold my KX 500 to a guy and he put a
>smaller front sproket (1 tooth) on it. The chain ate into the case material
>really bad. If you run an O-ring chain look really close. I'd hate to see you
>cause yourself problems.
Hi Mark.. How did putting a smaller countershaft on make the chain rub
the case? I can see how a larger one would, but not a smaller one.. I
can just see a smaller one creating excessive wear on the swingarm
chain guard..
Thanks,
Cam
Mark Nelson
The chain ate into the case near the bearing and seal of the counter shaft. The
smaller diameter ate it away. It was still holding, but looked like crap.
>Hi Mark.. How did putting a smaller countershaft on make the chain rub
>the case? I can see how a larger one would, but not a smaller one.. I
>can just see a smaller one creating excessive wear on the swingarm
>chain guard..
>
Mark Nelson