Whoooo hoo buying my first bike tomorrow!!! Kdx 200 for 300!! I'm so stoked I have wanted a bike for a loooooong time now.

Sweet! I should hook you up w/ some of my friends in NE so you can get some deals on parts and whatnot from their sponsors.

what year 200?

doesn't much matter though 300 bucks is flat out steeling it. kdx200's are fun bikes.

there is a lot of aftermarket stuff for them too.

and if you want to compete offroad team green is by far the best supporters out there. all you have to have is a kawy and they will help you out for an event. they gave my bud a set of fork seals for free once. they also packed his muffler when he didn't pass sound check.

you will like the kdx they are top of the line bikes I think I have a 94...wish I would have gotten it for 300 LOL anyhow ....2 stroke power, but big enough flywheel and geared right for woods type riding, very manageable power!!! have fun on it :D

Well I played around with it for a while today. I can't get it to start. I can pull the kick starter down with 2 fingers so I am figuring that the top end will need to be rebuilt. Kinda sucks cause I was hoping to ride today and I can't get the bike to the shop till next week. Does anyone have any suggestions or a guess on cost I figure a few hundred. I just want to RIDE!

I used to have an IT 200, it was the Yamaha version of the KDX, or visa versa. I don’t know all the history. Anyway, a top end rebuild shouldn’t cost too much. Less the $200 I would think, maybe even closer to $125. It has been a while since I’ve had that bike. It is about $125 for a CR125 and $80 for a CR 80 through Planet Honda. This assumes you don’t need to work on the cylinder. (edit) and you do the work yourself.

Don’t expect huge compression from these bikes. I could turn mine over by hand too. Even after new rings. It should start even with low compression. You’ll have to learn the routine. If my IT was being stubborn, I’d put in a new plug turn off the choke and bump it on a pretty good hill in 2nd.

Has it been run recently?
Have you put in a new plug?
Check for spark? (no spark – check the kill switch and the wire)
What does the plug look like? (color, gap, wet, dry)

Black it’s fouled
Brown it was close to right last time it ran.
White it’s new and didn’t run, or it was way to hot an you might have a hole in your piston. :o
No gap – no run, (not enough spark)
Big gap – no run (too weak spark)
(Shade tree trick, the gap is about the same as the thickness of the box it came in)’

Wet ( at least it’s getting fuel)

You’ll learn to read spark plugs in a hurry with a 2 smoker.

Don’t just leave the choke on. Try a few kicks with it on, then a few with the choke off, then a couple with no throttle, then again with the choke, then give it the two stroke snap.

That is just a little twist as you are kicking, but at the end of the kick. That will be come second nature and it’s a hard habit to quit when you go to a 4 stroke. :P

Do the easy stuff first. I once did the top end on my IT and later noticed that my plug gap was way too small.

Sorry if this is way too much, but you said it was your first bike and I’m taking a break from an already long day at work. :D

Can you tell I miss my bikes? :crybaby2:

clean the carb.
put fresh permix in the tank(drain the old first)
clean the air filer and oil it.
new plug.

put the plug in the plug wire and lay the plug against the head or cylinder side. kick the bike over and look to see if you see a spark.(ignition is always the cheapest and easiest thing to check)
if the is indeed a spark the put the new plug back in the head and try to start it.
when trying to start it lean the bike over with the gas on until you see gas comeing out of the bike. that is called tickling the carb. it is to make sure that you have gas in the bowl. if it is really hot where you are like in the 90's plus you shouldn't need to choke it. other wise choke it. put pressure on the kick starter until you feel resistence, then back the lever up to the top, (this will ensure that you are truning the motor over as much as possible for one stroke. kick the kick start lever down very fast and solid, to the stop. maybe crack to throttle but don't twist it.
i usually kick my bike over with the choke on about four times then i shut it off. there should be enough fuel in the cylinder by that time.

if you can't get it to star ttake a compretion test on it. call a shop or look in a manuel and find out if it is in spec.

you never said what year it is so i have no idea what it would cost to rebuild it.

if it is newer with a power valve and the cylinder is trashed it will cost you. cause those cylinders are nikasil coated aluminum. you can buy a new one from kawasuki for $$$$$$$ or send to a place like L.A. sleeve for a cast iron sleeve, but there are draw backs to that.

if it is an old air cooled none power valved motor it shouldn't cost more than $150 bucks for bore, piston, rings, head and base gasket.

if you have the top end apart check the conecting rod and crank bearings also before you rebuild you might want to check the crank seals.(not much you can do beside look at them close and look for tears or oil drools.) put new reeds in it too.

hope it helps. good luck and have fun.:D

Thanks for the sugestions. I appreciate it a lot. By the way it is an 86. I spent all morning trying to get it started. when I pulled the spark plug it look practily brand new there was a little black on it but it didn't really look worn or burnt out at all. When I checked for spark I couldn't get any what so ever I repositioned the plug several times and still no spark. So I am a little disconcerned with that. The few shops I went to today said that I should at least hone the cylinder and then get it micromered (sp?) to see what piston to order. Also when I tried to start it a few min ago I pulled the clutch in and the cable snaped so I need to replace that also and the throttle cable is kinda sticky as well. so it was kinda a crapy day on the bike front.

hey working on a 300 dollar dirt bike that hasn't been set on fire could never turn into a bad day. cables are cheap. buy all new cables. you still have a screaming deal.

i found this in an effort to find out if it is a nikasil coated cylinder or not. you might get some helpful info out of it.
http://www.georgiaoffroad.com/dbindex.phtml?brand=Kawasaki&modelletters=KDX

if it is a nikasil cylinder you can like i said buy a new cylinder or have it sleeved (may is already) with cast iron or also there are places that recoat them. i know that you are not suppose to hone a nikasil coated cylinder. it is a hard plating that when honed will be removed and will expose the aluminum. if it were me and if it doesn't have a power valve i would send the barrel to L.A. Sleeve or a simalar company and have a cast iron sleeve slammed in it.

i would work on the sparking issue first though. try hoseing down the stator(ignition igniter) under the flywheel cover with a good contact cleaner. and unscrew the spark plug boot cut the end of the wire and screw it back in you can also do this to the coil side. you might get lucky. also check the ground for the coil. make sure the wire connections are clean. sand them. i forget how to check the coil but i seem to recall that you just use an muli-meter. another one is the kill button/switch. take it apart and make sure that it is not shorted out or something funky like that.

My IT was an 86 too. An 86 for $300 is not too bad. The parts are worth more than that, but at that cost level it will take a little work to get it going.

So, it’s air-cooled.
It sounds like the bike has been sitting for a while. The problem with buying an older bike is the maintenance has a steep learning curve. Leave the cylinder for now unless it is in really bad shape. That’s hard for me to tell from here. :) If it is not scuffed, or marred, then a 2 stroke will run with almost no compression. It just gets harder to start and you’ll loose bottom end power in a big way. If you can figure out the electrical, then tear into the top end.

I hate electrical problems (see my sig) and you’ve gotten some good advice already, so I’ll help with the mechanical stuff. Cables break, especially if they are not well lubed, and lubed often. There is a little tool that clamps to the cable end, then you put the little red straw from an aerosol lubricant spay and wiggle the cable along until the whole cable is lubed. Most new cables won’t need that yet, but it might help your existing cable. This also helps keep the controls light, which will prevent arm pump and should be done regularly.

I hope you are mechanical. Go through the bearings and make sure they are not seized and that they have lots of grease. Pay special attention to the lower swing arm, pivot, and wheel bearings.

If it were my bike, then I’d follow hawaii500’s advice to get it running, then I’d take it down to the frame, except the head set as long as it feels smooth. This is not an expensive exercise and you will know your bike when you are done. The only cost will be replacing parts that need to be replaced anyway (before you are stranded or crash).

My only advice for electrical stuff:
Get a manual and trace your way back up from the plug. They should have resistive values for the coil. That’s about all I know. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I am very mechanical so that part isn't really a big deal. Wiring is what kicks the crap out of me I have never been good at it. I checked the bike over for lose connections but didn't find any. I think it would start up ok if it had spark. I think I try to clean the carb out I bet there is prob old gas all gumed up on there as well. Thanks for all the help so far and I will keep u updated.