31
Kawasaki / Re: 1981 KLX250B parts
« on: January 13, 2016, 10:29:50 PM »
i may have a spare on though I'm in the UK. you don't actually need one. You can wire everything to run without one, may not be legal in Regs overload OZ though.
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32
Wanted / Re: Dick Mann DR 370 frame
« on: December 04, 2015, 12:27:04 AM »
A DMS suzuki frame is being built up in the UK now. Came over from the states in the last couple of years. A friend of someone I know has it.
Mann only made a few. They are as rare as the mark 4 TT500 frame.
Mann only made a few. They are as rare as the mark 4 TT500 frame.
33
Kawasaki / Re: Flat slide carby for KLX250
« on: November 22, 2015, 07:00:08 AM »
KLX motor had bigger valves and a much bigger carb, net gain 0.5 horsepower about 500 revs further up. This is already a stretched Z200....
I'm pretty dubious about aftermarket carbs in general and particularly for this motor. The standard carb if is anything too big for reasons previously discussed. Back in the day carb kits were routinely sold as upgrades. Why? well they made the shops a lot of money. Back then it was difficult to get alternative jets. It's dead easy now, not that some shops are capable of dealing with the reality......
Secondly during the production run of the XT/TT500 there was quite a bit of dyno work done on the standard motor. Result? well the perceived power boost of big bore carbs seemed to be down their being down on power in the lower to middle rev range, which accentuated the extra 0.5 hp when they finally kicked in.
There's a successful tuner of XTs etc in OZ who maintains the standard carb is still the way to go, though he may be the only bloke on the planet to refurbish knackered old ones successfully.
Thirdly if the XL185 is anything to go by the KLX is overpiped. I claim no insight but a commercial mate of mine who used to design and build one off paraglide exhaust systems reckons given the port size the KLX actually needs a narrower pipe even than standard. He was pretty underwhelmed with the standard design saying that power is optimally down except at high revs. Well you have to rev the standard motor as there's not much torque.
I'm pretty dubious about aftermarket carbs in general and particularly for this motor. The standard carb if is anything too big for reasons previously discussed. Back in the day carb kits were routinely sold as upgrades. Why? well they made the shops a lot of money. Back then it was difficult to get alternative jets. It's dead easy now, not that some shops are capable of dealing with the reality......
Secondly during the production run of the XT/TT500 there was quite a bit of dyno work done on the standard motor. Result? well the perceived power boost of big bore carbs seemed to be down their being down on power in the lower to middle rev range, which accentuated the extra 0.5 hp when they finally kicked in.
There's a successful tuner of XTs etc in OZ who maintains the standard carb is still the way to go, though he may be the only bloke on the planet to refurbish knackered old ones successfully.
Thirdly if the XL185 is anything to go by the KLX is overpiped. I claim no insight but a commercial mate of mine who used to design and build one off paraglide exhaust systems reckons given the port size the KLX actually needs a narrower pipe even than standard. He was pretty underwhelmed with the standard design saying that power is optimally down except at high revs. Well you have to rev the standard motor as there's not much torque.
34
Yamaha / Re: XT500 swing arm question
« on: November 20, 2015, 08:48:58 AM »
I've sold both DR400 and KLX arms for XT/TT 500s. As I recall the DR goes on by jacking the frame apart 1 or 2 mm [or taking out the shims behind the dust caps] and moving one of the swing arm shock pivots outboard to line up with the frame. The DR swingarm has no chain tensioner, merely a piece of bent metal to stop the chain from derailing [which is surprisingly effective] You will need new shocks though and best to ask someone who's done it what the right shock specs are. Save you an awful lot of pratting around
35
Kawasaki / Re: KLX250 white brothers and powroll kits
« on: November 20, 2015, 08:34:03 AM »
Think I'd just go down Grouty's piston route; then spend another day and a half rejetting. A VM Mikuni 32 sounds nice, if only I had the baseline jetting specs.... The accessabilty of the standard two cable carb is atrocious.
36
Suzuki / Re: Sp 400
« on: November 20, 2015, 08:20:52 AM »
You mentioned recently on another topic that you have gearbox problems.
Vic Eastwood campaigned a Hagon framed stroked Suzuki and found the gearboxes to be extremely fragile.White Bros only went to 420 on their DR400 due to the poor durability of the 370 when tuned.
I thought the 400 box was beefed up, however early 400 engines used 370 cases which were known to break on kick back. The engines can jump out of second or third[I think it's third] and the best way to fix this is simply to change the worn dogs for a new part. An english road racer posted that. He also said the inlet valve was a couple of mm too small for peak power and that whilst he went to a bigger valve he also filled in part of the inlet port as it was too big . He dynoed his stroked motor at 52 bhp.
Vic Eastwood campaigned a Hagon framed stroked Suzuki and found the gearboxes to be extremely fragile.White Bros only went to 420 on their DR400 due to the poor durability of the 370 when tuned.
I thought the 400 box was beefed up, however early 400 engines used 370 cases which were known to break on kick back. The engines can jump out of second or third[I think it's third] and the best way to fix this is simply to change the worn dogs for a new part. An english road racer posted that. He also said the inlet valve was a couple of mm too small for peak power and that whilst he went to a bigger valve he also filled in part of the inlet port as it was too big . He dynoed his stroked motor at 52 bhp.
37
Kawasaki / Re: KLX250 Jetting question
« on: November 15, 2015, 07:22:46 AM »
I'm running a 30 pilot, 132.5 main and an O8 needle jet with needle on the richest setting. With a slightly different pipe I was running a 135 a 25 and a P0 [needle on leanest setting] Standard needle jet is a P2. It was way too rich with that, never ran clean.
38
Kawasaki / Re: Flat slide carby for KLX250
« on: November 15, 2015, 06:51:49 AM »
You may mean a 135. I posted the same mistake.
I had a new header U bend welded on. My exhaust expert tapered the pipe with an internal cone as he didn't like the internal step from the narrow exhaust port to the pipe.
He didn't tell me he'd done that....
The pipe is the bigger kawasaki option.
Anyway the long and the short of it is it then ran rich everywhere except idle, where it was lean..... I now have a 132.5 main, new needle [top clip], an 08 needle jet and a 30 pilot. Could probably go to a 35 pilot , but then the main could be out again....
The standard carb has to be really close to optimum to work. One setting out and it makes it's feelings known. Although the shorter KL intake rubber will work with the carb and airbox one has to start from scratch with the jetting. It throws everything out.
The standard KLX is overcarbed, It's a 4mm hike up from a KL carb, and the same basic carb and size as an SP370 item.
I have a rollerbearing head but there was no difference when I changed from the standard plain head. I think the cam profiles are the same.
However I live in the damp wet Welsh Marches, with the identical climate to Grouty's Devon and very different from California and most of OZ
I had a new header U bend welded on. My exhaust expert tapered the pipe with an internal cone as he didn't like the internal step from the narrow exhaust port to the pipe.
He didn't tell me he'd done that....
The pipe is the bigger kawasaki option.
Anyway the long and the short of it is it then ran rich everywhere except idle, where it was lean..... I now have a 132.5 main, new needle [top clip], an 08 needle jet and a 30 pilot. Could probably go to a 35 pilot , but then the main could be out again....
The standard carb has to be really close to optimum to work. One setting out and it makes it's feelings known. Although the shorter KL intake rubber will work with the carb and airbox one has to start from scratch with the jetting. It throws everything out.
The standard KLX is overcarbed, It's a 4mm hike up from a KL carb, and the same basic carb and size as an SP370 item.
I have a rollerbearing head but there was no difference when I changed from the standard plain head. I think the cam profiles are the same.
However I live in the damp wet Welsh Marches, with the identical climate to Grouty's Devon and very different from California and most of OZ
39
Kawasaki / Re: White Brothers Kawasaki
« on: November 15, 2015, 06:13:05 AM »
That's a great find
41
Kawasaki / Re: KL C Head gasket
« on: January 22, 2015, 07:58:02 AM »
I only replace the O rings if they've flattened. The cam chain one is expensive. I also check the stretch on the head bolts but I only change them if they've stretched a lot. So far all that has worked for me but I'm running standard roller cam and compression. I had a race cam in but it was down everywhere except the top end. If my bike was running the same piston as Grouty's I'd do as he does re the head bolts at least.
Funny thing about the exhaust. I have two exhausts both Kawasaki. One is bigger diameter. I assumed this would be better, but an engineer friend who designs and builds exhausts to boost power on microlights said that, given the size of the exhaust port and valve, the engine actually needed a narrow diameter pipe to improve torque, and narrower than the smaller one too. The Honda two valvers all seem to run very narrow diameter pipes and they generally make better power than the KLX. Looking at Grouty's non standard exhaust that looks on the narrow side.
Funny thing about the exhaust. I have two exhausts both Kawasaki. One is bigger diameter. I assumed this would be better, but an engineer friend who designs and builds exhausts to boost power on microlights said that, given the size of the exhaust port and valve, the engine actually needed a narrow diameter pipe to improve torque, and narrower than the smaller one too. The Honda two valvers all seem to run very narrow diameter pipes and they generally make better power than the KLX. Looking at Grouty's non standard exhaust that looks on the narrow side.
42
Kawasaki / Re: 1979 KLX250 air cleaner
« on: January 22, 2015, 07:33:25 AM »
Whilst I'm not the perfectionist Grouty is, he is correct re the filter cage depth. I have two KlXs and the cage depths are different
43
Kawasaki / Re: KLX to KLF conversion???
« on: August 23, 2014, 07:43:53 AM »
Everyone goes on about the motor, I think the KLF oil feed to the head is different. The original motor is pathetic but it doesn't need special fuel and runs fine for trail riding as long as one sorts out the head. There is the megacycle mod, the roller bearing cam and the option of phosphor bronze bushing the big cam journal. Grouty did the first, I have examples of the second and third.
I've spent money on suspension. Cartridge emulators in the forks and Red Rocket Ohlins on the back. Lastly I might try heavier fork springs. Even after cutting the most coils one can get away with the forks still need about 5psi. They are so soft standard they were said to need 20.
The brakes are truly pathetic but I don't know if any of the KDX versions had bigger interchangeable drums. Kawasakis of that era are pretty horrendous for parts in the UK.
I've spent money on suspension. Cartridge emulators in the forks and Red Rocket Ohlins on the back. Lastly I might try heavier fork springs. Even after cutting the most coils one can get away with the forks still need about 5psi. They are so soft standard they were said to need 20.
The brakes are truly pathetic but I don't know if any of the KDX versions had bigger interchangeable drums. Kawasakis of that era are pretty horrendous for parts in the UK.
44
Kawasaki / Re: Klx250
« on: August 22, 2014, 11:51:07 PM »
From what I've gleaned stroking and boring turns the gearbox to glass. Remember this was originally a Z200 motor I've heard the hot ticket back in the day was a Dell Orto but the engine is over carbed anyway. It's running a very similar carb to the SP370. Boring to 72 and raising the compression with a revver cam is the way to go
45
Suzuki / Re: CCM Style Finning on SP/DR 370/400
« on: January 01, 2014, 09:43:35 AM »
If you live in Britain it's obvious. It's mud. Oh and if you want the authentic look you take them off with a chisel....