OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => Bike Talk => Topic started by: head on September 04, 2011, 10:24:42 am
-
Just got a 1988 KX250. What I want to know is, will a seat cover and Graphics kit off a 1988-2004 KX500 fit. Are the plastics the same?
Thanks Neil
-
Yes, it's the same
-
yes. Tank is different, front guards changed a couple of times over the years, but none of that should matter.
-
Thanks Guys. Are they a good bike? Have not ridden it yet.
-
They are a really nice bike (for a Kawacka ;)) to ride.
Had a race on one, last year at Monza park at Ballarat and it had nice power, good ergo's and went like the clappers (in fact I gave it too much out of a corner and it threw me off and then followed me in and proceeded to chew a hole threw my pants with the back wheel (nasty))! I just got on it and rode & I am not much of a rider.
It was that much fun (aside from the post ride massive bruise and chewed up leg) that it made me sell my 82 RM465 and replace it with a 1988 RM250J (I am a suzuki or Honda bigot).
You will love it mate!
-
Dog box of a bike. I'll give you a hundred bucks to do you a favor...
-
Dog box of a bike. I'll give you a hundred bucks to do you a favor...
thats one way to get a good cheap bike ;D ;D
-
I had one in the day and what i remember most is within 12 months it was fuct ::) everything wore out . apart from the premeture wear it was a good bike :) not a patch on the RM but a good bike all the same. I had an 89 as well and virtually nothing swapped over from the 88 :o even with the new 12 month tollerences ;D The 89 wore out quick as well ::) but i had an 88 RM 250J and that was the ducks nuts ;D probably the best all round bike i have ever owned ;D Nathans being overly generous as usual ill give you $75 towards an 88 RM ;D
-
You have just made his day bill on the kx score card sounds like the rm is a better pic ;)
-
88 KX: great forks, so-so front brake, good motor that was a bit harder to get along with than the CR or YZ, chunky ergos.
Bill can claim whatever he likes about the '88 RM - nobody will be able to disagree with him because they sold about half a dozen of them... ;D Dean Burt has an amusing story about his 89 RM back in the day.
The KX was widely considered the best all-round 250 in 88. The CR had a great motor but crap suspension, the YZ had no top end power and everything else was good but not exceptional enough to make up for the motor, the KTM was still too European, and the RM was way too late to market (so everyone had already bought their bikes, and nobody bought the RM).
-
Keep on dreaming Bill (p.s see you at Johnny Old next year) ;D.
The RM was the best bike of 88.
-
Keep on dreaming Bill (p.s see you at Johnny Old next year) ;D.
The RM was the best bike of 88.
I wont argue with that :) i have some home videos somewhere from the era , racing both the KX and the RM ;D will try to put on Youtube.
-
I had one in the day and what i remember most is within 12 months it was fuct ::) everything wore out . apart from the premeture wear it was a good bike :)
Yep have to stand behind Bill on this one, I raced 87 for about 6 months on 87 model..... what went wrong.... not much apart from two engine rebuilds but the bit I could never get past were those bloody threaded inserts in the sub frame coroding the screws in then spinning and locking the side covers or seat on. Moved on to WR250 and never looked at the green again.
-
My cousin has A decent '88 KX250. The first time I rode it it was bloody horrible...Might have had something to do with the bald tyres, long range fuel tank & A seat that was so soft the plastic base almost crushed my spine when it kicked up in some braking bumps. I convinced him 2 spend A few $ on it, pretty decent now. I'd race it no probs, way more top than my '88yz. Have heard horror stories bout them, but you hear bad things bout most old mxers.
-
Excuse my ramblings...Yes, I just fitted A new foam & cover off A KX500...
-
Where did you get the foam from? ???
-
the KTM was still too European
What does that mean?
-
That it didn't fit into the expectations of the late teen and twenty-something punters that buy most new MX bikes.
That it was 'weird', with the kick-starter on the left.
That there weren't ten dealers within 50kms of your house.
That the way it made power, and handled, was significantly different to the jap bikes of the day and didn't/doesn't suit our tracks as well as the jap bikes.
That they still needed 'the touch' to get them working perfectly.
They still had relatively clunky gearboxes, forks with a big mid-stroke spike, and brakes that lacked bite - which were typical of the Euro bikes of the era and are tangible failings compared to the Big$'s offerings of the day.
The 88 KTM125MX I owned was not a patch on the 88 KX125, esp not on a typical Australian MX track. Hell, an 86 CR125 is significantly better than the KTM.
Give me a Euro style, rough natural terrain track covered in heavy loam, and I'd seriously consider the KTM as a race bike of choice.
-
That's a pretty fair take on it. I agree with you on the WP fork spike...I never understood why people go apeshit to fit 'em to their bikes, the Showas were so much better. I thought the Kato brakes (Brembo?) were pretty good though.Thanks for that Nathan.
-
Where did you get the foam from
Evilbay...U.S, got the cover for $15!
-
The 88 KTM125MX I owned was not a patch on the 88 KX125, esp not on a typical Australian MX track. Hell, an 86 CR125 is significantly better than the KTM.
Give me a Euro style, rough natural terrain track covered in heavy loam, and I'd seriously consider the KTM as a race bike of choice.
I never rated the MX bikes but give me an Enduro loop and the 88/89 KTM 350 was the best bike I ever had. My 89 bike was very well used ex 4 day winner and finally reliability became and issue and I traded on WR250, but it was never as good, missed having a 'real' enduro bike.
-
The late 80s KTMs were definitely excellent enduro bikes - gets back to Euro MX being relatively enduro-like, I guess.
As much as I love my KDXes, there's no comparison between them and a KTM for real enduro use.