What was the last manufacture year of 2 stroke Jap enduro bikes?

[supersenior 50]

Just bought an IT175, DG head, White Bros rear end. Needs a tune but hoping it's enough power for an old wobbler

[80-85 husky]

im with Nathan on this, the kdx engine is much easier to live with than the squirty IT. the ride was nicer and handling superior. the IT brakes were better..much better.

no doubt with a little engine work you could make the IT engine better but with a kdx, you just wack on a 240 barrel and sayonara to everything else....

the IT's haven't gone down the path of the KDX's in ending up in kids hands and being flogged till they bust. the nikasil engines saw a lot pushed into sheds and wrecked. the rear hubs are poor and flogged out easily. I don't know anyone who has had a gearbox issue with kdx's, only lunched barrels from no maintenance and flogged out dogbones....

still. if you can find a good it for sale...go for it. but a PE 250 is a great cheap bike with only the suspension at issue and good pair of shox works wonders

[kdx Geoff]

Obviously lm bias with a name like kdx Geoff 

l used to ride a 175 back in the 80's and when l decided to get back on the bike after maybe 15 years, l was realistic enough to realise that my 175 wasn't the best ride for me now.

l ended up with a tidy 85' kdx250 that l serviced up and have now ridden for a year with no issues.

The unitraks tend to be neglected and need to be stripped and serviced, the greaseable pivot bolts wear and l bought new ones of ebay. The clutch was grabby when cold but a couple of boxes of atf fixed that. Change the fork oil and normal servicing and off we go. No stripped gear levers or bits falling off, just a very reliable bike. There's no issue with getting the rear shock rebuilt or buying the parts if you want to do it yourself. l just fitted a new top end and have bought another genuine piston and but l couldn't buy a new base gasket so l had to make one myself. A throttle cable from a 91 kdx fits (new from the dealer). A lot of parts interchange between the 200' and 250's too.

l find the unitrak very plush to ride and the front end simular. There's plenty of mid range power and the bike is very easy to ride in that rev range. The top end is good and the bottom end power is adequate.

The bike has dragged me (around 100kg ready to ride) around the likes of Blackwood, Harrow and Three Bridges and lm never concerned about the reliability or if its capable of what's ahead.

That said, on the down side is the rear brake. It won't work after a dunking in muddy water so while my front brake is reliable the rear is toast in the wet. l cant get a new rear guard nor side covers but l do have good used ones as spares.

Buy what ever color you heart tells you to buy, spend a few grand on a good one (there's plenty of rough one's out there pretending to be a good), service it up and go for a ride.

Cheers

kdx Geoff

[JohnnyO]

Just bought an IT175, DG head, White Bros rear end. Needs a tune but hoping it's enough power for an old wobbler

I reckon I know that bike Col..

[supersenior 50]

Want to service it for me John while I drum up some more good riding for you?. Great to see you and Russell at Harrisville last weekend.

[rocketfrog]

Nath I'm not selling IT 200's.

However after hearing what Joel said after getting off his broken 86 KDX 200 ( on the first lap ) and riding Daryls bog stock standard 84  IT 200 I am solely forming this opinion. He simply said the IT did everything better. I also rode Daryls 200 and thought it was a boat compared to my 200. The KDX stripped the gear shaft, exactly the same as my KX 500 had previously done. Try and buy a new one. You may say just put a good used one in. I wouldn't bother pulling the motor apart and fitting anything but a new one. Go to any of the aftermarket sites and check out availability of IT parts, mods and accessories and they will be ten fold of what is available for Kawasaki.

You saw the amount of IT's at Cookardinia as opposed to the KDX's. Sure the Kawasaki may or may not have been better but the question I would ask is " if they are so good where are they all now." Lying in bits waiting for parts would be my guess.

It is far easier to live with a Yamaha than a Kawasaki. As evidenced on the weekend, plenty agree.

Ted, do you mean the splines on the selector shaft stripped/sheared so the change pedal is flopping around?

[Ted]

Mudguard, or anybody else for that matter, If you want a going 86 KDX 200 Joel said you can have his for under $1,000. A bargain for this model so I'm informed.

He is located near Albury on the border. He will deliver it for free if you are on the way from Albury to Woolongong as he will be picking up his IT from there.

If you are keen call me on 0407004473

[Ted]

Nath I'm not selling IT 200's.

However after hearing what Joel said after getting off his broken 86 KDX 200 ( on the first lap ) and riding Daryls bog stock standard 84  IT 200 I am solely forming this opinion. He simply said the IT did everything better. I also rode Daryls 200 and thought it was a boat compared to my 200. The KDX stripped the gear shaft, exactly the same as my KX 500 had previously done. Try and buy a new one. You may say just put a good used one in. I wouldn't bother pulling the motor apart and fitting anything but a new one. Go to any of the aftermarket sites and check out availability of IT parts, mods and accessories and they will be ten fold of what is available for Kawasaki.

You saw the amount of IT's at Cookardinia as opposed to the KDX's. Sure the Kawasaki may or may not have been better but the question I would ask is " if they are so good where are they all now." Lying in bits waiting for parts would be my guess.

It is far easier to live with a Yamaha than a Kawasaki. As evidenced on the weekend, plenty agree.

Ted, do you mean the splines on the selector shaft stripped/sheared so the change pedal is flopping around?

Yes, on my KX .

[rocketfrog]

Most Yammies can have that changed without splitting the cases or even taking the engine out of the frame. You can still buy new ones from Yamaha for most models as well! Another plus for the ease of maintenance and repair there. Those things near on always bend in a crash. Plus a 30 Y.O shaft will almost always have worn splines and grooves where the oil seal runs.

Just for info, not making a case for the Yamaha in particular.

[Nathan S]

Still available for the 86 KDX200. US$46 on MrCycles.
I'm 99% sure it is the same art as the 84/85 models too.

[GMC]

IT 200 went to 87, it was basically the same bike as the 84 but with a disc front end which first appeared in 86. It appears the fork inners were the same, they only changed the lower legs and hub.

Air cooled KDX went 83-86 but also in 86 the C2 model was born which was the powervalve, disc brake model.
They still had the early model in 86 with compliance as the C2 model was the US spec version.
It got compliance for 87 and continued in 88.
86 C2 was silver frame, 87 & 88 were green frames and came with battery holders and indicator tags etc. The 87/88 were known as 'D' models in Aust but were still 'C' models in the US
89 was the first of the watercooled KDX

I test rode the IT & KDX in 86 out the back of K & J, the KDX felt like the stronger motor so that's what I bought.
Don't remember having any trouble with the back brake back then, I will reconfirm this in 10 years time when I will hopefully get around to getting one of mine running again

Kawasakis were always an acquired taste and they didn't sell that many back then which is why you don't see that many these days (plus I have a few locked away )

I think most brands & models have an unobtainable part of some sort, if you have money in your pocket you will be able to get most of what you need to keep anything running, it's only the showroom spec guys that have trouble trying to make them match the brochure.

Buy what ever colour matches your riding gear and spend the time to set it up to suit you.

[Nathan S]

IT 200 went to 87, it was basically the same bike as the 84 but with a disc front end which first appeared in 86. It appears the fork inners were the same, they only changed the lower legs and hub.

Air cooled KDX went 83-86 but also in 86 the C2 model was born which was the powervalve, disc brake model.
They still had the early model in 86 with compliance as the C2 model was the US spec version.
It got compliance for 87 and continued in 88.
86 C2 was silver frame, 87 & 88 were green frames and came with battery holders and indicator tags etc. The 87/88 were known as 'D' models in Aust but were still 'C' models in the US
89 was the first of the watercooled KDX

I test rode the IT & KDX in 86 out the back of K & J, the KDX felt like the stronger motor so that's what I bought.
Don't remember having any trouble with the back brake back then, I will reconfirm this in 10 years time when I will hopefully get around to getting one of mine running again

Kawasakis were always an acquired taste and they didn't sell that many back then which is why you don't see that many these days (plus I have a few locked away )

I think most brands & models have an unobtainable part of some sort, if you have money in your pocket you will be able to get most of what you need to keep anything running, it's only the showroom spec guys that have trouble trying to make them match the brochure.

Buy what ever colour matches your riding gear and spend the time to set it up to suit you.

And I believed you when you said you weren't a drinker!

The 86 model was the C1.


/pedant.

[GMC]

Yes your right, obviously I drink too much tea.
Must give it up and get back on the Bourbon

[the stig]

   Is the Yamaha WR 250  97  and 2002to 2004 2t included dt200 to 99
   Also the Susuki RMX 250 2t all had lights and could be road regoed

    The Stig

[mudguard]

Was trying to compare the PE, IT & KDX 200cc range Stig.
 Are the 86 models KDX & IT eligible for Pre 85 classes?
From whats mentioned on this topic the IT seems to be basically an 84 with some extras and the KDX ( C1 ) 84 to 86 similar?