Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original
question on timing
kawdude:
I don't rock it but will attempt to do so. It's more of a deal to take the side cover of the kx but not hard by any means. When I rebuilt the engine last year, which consisted of top and bottom end plus all the bearings, I set the timing at the middle mark but it may have slipped. I wouldn't doubt the ignition is weak. I bought this two years ago as an ebay "low hours" bike...BS! It was beat to crap internally and externally. I'm about your height also and use a stand which helps a bunch. Kaw did a crappo job designing the placement of the kickstarter and that lever has tore up numerous pairs of shoes. The jetting for this bike seems correct at the bottom but definately not at the top. Gowen and I both have had the Eric Gorr treatment done to topend so the jetting has been difficult.
fast99:
dont sell it, (unless you give us on this site a good deal first) jetting!! at 6500 feet here in the white mountains of arizonia took a couple of attempts then found this site and the very accurate jetting charts here, now no problem starts even down to 8 degrees (thats cold and i didn't ride very far before i came back for a hot toddy) But anyway i have seen to many people try to run to thick of oil (especially when weather cools) in dirt bikes. the factory recommended oil in ALL years of the K5 is MOTOR OIL 10W40l i have been useing castol 15/40 in my 99 K5 for years with no shifting, clutch, or kick start problems from well over 110 degrees to 5 degrees (far). just my 2cents worth. again if you must sell do it here first.
kawdude:
I'll sell it here first!!! The kicker issue is a little of both...its wore and its cold. Onde the engine is hot it the kicker doesn't slip.
The jetting issue is another thing. The last time I rode it was d**n good to half throttle. Beyond that it was rich or the exhaust valves are hung up. If I decrease the main jet the bike starts having the famous 500 popping when the engine comes down from higher RPM. If I remember correctly it does the same thing if the clip is leaned out also. I think Gowen experimented with different needles and dialed it in that way.
The 1st $1500 will take it!!!
gowen:
--- Quote from: kawdude ---I'll sell it here first!!! The kicker issue is a little of both...its wore and its cold. Onde the engine is hot it the kicker doesn't slip.
The jetting issue is another thing. The last time I rode it was d**n good to half throttle. Beyond that it was rich or the exhaust valves are hung up. If I decrease the main jet the bike starts having the famous 500 popping when the engine comes down from higher RPM. If I remember correctly it does the same thing if the clip is leaned out also. I think Gowen experimented with different needles and dialed it in that way.
The 1st $1500 will take it!!!
--- End quote ---
If I did not have so much money tied into my KX, I'd sell it. I'm having the same issues as your KX, except for the jetting part. ;-) The d**n kick starter doesn't grab. Currently, I just purchased an inline four that I'm going to build to replace it. But, I'll always have my 500, it is just going to be in the back of the garage from now on. I don't have the time, since I just moved last month to VA. What is bad, when I lived in the city, I used to ride more than I do now that I have land to ride all day long. It's funny how that works. I guess I'm getting old too.
Good luck with the sell!
barryadam:
I've not fully cured my hard starting either. Cold starts (first of the day) have been easier since I followed the group's recommendations on procedure. I have also recently made some jetting changes to bring it closer to the forum recommended settings. I'm not getting good results now on hot restarts or restarts after sitting for an hour or so. The remaining step is to up the main jet from 155 to 160-165.
My ears perked up when hughes mentioned a new plug each time. I had the best luck when I had a fresh BR8EG. Could that be a sign of a weak ignition coil? stator? CDI? Or has anyone else experienced that? The timing is spot on the middle mark. The primary coil winding measures 1.0 Ohms (spec = 0.31+/- 15%); the secondary measures 8.19K Ohms (spec = 3.1K +/- 15%), so technically, it is not to spec. Anyone else measure their coil? Have not checked the CDI resistances or the stator coil yet.
Unfortunately, the more people I ride with, the more I've got to make excuses for that embarassing starting situation. Once it's running, I hesitate to shut it off unless I have a big downhill in front of me.
B
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