KX Riders
General => Riding Tips & Tricks => Topic started by: shorty on April 10, 2012, 04:54:59 AM
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Hey guys. I am 5 foot 4 and getting a KX 500 :-D. Can anyone give me any tips or pointers on things like body position, good cruising gears, is it better to ride high gear, low RPM, or high RPM, low gear? Is there enough seat foam to shave a couple inches off? Any other tips or tricks, or things I should look out for on the trail? I don't wanna wreck it my first run out!
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I ride an AF so I can't give you handling advice on the "Steelie". There's a lot of hype around the KX/CR and some of it well deserved. The power delivery stock on the KX is a little more metered than a CR with a little more range about 500 RPM if I remember right before you hit peak but actually makes a couple more horse then the CR because of the power valve. So long as you stay out of the upper RPM range of the pipe a stock KX500 is very tractor like in my opinion.
If you don't want to dig a trench stay up a gear! Also make sure your brakes are in good order! :-D
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First, when you think you are in the right gear, shift up one more time! Also keep one or more fingers on the clutch & your right foot over the brake pedal...this will keep you from suddenly stamping your butt-print into the hard ground. Mine are still proudly on display in the west-central Texas desert, compliments of my first KX500 ('86 B2). Second, they are very sensitive to the fork tube position; raising or lowering them can make the difference between it being easy or impossible to ride. And third, if you have never rode a big-bore two-stroke, you can do what I did: I drilled & tapped my throttle housing in two places for a small bolt that would stop the throttle at 1/2 or 3/4 turn. When I could ride it without trying to kill myself at 1/2 throttle, I moved the bolt to allow 3/4 and when ready I took the bolt out--try it, it really works!
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You ride a 500 like this.. Wot
https://youtu.be/AbeJPhjHsN0
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There are so many places in that vid I would have wadded up... Still fun to watch even if it is the hundredth time. :-D
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Still fun to watch even if it is the hundredth time. :-D
+1...it's beautiful music.
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Are you going to ride mx? Dessert?
If mx here are two different methods...
AIM and shoot! Not the fastest way though...
You line the bike up for the straights and go wot...
Or tried and tested method of throttle control, Keep it in the meat of the pwrband use the awesome power available to get up over the bumps and ruts early coming out of the corners, let the bike work for you don't try to wrestle it around.
Back in my 125 days I was pretty fast, but I wrestled the bike around the track, when I switched to 250 I wasn't strong enough to do that and had to adapt to a different riding style, I switched to the 500 after 2 years and had to refine my now soft riding technique even further, back in those days I was 5 ft 4 in and weighed around 125 lbs, someone said I was the smallest 500 rider in Sweden... Sadly I'm no longer that light... Pushing 200 lbs nowdays but I can still move a 500 cc bike around a mxtrack pretty fast making the young guns look foolish when they get beat by an old fat guy on a bike thats obsolete.... :-D
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Turn it on and leave it on ,, just avoid "target fixation" (dont look at what or where you dont want to go or hit) just my .02
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Hey guys. I am 5 foot 4 and getting a KX 500 :-D. Can anyone give me any tips or pointers on things like body position, good cruising gears, is it better to ride high gear, low RPM, or high RPM, low gear? Is there enough seat foam to shave a couple inches off? Any other tips or tricks, or things I should look out for on the trail? I don't wanna wreck it my first run out!
I ride mine exactly the same way I grew up racing 125's and 250's....in a lower gear, in the upper revs, whether I'm on a track or in the woods...it's just something I can't change after 39 years of riding.
Everyone's different, everyone's got a different style of riding....ride it whatever way makes you comfortable...it won't take you long to figure out what works best for you.
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any pointer tips and tricks to how i can improve? https://youtu.be/rrhJeBkvp4c
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i like the lower gears and upper revs myself. its nice to have the lift you need too power over something you werent expecting in your face all of a sudden. only thing i recommend is before every ride check all the bolts that hold your seat your number plates your exhaust pipe your silencer your rear brake master cylinder your kick starter your rear brake pedal your fenders your radiator halves to make sure that they are there for 1 and tight. dont hesitate to get yourself a bottle of loctite. some extra hardware. expect due to the nature of the bike to have to modify the exhaust mount vibration isolators. expect the mounting tabs on your exhaust pipe to weaken and break off. both my fmf and my pro circuit pipes needed mounting tabs welded back on. the thing about this bike is if it cant rattle the bolt thats holding something on out. then it will break the piece that bolt is holding on eventually,. just stay on top of keeping it tight.
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The one thing I can add about this beast is that you must use your legs to squeeze the tank. You will be done in 20 mins and your bike back on the truck if you don't. Vibration is too much for this bike so I use oversized Thick gel hand grips.
Arm pump is gone. Practice crushing stones with your left hand you'll need it!
:)
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Or gain a 100 pounds that would put most at a 170 to 210 lbs try 345 in the woods for 55 to 60 miles.
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Or gain a 100 pounds that would put most at a 170 to 210 lbs try 345 in the woods for 55 to 60 miles.
Fastest fat guy I know
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Hey fat guys need love too..!! :-D
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Hey fat guys need love too..!! :-D
we sure do!
but on that virbation thing and bolts cracking and falling out, will a balanced cranck reduce vibration enough to keep that from happening?
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you know a balanced crank is an obvious oversight sometimes.but,,, this bike will loosen bolts just becazuse its the bnature of the beast. i remember the old harley davidson bikes . had a few old timer friends that said off the start. if everything is working correctly the loctite will save you from losing your motor. sol take that for what its worth. i bought a 1995 kx500 new in 97. the first thing i had to replace was the stock exhaust pipe. why.? it blew the weld apart just below where it comes around the throttle side of the radiator just ahead of the water pump.. poor weld??? the crank only did its job for maybe 15 hrs or less prior to that ... i think if you want to keep from buying hardware. just buy some locktite. keep an eye on the front motor mount bolts near where the pipe goes on . and the subframe bolts are not easily replaceable down at your local hardware store. the ones below the seat that are right to both sides of your airbox front. locktite those all 6 .the motor mount ones in front and the subframe ones i just mentioned./ it doesnt really have anything to do with riding the bike . it mostly has to do with keeping the bike ride-able. your call. just my experience. doubt many can disagree. and once you find the sweet spot that your general plastics and tank /seat fasteners want. theyll usually stay put without any threadlock. happy torquing. i always walk my bike before a ride with an 8mm/5-16ths socket and ratchet with an extension. cant blame the crank when im riding it and i lose parts on the trail. but yes a true crank is definitely preferred.
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Per Danny Hamel..........
Steering Damper set at 70%
Standing with knees clamped at the tank
Handlebars in your crotch
Head over the front fender scanning 100+ yards ahead
15/45 gearing
5th gear pinned
105 MPH across the desert
Pin it to Win it!!!!!!
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I agree with most of these tips and especially over the tank.
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Wardy...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6jnCJVSzs