KX Riders

Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: kawicody on July 22, 2015, 06:52:11 AM

Title: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: kawicody on July 22, 2015, 06:52:11 AM

Can anyone confirm the last year changes (besides BNG) were made to the KX500. I believe it was 1998 with a bit larger forks. So 1998 through 2004 were all the same except for graphics (and black tanks). Is that correct?

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: kawicody on July 23, 2015, 02:36:51 AM

I dug up this old post from "sandblaster" about this website. The post is about 5 years old. I have seen him post recently does anyone know if he continued making this site?

http://oem-cycle.com/KAWASAKIKX500BIKEID.aspx

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: umberto on July 23, 2015, 02:55:09 AM

Yes, he still has his website:  http://www.oem-cycle.com/ (http://www.oem-cycle.com/) Sandblaster is a good dude, who shares a lot of info that can be really helpful.  He's also an excellent source for parts.

I've used this interchange list on his site for my build before.  It shows what parts fit what years.  I'm not sure it will tell you what changes were made by year, but it's a really useful tool for future reference.  It does show the forks changing to 46mm in 1997.

http://oem-cycle.com/KAWASAKIKX500BIKEID.shtml (http://oem-cycle.com/KAWASAKIKX500BIKEID.shtml)

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: kawicody on July 23, 2015, 04:01:44 AM

Thank you so much. So it looks like from 1997-2004 are basically the latest model of KX500 I can get. I can't find any technical changes made after 1997 that I can see. Now to start the long process of finding one I want.

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: umberto on July 23, 2015, 04:13:11 AM

I like to use www.searchtempest.com (http://www.searchtempest.com).  It allows you to search surrounding areas (within a set number of miles) on Craigslist.  You might also check this site from time to time.  Foxx4beaver posts a lot of K5s for sale.  If you find something, post some pics on here.  Some of the K5 experts can help you tell if the bike is a good deal and let you know what to look for.  I might also suggest getting the VIN from any bike your interested in and calling your local PD to have them check to make sure it's not stolen.  Good luck with your search!

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: kawicody on July 24, 2015, 08:59:00 AM

That is a great site. I did not know about it. Thank you much for it. And thanks for the tips

Title: Re: Last Changes to KX500
Post by: sandblaster on July 24, 2015, 10:17:11 AM

Yeah, that link is old.
Is was our old format website.
We had to change it when we upgraded the site.
You'll note the address is the same except for the very last part of it.