KX Riders
Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: Goat on February 27, 2010, 06:04:00 AM
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I recently got a 93 KX500 (basket case) Decided before I picked it up that I was going to do a complete rebuild from the ground up. Top end was already disassembled. Engine was out of the frame. I plan to do a step by step the whole build with lots of pictures. May help someone in the future with their builds.
This is my first complete build of a K5 but by far not my first bike build. Been working on bikes since I was 14. Took a small engine class during high school. Also worked at 3 different shops setting up new machines (snowmobiles, jet skis, dirt bikes, and street bikes) Also did 99% of the 2 stroke rebuilds and 25% of the 4 stroke rebuilds.
On with the K5 build. This is what it looked like when I picked it up.
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7026/p1010689w.th.jpg) (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/p1010689w.jpg/)
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2637/p1010498p.th.jpg) (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/p1010498p.jpg/)
The night I got the bike I pulled the seat and put the green cover on it. I have never done a seat cover but it turned out excellent.
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9202/0224101913a.th.jpg) (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/0224101913a.jpg/)
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6059/0224102302a.th.jpg) (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/0224102302a.jpg/)
I have since stripped the frame down to get it powdercoated. I have an 88 frame that is in better shape that I am going to use instead of the 93. The 93 had 4 cracks throughout and about half of the mounting point threads are destroyed from people using standard bolts instead of metric or the wrong size.
93 frame
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7366/0227101332a.th.jpg) (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/0227101332a.jpg/)
88 frame
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1441/0227101333a.th.jpg) (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/0227101333a.jpg/)
The sub frame isn't in any better shape. Most of the threaded inserts are gone or there is a bolt broke off inside it. I'm looking for a better or new one.
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4953/0227101334a.th.jpg) (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/0227101334a.jpg/)
I split the cases and revealed some issues. The crank bearings fell apart when I removed the crank. Not sure how but the right case half has a nasty chunk broke off the crank journal and a crack in the front. I have the piece that broke off. I will take it to a guy I know and have it welded back in and machined down to look like it never happened.
(http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/7276/0227101256a.th.jpg) (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/0227101256a.jpg/)
(http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3964/0227101257a.th.jpg) (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/0227101257a.jpg/)
(http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/2640/0227101257b.th.jpg) (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/0227101257b.jpg/)
In 2 or 3 weeks I will be sending the frame out for powdercoating and ordering all the gaskets, seals, and bearings for the engine. When I get the frame back I will go through and put all new steering, swing arm, wheel, linkage, and shock bearings in.
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Found some cases off a 2000 k5 for a good price. They should be here by the end of the week. Will post pics when they get here.
Did some research on the guy that was going to do all my powdercoating. Not good at all. A dozen or so people have had bad experiences with him. He claims to back his work up but when these people weren't satisfied he quit answering the phone and emails. So I'm just going to wait on the powdercoating and put the bike together. Besides it's been 40*+ for a week now and I want to ride :D
More to come in the next couple weeks.
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Thanks to ZETTNORCAL for all the parts. I finally got the 98 KX250 forks on the K5. Will get pics when it's daylight. Turned out nice. More to come for sure.
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Got some pics of the bike with the 98 forks on it. Bike is kinda put together. Waiting on parts to get the engine back together. The engine cases should be here on Monday. Ordering the new bearings Monday so I can get the engine lower half together. Still looking for a cylinder. Apparently it's hard to find a used one. Not sure if I am going to keep the green plastics or go with black. Either way I'm getting new ones.
(http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7136/93k5002.th.jpg) (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/93k5002.jpg/)
(http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2859/93k5003.th.jpg) (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/93k5003.jpg/)
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good work fella. as hannibal would say, 'I love it when a five comes together'. or sumthin.hang fire with your powdercoating and find someone who'll do it right first time, you'll be so glad you did.cant you replate the cylinder?
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The cylinder has a sleeve in it and would have to be re-done the right way. I have a new cylinder coming. Thanks to Stewart.
Shipped my head to Jfab for compression release install.
Got my cases yesterday. They are in excellent shape except the lower bolt for the chain/case guard is busted off.
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3899/2000cases001.th.jpg) (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/2000cases001.jpg/)
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8294/2000cases002.th.jpg) (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/2000cases002.jpg/)
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2527/2000cases003.th.jpg) (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/2000cases003.jpg/)
All necessary parts have been ordered and are on their way. Will be updating as I get parts in the mail. Ebay is your friend. Can get most everything you need for much cheaper than a dealer will charge.
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aint that the truth.kawasaki uk ought to have the decency to at least wear a mask and wave a shotgun in your face before they jack you.only place i can find the fiddly circlips, washers and junk though,and they know how to put a man size dent in your wallet.unless anyone has any better ideas.good work on the beast goat.
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aint that the truth.kawasaki uk ought to have the decency to at least wear a mask and wave a shotgun in your face before they jack you.only place i can find the fiddly circlips, washers and junk though,and they know how to put a man size dent in your wallet.unless anyone has any better ideas.good work on the beast goat.
It's ridiculous. I got new circlips myself and they are anywhere from $4 to $8 a piece. Anyway... I got my cylinder from Stewart today. It's very good quality and very clean. Looks like it's brand new. Well worth the money. Thanks again Stewart.
Got my new wiseco piston yesterday. Just got one from ebay for cheap. Wanted to get a windowed one but funds are limited and wanted to completely rebuild the engine top to bottom. I can always get the windowed one the next time I refresh the top end.
Should have my gasket/seal kit tomorrow. Will be at least putting the bottom end together by Sat. So more pics to come.
Ordered new power valves and got the right side today. The left side and spur gear is coming straight from Japan so hopefully I will have them by the end of next week. The right side is technically all I need but I don't like half a$$ing anything. Do it right the first time and save time and money in the long run.
This is how I recieved the cylinder from Stewart. It's pretty lol.
(http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/4981/stewartcylinder001.th.jpg) (http://img180.imageshack.us/i/stewartcylinder001.jpg/)
(http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9868/stewartcylinder002.th.jpg) (http://img180.imageshack.us/i/stewartcylinder002.jpg/)
(http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/5990/stewartcylinder003.th.jpg) (http://img180.imageshack.us/i/stewartcylinder003.jpg/)
(http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/5574/stewartcylinder004.th.jpg) (http://img180.imageshack.us/i/stewartcylinder004.jpg/)
Pulled the studs out of my old cylinder and installed them in the new one.
(http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/1559/stewartcylinder006.th.jpg) (http://img180.imageshack.us/i/stewartcylinder006.jpg/)
Like I said more to come in the next few days/week(s) Just depends how quick I get parts. Everything has been ordered that I need.
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Gasket and seal kit I ordered is on back order until sometime in April so I just had my local shop order a standard complete gasket kit from Vesrah. I went and picked them up today. I ordered the seals from ebay tonight.
Jfab said he hopes to get my head shipped back to me by Friday. He is waiting on the cable kit to show up as he ran out. Can't wait to try it out. My boots will thank him :P
Was browsing craigslist Saturday and found a set (front and rear) of Cheng Shin tires for $20 so I went and picked em up. Not what I wanted but I couldn't beat the price. They still have nipples on them. They are kind of soft so I'm not sure how long they will last with the power of the 500. We will see.
Chain and sprockets came today as well as my White Brothers tether kill switch. Only waiting on my flex clutch lever and transmission seals now.
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Hey man things are moving along right quick!
Even with a few snags it's less than a month...
Just in time for spring!
I went out last fri and got about 1/8 mile from the truck and hit snow... and storm debris...like yourself I'm waiting on the elements ...
Tuck\o/
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Looks very nice, good luck with everything. Im doing the same thing now,except for the frame and paint, i will be saving that for this winter..lol :-D
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Thanks. It's coming along nicely. I gave up on powdercoating the frame for now. Haven't found a good place to get it done. I'm just rebuilding the engine and throwing it in. Spring came sooner than expected. I want to ride as much as I can before I go back to work for the summer. Don't get much free time once I start working.
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i use a company called cmsnl for all the circlips etc that i have used in rebuilding my 92 engine, genuine kawasaki parts but cheaper! this engine has had every worn part in there replaced through them. if they have the parts in stock, the delivery time to uk from holland is good. i dont know what it would be like to the states.
alex
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Thanks for the info. I'll look into it. Have everything I need this build but always nice to know where to get cheap parts for the future.
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Picked up my spur gear and left power valve Friday. The engine seals I ordered last week will finally be here today.
JFab shipped my head with compression release installed back to me on Saturday. So I figure I should get it by Wednesday or Thursday.
Today I hope to get the seals/bearings installed, get the trans put back together and bolted in the frame. May even get the cylinder put on and ready for the head. Should be posting some pics tonight.
Just waiting for the head and for the carb cap from Watercross and it will be ready to ride by the end of the week. Just in time for Easter :-D
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Hey G,
I wish I had some of your "Get up and get r done" , My get up & go is going almost as fast as your bike build!+ :lol:
Actually not getting all the high speed stuff right now will give you a good baseline on what she'll do stock/fresh.
It will take a little time to get used to what you have now anyway. After snooping around Destry Abbot's forum He stated more than once the engines built by Varner are surprisingly stock.
Now I can't vouch for what "stock" is in Mr. Varners shop. But I do know that a DNF in those race series is alot worse than not having a bike wound tighter than a watch spring.
Anyways it looks to be a great job you can enjoy for quite some time.
Tuck\o/
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Lol my get r done motivation comes from having nothing to do all winter.
I'm not looking to squeeze ever bit of power out of the bike. I just want reliable and fun. All my friends have a hard time keeping up with me no matter what bike I am on. They have always told me I should race for a living. I have reaction time like a cat. Also treat traffic lights like christmas trees. Green means punch it and get out of my way lol.
Hopefully I can get the bike running and get some videos made this weekend. I'll post some links up on here for everyone to see.
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Mail finally showed up and hour later than normal. Got my head back from JFab already! Looks excellent. Pics will be up tonight.
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Here's the pics from yesterday. JFabs work is excellent and well worth the money. Everything went together very smooth. Going to get new motor mount bolts today as the ones I got with the bike are wore out or stripped. Just need the cap for the carburetor and it's about ready to fire up. Will get the tank and seat on today after the engine is bolted in properly.
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7760/build002.th.jpg) (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/build002.jpg/)
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3460/build003.th.jpg) (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/build003.jpg/)
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/1508/build005.th.jpg) (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/build005.jpg/)
(http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/2687/build006.th.jpg) (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/build006.jpg/)
(http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/3465/build008.th.jpg) (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/build008.jpg/)
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9417/build010.th.jpg) (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/build010.jpg/)
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Just added up everything I had to get to completely rebuild the bike and the cost of the bike. Grand total minus coolant and trans oil that I haven't bought yet $2107.06. There were a lot of parts I had to get that I shouldn't have had to like cases, and cylinder. But I basically have a brand new bike that will last many years to come. I'm happy.
Ordered a spare carb off ebay for cheap yesterday and should be here either Thurs. or Fri. Then I can fire the bike up. Bolting the exhaust on tomorrow. Didn't get a chance to do it today. I will get pics of the bike all together tomorrow as well. This weekend I hope to get some video of me tearing sh!t up :-D
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My carb will be here tomorrow according to UPS tracking. Have the bike completely together except the carb cap/slide. Got some pics. Should have some video of it running tomorrow after the carb gets here.
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7218/together002.th.jpg) (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/together002.jpg/)
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4105/together003.th.jpg) (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/together003.jpg/)
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Got my spare carb today. Just needed the cap the cable goes through. But was cheaper to get a used carb from ebay than to go buy a new cap from Kawasaki. New cap = $50ish. Used complete carb = $62 shipped.
Going to get coolant and some tranny oil. Then it's time to fire it up. Hopefully my marks are lined up properly for the timing and it runs. Cross your fingers. Will post progress tonight.
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Great news. Bike fired up after 6 kicks. Runs great sounds really strong. Got that big fmf grunt that I like.
Tomorrow is test day. Going up to M61 truck trails with both K5's. Should be fun. Weather channel is calling for rain afternoon sometime. Just means it wont be so dusty :-D
I want to say Thank You: Watercross for the bike, ZETTNORCAL for the subframe and brake assembly I needed for the 46mm forks I had, Stewart for the cylinder, and JFab for doing the head work and compression release. I also want to thank KXRIDERS and it's moderators for the excellent site and priceless knowledge it contains.
Will get some videos this weekend if I can and post them on here in the rides section. Prolly put the link here as well.
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Didn't get video when LoveYouChunk and I went to M61 truck trails. He fell on his a$$ lol. I did get some Sunday though as I was re-jetting my bike. It was loading up at low speed and a little rich on top end. Think I got it right where I want it and still idles. Here are the links to the 2 videos I did get thanks to my girlfriend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZfkNhG7DC4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVeZiwwjfNM
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Man I know it's a great feeling when your plan finally comes together and you get to burn some pre-mix! :-D
Please keep an eye on Chunky. :-)
Glad your G.F. willing to go out and at least hang with you guys a little while.
Maybe you can find her an old kdx or xr in the 200cc or so range to learn to ride on. My wife and anything sharp or mechanical are not a good combination... :-o
Tuck\o/
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My G.F. wants a quad to tool around on. She isn't a fan of 2 wheels :P I've been looking for a 97ish 4x4 Polaris sportsman 800. It's something I can plow with and haul wood or whatever but yet she can ride without hurting herself or the quad. Also a bonus is it's automatic.
She can follow Chunk and I with a gas can on the back in case I run out. I have a heavy arm lol. I ran a tank of gas through the bike already. Chunk ran about a 1/4 tank.
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I just sold a 95 polaris scrambler 400 4x4 2 stroke last week , would have been perfect. Pretty quick for a 4x4 , well it was on demand 4x4. ( only engage when needed ) I could beat 400ex's and 250 dirtbikes out the hole with it but then they would pass me at about 30 mph. :-( Decent running machine tho , i owned it for years and never did anything to it. Heres a picture of it .. . .
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee117/unpure_photo/polaris.jpg (http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee117/unpure_photo/polaris.jpg)
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This bike was a full automatic and a fresh top end , I live in Toledo, Ohio . I had it on craigslist for a day and sold it to some guy that drove from Tecumseh , Michigan to buy it. I just wanted to add that because i seen that you are from michigan.
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I love polaris quads. I used to work for the dealer up here. I got to use the demo sportsman with a plow quite a few times to plow my parents driveway and pond. True 4x4. Scramblers are fun too. Took a used one for a weekend and played in the trails. Had a blast.
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Figured I'd give an update. Bike runs excellent. I'm very happy with it. I've ran almost 2 tanks of fuel through it so far. Only thing that has gone wrong was the radiator hose clamp behind the expansion chamber broke and sprayed coolant everywhere. Luckily I smelled it right away. I pulled off the trail and let it cool down for 30 minutes or so. I was only a mile from the truck so I fired it up and flew back before it got too hot and leaked the rest of the coolant out. Everything else was ok. I checked inside the cylinder when I removed the pipe still looks like new. I also still had about a quart of coolant left in the system.
On a side note. I was bored today so I decided to cut out my own reed spacer. I had some aluminum laying around. Also have extra gaskets and longer bolts so I figured why not. I don't necessarily need more power but I do need a project. I'm thinking about buying another bike to rebuild lol I will get pics up tomorrow. Wont be able to try it out until I either go to my parents or Chunk and I go to some trail system in this state.
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Got some pics of the reed spacer I made yesterday. I decided to polish it this morning. It measure 1/4 inch thick. Not sure if it will make a difference or not. We will see. I will be bolting it on in a little bit and firing the bike up. Will have to wait to ride it unless I decide to take my bike to my parents house today. Depends how bored I get. Can't think of anything else to make or do to the bike at the moment.
(http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3599/reedspacer003.th.jpg) (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/reedspacer003.jpg/)
(http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2561/reedspacer004.th.jpg) (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/reedspacer004.jpg/)
Got it bolted on turned out perfect.
(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/1980/reedspacer005.th.jpg) (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/reedspacer005.jpg/)
(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7171/reedspacer006.th.jpg) (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/reedspacer006.jpg/)
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Got to test out the bike with the 1/4 inch spacer on Monday at my parents house. For something I made with hand tools and a buffer out of aluminum scrap I had laying around for 10 years I couldn't be happier. Even though it's not as thick as all the ones I have found for sale on the internet it made a huge difference. It will tractor around but still snappy. Will pull the front up in and type of dirt now. I was in some sugar sand and before when I hit that spot it would spin and start drifting through the curve. Now it pulls the front wheel up and goes while still throwing a roost 20 feet behind me :D It's quite controllable. I recommend this cheap and easy mod to anyone that can handle the K5 in the first place.
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Hey good job! Just found your build.
Do you know where you got the Seal kit and gasket kits for the bottom end? Are they Kawi seals?
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Nice Goat, I made one for my k5 and my kdx. Liked the performance improvement in low end on the k5. I am going to remove it from the kdx200 (think it hurt overall performance).
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Traded a PC 304 silencer for some plastics with Kx5rider. Got my plastics and it looks good. Just need to get a new rear fender. Thanks Kx5rider.
(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4939/newplastics002.th.jpg) (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/newplastics002.jpg/)
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Haven't had an update in a while. I bought a front hub and IMS oversize tank off ebay last week. Got the tank and took it for a ride today. I also took the 47t sprocket off and put on a 49t. Made a nice difference but I think I'm going to get a 51 to try. Waiting until I get a rear hub then I will buy a new 18" and 21" black rims. I'm thinking about getting the Warp9 rims and spokes. Here is a pic with the new tank installed.
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4374/downsized0616001137.th.jpg) (http://img294.imageshack.us/i/downsized0616001137.jpg/)
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Goat, I have a good rear hub and disk off of a '93 if you are interested.