KX Riders
Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Steel Frame Conversion (SFC) => Topic started by: The Flyin Hawaiian on May 22, 2011, 12:17:20 PM
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Worked overtime this weekend and finished it up.
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SICK!!! good job :-o :-o :-o :-o
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very nice job!
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Looks great!
Have you had an opportunity to ride it much?
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Thanks for the compliments! I took it for a short 4 mile ride on sunday. It runs really good, the power is so smooth and controlable it was actually surprising! I took it through some tight single track I have on my property and it worked well, not quite as nimble as my 250 but very easy to ride. Starts easy too! Another surprise! Clutch pull isnt too bad either, I tried using a 03/04 clutch cable but it was too short and had the adjustments maxed out. The pull was way too hard! I switched back to a new 500 cable with the radious of the steel tube decreased for clearance (the cable is routed like a 03/04 250 in front of the radiator) and I also used a PEP clutch lever which has a extra hole drilled in it for easier pull. This made a big differance! Feels close to a 250 pull now. I may lengthen the clutch actuator arm slightly later on. My girlfriend hopped on and took it for a ride, she came back with a huge grin and told me she wanted one for herself! She wants to race mine in a enduro later this year after I get it sorted. Only things left to do is have my girlfriend build me a 18" wheel and mount my skid plate. Ill get a bigger tank later on, Im liking the slim tank anyway. Ill be taking it to WV for a week this memorial day holiday and will be trying it out on some trails we have made on some private property. Hopefully it holds up!
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What? It didn't pound you into the ground? I guess you have a good throttle hand. J\K! :lol:
Looks clean and fast..it shows you used good components and have a sense of detail.
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Im back from WV and the bike worked well! I made a few changes to it while on my trip. I leaned out the air screw a 1/4 turn and dropped the needle one notch from center.(55 pilot, 165 main, 110 Cam 2 fuel) It seemed to be a little rich but cleaned up noticeably with the changes. I also changed the rear sprocket from a 51T, which was what I was running on the 250, to a 49T. With the 51, it was a handfull on the wet, clay trails we were riding. 1st-3rd were almost unuseable with too much wheel spin. Luckily my fiance's little sister was with us on her KDX200 that had a fresh 49T sprocket. She was complaining that it didnt have enough snap so we swapped sprockets. She was happy with the 51 and I liked the 49. The 500 hooked up much better. With the new chassis, I noticed that it vibrates way less than it did with the old chassis. Very tolerable. It also handles well, still stable (partially due to the WER steering dampener and WER suspension revalve) and much quicker turning. It does feel more cumbersome in the tight stuff compared to a 250. One thing I noticed is that this bike will climb anything short of a mineshaft! We were climbing some very technical hills and it made it up every hill it was pointed at! During the build I was a little concerned about how this project would feel. Several people that rode it said that it felt like it came from the factory and didnt have a "cobbled together" feel. I couldnt be happier with the outcome! This weekend Im going to take it into some bar banging southern NJ woods for a serious tight woods workout!
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Yeah! I'm ready for a report on some practical use like aggressive single track instead of dirt roads. My beloved 250 is on the line here. :-D
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Great job!
Looks very Sano!
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WOW!! I got something getting stiff in my shorts! Do the lights work?
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I just noticed the scorecard holder, when you going to put one in it? Let me know I want to be there. I'll be the one with the drool dripping off my beard! Check the classified I got a nice cyl and piston kit you might want.
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Thanks ZAR! Im not sure when Ill race it, possibbly the Beehive. It should be at the Hancock DS. The lighting coil is putting out power but I hooked something up wrong or my voltage regulator is bad. Ill straighten it out eventually. If your in the area or at Beehive you can take it for a spin.
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that looks bang tidy.what pipe you using?
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Thanks, its a Service Honda pipe and silencer.
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Hi Flyin, that looks awesome. You have done a great job with it and it does look like it came out of the factory like that.
Have you had much more of a chance to ride it. I'm sure we would all like to hear an in depth ride report on it if it is not too much trouble. How do you think it handles and hooks up compared to a 450f etc.
Cheers
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Thanks VW! I had the chance to take it out this weekend in some nice Southern NJ tight woods. It worked pretty good! It takes some getting used to since I havent ridden a 500 much in over 20 years! I rode it in some handlebar width, tight trail and with some clutch and throttle control I had it going almost as good as my 250. Its funny, Im usually on the gas much harder on the 250 in the same trails. I found myself listening to the engine and thinking I was just putting along but I know the scenery was going by real fast! Im running 14/49 gearing but may try a 48t this weekend just to smooth it out abit. I dont have much time on 450s either but I did ride a CRF450 in the woods a few years back and hated it! It was way too rammy feeling, too much throttle response and it felt stiff. Partly due to the aluminum frame. Ive ridden a number of al framed bikes over the years and everyone of them had a overly stiff feeling. Thats partly why I went with the steel frame. I have a 02 YZ426 and I think the 500 is easier to ride than that. The 500 feels much lighter also. It flicks between the trees very well and is awesome in the more open trail! I have a little bit of suspension dialing to do and get a bigger tank on it and it should be about done.
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A little update. The last time I rode my 500 I sucked a reed. I was using a 03/04 KX250 reed cage (V Force 2) and intake. The reason was because the 500 intake would put the carb into the shock. The 250 intake seemed to smooth the power and pretty much flatten the upper mid to top end. It is much more restrictive compared to the 500 reed and intake. I did some research and found out that a 91-94 KDX250 uses the same reed cage as the 500. I ordered the intake manifold for a KDX250 and it works perfect, atleast fitment wise. Carb clears the shock and fits into the airbox boot better, its slightly longer. I havent had a chance to ride it yet, we've been battening down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Irene. Hopefully it will pass by mid day on sunday and Ill get a chance to take it on a very soggy ride......providing that we have power and not under water here!
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Hey Flyin,
I have a 38mm Kehin air stryker I just put away in a box not long ago. If you want to try to run that I would be willing to ship it out if you are interested. I understand the TMX has a shorter body and may be the ticket.
I was bored last month and decided to switch things up.
Let me know, Croft_RW@Yahoo.com
P.S. I'm Putting in a good word for all the folks looking at the next few Days facing the storms....
Tuck\o/
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Hey Flyin, when you gonna build my 500cc fuel incinerator? :-D