General > Riding Tips & Tricks
kx500/power/ suspention?
steeldust:
I took my new (to me) 1995 kx 500 out the other day riding in various terrain(hills, hard pack, rocky terrain, and sandy washes). Ran great and had terrific power. The biggest problem I ran into was traction when I would go to climb a hill I would use very little throttle and it would just spin the tire.
The tire im using is a Cheng Shin C-755 with 80% tread and the gearing is 13 front and 42 in the rear. It seems like when I go up a hill like the rear is trying to pass the front. The question I have is it the suspention, rider ability, tires, gearing, or maybe something else you can think of that could help me. I do great on the other machines 125's and 250's and I've been riding dirt bikes for about 14 years but this five-hundy is kickin my arse. years. Any help would be appreciated.
gowen:
It sounds like your jetting might be lean, also your gearing is intresting...........to say the least. If I remember right, the C755 is not a very deep treaded tire. But, I may be just thinking about the front version. I know if my jetting is lean, it causes uncontrolable power delivery and alot of spin. Try dropping the needle a notch before you spend money on a new tire or gearing.
KXcam22:
Steeldust,
For hills you should be at your best on the 500. Your grearing is interesting. Stock is a 14/47 while many run 14/48 or 14/49 (I have 14/48). I don't think the cheng shin is a good tire for the KX. There are other cheap alternative with good performance, like Maxxis, IRC and Kenda. On my bike it took me a few tries to get a tire combination that worked. But what a difference it makes! Look in the review section for some tire selections. Gowen has a good point about jetting too. Check the jetting chart here. Too lean is bad. With good jetting and tires I can stop on hills my friends are stuck on, make fun of them, then take off again (showoff?). Cam.
Rick:
On hills with extreme uphill angles and soft dry ground, you are going to have problems climbing no matter what you change. You have to remember that you are riding one of the most powerful dirtbikes available, so your riding style will need to be changed. On those loose uphills, you will often need to climb the hill with a controlled slide. By that, I mean that your 500 is going to drive up the hill a little sideways. It may even want to switch sides a time or two. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
As a note, I agree on jetting. Power delivery that is not smooth with cause your rear wheel to break loose after a slight boog in power. However, even with this spot on, you will still have to change your mindset on the 500.
Most folks are affraid of the power of the 500, and rarely take me up on my offer to allow them to take a quick ride. Except for my 15 year old (who has been riding my 500 since he was 13), I don't think anyone else has ever ridden my 2002.
Enjoy the power, but take your time getting the feel of the bike.
Rick
monkeybutt:
If your shok/fork has never been serviced that amy be part of the problem. The second part is the tire. There's a reason it was only $35.00 :wink: Start there and see if things improve any. If not the start working on technique.
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