Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Aluminum Frame Conversion (AFC)
How well do you like your KX250F/K5 conversion
81cr450:
KAW RIDER has my jug & head now looking forward to getting some of his work back. From what everyone says it should be great.
Seems to me we've got side tracked here from the original question of how well do you like your "beer can". I'm working on my second right now. The first was just a trial run of can I do it & how do I want to do it. This second one I'm doing with alot more parts & cash, but I'm wondering if I wouldnt have been better off just getting a newer steelie 250. I'm worried that the welding & powdercoating will brinnel & ruin the temper of the aluminum. The last one was the best bike I have ever rode & I loved it, this one should be all that & more. But back to the original question how are these holding up? There's a pic of a CR500AF floating around with it broke right in half thats giving me nightmares. How is the frame holding up for everyone? Theads from maintenance, are the vibes of the 500 cracking crap, corrosion eating that AL up, high miles & the repeated flexing just fracturing stuff? From what I've read, after starting this project, about Japan just being low on cromoly steel that caused the use of aluminum it seems I'm shooting myself in the foot just to have better forks & geometry.
As you can see this thread does have some interest to me so what's the oppinions?
Green Fiend:
81,
I haven't had mine long, but I've done a lot of research on these bikes, before getting one from Service. What I found is very few reports of the frames cracking. That was one of my main concerns. If the welds are done correctly it seems to be a non issue. As far as the original question as how do I like my bike. It's unbelievable. The handling, lightweight, and the horsepower who wouldn't. I was worried it would be more of a novelty bike. Definitly not the case! They are bada**!! Well I guess you know that you said you owned one. I would be preaching to the choir. I love mine it really is a 450 eater!!
tcoop474:
in a thread on another site we got to comparing the cr500 and kx500 motor in the trx250r frames (as i was planning on putting a cr500 motor in my spare R frame) but something about the cr motor vibes way more then the kx i beleave someone mentioned it had a lot to do with crank on the cr not being counter balanced all that well...idk if they vibe bad in a bike frame as ive never owned a cr500 just thought since u mentioned a cr500af cracking the frame and what not that i would mention a little info i picked up after thinking about putting a cr or kx 500 motor in one of my trx250r's
81cr450:
They are totally awesome I just wanted some reassurance I wasnt wasting my time . I loved the last af, just with the vibes & the aluminum factor I'm concerned about longevity, I have enough into this one now I could sell before I ride & get out of it to do a steelie, but after its ridden I pretty well own it. On my frame I didnt weld or cut the Y so I should be okay structurally, & all the mount threads have steel inserts so it should be okay. Just uber paranoid I guess. Swingerarms have been aluminum for years with no issue, kinda crossed my mind awile after I posted here. Modern chassis with awesome handling really is the way to go though.
tcoop474 neither motor has a balance shaft, but the k5 is less violent , just alot smoother power delivery. Balancing the motor in either trx install would be the key.
tcoop474:
thanks for clearing that up bro
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