KX 250 project...

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Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
I mentioned needing a project.. well I found one. Much older than I was hoping for and far-far worse condition than I wanted, but I get cabin fever really bad in the winter and I think this will help me pull through.

My first real ride on a dirt bike started on this one.. I was in jr high at the time. My brother bought it from a friend then a few weeks later he picked up a brand new 99 KX500 so we went went riding as often as we could. If there was ever a first moment that I became hooked on riding it was likely because of this KX.

It was passed around our family for a few years as we all got older. It was VERY clean and very well taken care of----and back then purple frames were cool! haha. Later on I ended up selling it to my friends nephew probably something like 13 or so years ago. Between farm gas, cheap oil and neglect the engine blew only a few weeks later. He tore the engine apart, threw it in a box and left the bike outside ever since.

It's an 87 KX 250. I remember it having a great power curve, lots of power and decent suspension given its age. Claimed dry weight is 217 lbs.. :eek: I think for what I'm doing it will fit the bill. 80's bikes are fun I guess if nothing else it will be nice to get it back to it's former glory and relive some memories.

Having not seen it since the day I sold it you can imagine how my heart sank when I first saw it this morning.. :ugh: Holy crap--not the bike I remembered! If it weren't for that small bit of sentimental value this thing would likely go to the dump.


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Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
So far it looks like the engine is mostly there. Upon further inspection the lower rod bearing was what let go and the mains weren't far behind.

If I remember correctly KX250 rods were all the same dimensions from 78-07 so I'll have a good shot at getting the crank/rod assembly rebuilt. I will have it balanced as well. As for the top-end I'll have to call to confirm but it looks like I'm a couple years too old to get a 295 kit so It'll probably end up being a 265 unless by some miracle the cylinder is still within spec, but that's going to be later down the road.

For now I'm pulling down the chassis and cleaning it up. Had to use the hot wrench on a few bolts, but overall the frame and swing arm appear to be in usable condition.

Photo bucket being dumb again/as usual/why do I still use photo bucket??? ... stay tuned for more pics.
 

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
I'm starting to get a better idea of what I'm up against :ugh: Actually things are looking pretty good considering. So far I'm finding all sorts of wear items available oem and aftermarket. The crank and top-end should go back together nicely I think.

The purple has got to go! What happened in the 90's when everyone went crazy over purple, baby blue and hot pink?? :rofl:

The airbox made a nice home for mice and insects....

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Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
Wow I remember buying these VForce 3 reeds for this when they first came out. They're in great shape too. The bore has some pitting and I'm not going to take any chances with it. I'll send that off to Millennium when the time comes.

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Here's a great trail tip! If you front brake hose flops around you can fix it with a socket set holder and about 400 feet of electrical tape...... Squids :rolleyes:




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Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
Pulled the transmission out. I love how Kawasaki uses snap rings to keep all the transmission gears on the shafts. Most others don't and it can be kinda hard to keep everything from flying apart when you pull the shafts out of the case.

The main shaft bearing was worn pretty bad and unfortunately the output shaft (for the front sprocket) has some excessive wear on the splines. Kinda hard to see but I circled it below. Not sure where I'm going to find one of those... eBay I hope. I've seen this wear on older Honda's as well for some reason they chose a very corse spline which leads to shaft wear over time oh well.

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Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
Sweet! I found a complete transmission on eBay for not much money. Kinda surprised it was in SLC too so I received it really quick.

This will take care of the worn out spline issue I had.

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Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
Aghh! Please don't split an engine case with a screwdriver and hammer like the po did! Case halves need to be super flat especially on a Kawasaki that uses sealant instead of a gasket. Took some time but I finally got them smooth/flat again :-\

I'm to the point everything in the bottom end is prepped and ready for re-assembly. I'll need to send the crank out and order parts. Found out I can punch this out to a 300 after all but I can't convince myself to do it.. If it was a YZ or KTM sure, I wouldn't think twice but the 300 kit for this particular bike uses some unique/custom parts and I'm not wanting the headache if I need replacements later down the road.

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Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
A wise man once told me the world needs more hippies and less bro's! lol.

Between hemp, yarn, Rainbow Looms and a bunch of other random stuff I'm the coolest dad ever for wearing all of the bracelets my daughter makes :rofl: :p
 

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
Ended up having to stay home this weekend instead of freezing my tail off :-\ On the bright side I had some time to work on the KX.


Nothing quite as fun as dismounting an old tire that has sat outdoors for ten years---what a pain haha :ugh:


Trail tip #493. If you don't have $1.29 to buy a rim strip just wrap the wheel with a s$#t load of duct tape.

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Scored some radiators off eBay. Not perfect but they're in much better shape than the set I had. Hoses cleaned up nicely too.

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Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
I was able to get the ol' Mikuni carb cleaned up but it's in rough shape. Not a fan of this particular carb anyway.... I'm thinking I'll swap on a modern Keihin PWK air striker when the time comes.

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