Thinking about building a kdx/125 hybrid

[sixstringsteve]

I was wondering if the wr250 2t would be a better choice or not. I was mainly wondering about the handling of those bikes (92-97 wr) vs the newer cr or kx bikes. It'd definitely be cheaper to get an older wr 2t vs building a hybrid. I rode his and it had more than enough power for me. I imagine I'd grow into the power.

I hear people.prefer the kdx hybrids over even the newer exc200s

 

[Rot Box]

As for the WR, oh.. I hope you don't mind me rambling/chatting your ear off again Kevin (turbohaulic) has several WR's and we trade back and forth a bit. We're always joking about how awesome it would be to put the WR motor in the CR chassis, but couldn't ever do it because it would be sacrilege--like putting a Jeep motor in a Toyota Does the CR handle better? Probably, but only an expert would know for sure. I like the CR more, but I also don't ride a WR nearly as much as the Honda and I haven't tuned in a WR to fit me before. My only real complaint when I get on Kevin's bike is how low the footpegs and seat are but that can be fixed. The WR is not going to hold you back from anything--they are great bikes.

I'd like to see you build a hybrid though. Even if it mean robbing your existing bike of its motor . A newer 125 in running condition can be had for around $1500 it seems. If you ebay'ed your KDX chassis and a 125cc motor you'd make a lot of your money back. For a winter project you could really take your time and make it sweet!

 

[sixstringsteve]

I don't mind the rambling rot box, I enjoy it. I'm learning a lot.

A WR would definitely be the cheaper way to go. Currently, I can't handle the power of a WR. My only concern is that the KDX 200 hybrid won't have enough power for me in a couple years as I become a better rider. But everyone I've talked to who has a kdx hybrid says not to worry about that, and that they can be made to be plenty fast.

So I'm selling my xt225, and looking for an '02+ CR 125, or a 99+ KX125. Let me know if you see anything.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Allright, I've decided I want to go with a 2002-2007 CR125 as the donor bike. Keep your eyes peeled for any cr125s that your neighbors don't ride as much as they should

 

[sixstringsteve]

well, my XT225 sold tonight, so now I'm going to go look at some cr125s. It's looking like this project will actually happen!

 

[rholbrook]

An absolute must will be a heavier flywheel. This will be a fun project

 

[krany]

man i wish i had read this thread before ya sold the xt225, the xt225 is what i have been looking for, saw and test rode one and i felt right at home on it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

An absolute must will be a heavier flywheel. This will be a fun project

well, the cr215 motor is going to be sold pretty soon after I buy it. I won't ride the cr125 much on the trails. I may take it out a few times on the easy stuff, just to get used to a pipey 2-stroke, but I'll still ride the KDX most of the time.

 

[sixstringsteve]

man i wish i had read this thread before ya sold the xt225, the xt225 is what i have been looking for, saw and test rode one and i felt right at home on it.

I wish I knew you were looking. I sold it at the high end of the price range, so you can probably find a better deal if you're patient. They're fun little bikes though, I loved that thing especially on the road.

 

[sixstringsteve]

So tonight I rode my first CR125. It was an '02 and it was in great shape. It's just a tad taller than my kdx, but I can make it work for me. I wouldn't want to go much taller though, I can't touch both toes on the ground at the same time. I have to scoot my butt off the seat and put my leg on top of the seat when I stop, but that's no biggie.

So I got there at 9:45, so it was pretty late to rev that thing up. So I was trying to take it easy to not annoy the neighbors. It felt very narrow (in a good way), light, and easy to control. I REALLY liked the suspension. It felt dialed in that regard.

One thing I couldn't get used to is the handling characteristics at slow speeds. I'm sure I just need to get used to it, but it felt weird when I was turning at slow speeds. It felt like when I'd turn the bars it'd want to keep turning them. So I tried leaning more and not turning the bars at all, and it still felt kinda weird. I'm thinking the head tube angle is a lot different from my kdx. It's just something I"ll get used to, and from all th e reports I've read, it seems like this bike is a great bike in the handling department. We'll see which one I end up with. Either way, it's going to be a fun build.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Looks like I've been thinking about my hybrid too much.

I just came home with this today. A 2002 CR125 in great shape.

Not bad considering it cost $120 more than what I sold my XT225 for

 

[rholbrook]

That looks nice. Why not put in a big bore kit and a heavier fly wheel. You can make this street legal too.

 

[TJDukit]

Nice Steve. And good score on the buying/selling and making money part of all this.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Nice Steve. And good score on the buying/selling and making money part of all this.

Yeah, I really lucked out. I'm usually on the "losing" end of buying/selling deals. It's nice to be on the winning side of the table for once.

 

[sixstringsteve]

That looks nice. Why not put in a big bore kit and a heavier fly wheel. You can make this street legal too.

that's a tempting idea, but I'm going to stick to swapping the KDX motor into it. Wouldn't I need to buy a stator to make it street legal? I'm pretty sure the cr125's didn't come with a stator.

Plus I'm out of money anyway, so I can't really pay for a big bore kit, flywheel, lights, all that junk.

Anyone want to buy a clean CR125 motor with low hours?

 

[SportSawyer]

If you're planning to use this for rugged mountain singletrack, especially trails that border on goat trails, you may want to think this through a little more.

The CR125 rolling chassis has a longer wheelbase, slacker head angle, and more steering trail. It won't handle as well in tight switchbacks.

The CR125 stock tank is smaller, you'll either need a bigger tank or carry fuel for longer rides. The KDX carries about a gallon more fuel.

The CR125 has a higher seat height. This also may be a factor on really rough trails. It sounds like you've been riding extremely easy stuff so far, wait until you ride some rough trails (I mean a lot tougher and scarier than anything in AF Canyon) before you make a judgement on what works for you and your experience. Note that if you use a lowering link, lower both ends the same amount to keep from screwing up the steering geometry.

The CR125 has a 19" rear wheel. So you can't run a trials tire which is only available in 18". If you want to ride very tough trails, or even easier stuff like in AF Canyon, a trials tire works much better (and also greatly reduces trail impact).

Just a few things to think about.

The KDX is one of the best mountain trail bikes. They've worked pretty well for enduro competition too. If what you want is a mountain trail bike, it may be better to make some changes to the KDX and keep the CR for the MX track (if you want to ride MX too).

 

[sixstringsteve]

thanks for the tips Sportsawyer. You're probably right on all accounts, but I'm committed to this swap.

I plan on riding the 19" wheel until it starts breaking spokes, then I'll go to an 18" wheel.

I also plan on a bigger tank someday. Do the bigger tanks usually come with a reserve section? That's one thing I miss already about the CR (and a kickstand/bash plate).

The CR's seat height is about an inch higher than my KDX. I can't really touch the ground on either one, so I figure I'll just get used to the CR. I had a lowering link on the KDX, but it really affected the geometry ,and I would bottom out on whoops.

For now I'm going to stay away from the really technical trails until I become a better rider. I prefer to ease myself into harder situations, rather than jumping in feet first.

But once again, I really appreciate the feedback sawyer.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Those that know me well know that I have a hard time waiting for things. So rather than wait for the winter, I'm going to try and finish this swap in time for the poker run on the 9th. I'm guessing that's not going to happen, but a lot of guys complete the swap in a week or so. It all depends on how quickly I can find a 17mm reamer, and someone to tig weld my aluminum motor mounts for me. once the engine is in, I figure it'll take another week to get everything else lined up. We'll see. Realistically, it'll probably take a month, but we'll see how it goes. I've never done anything like this before.

 

[sixstringsteve]

So I'm looking or a 17mm reamer (or someone who can ream it to 17mm for me), and I'm looking for a great tig welder.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I found a buddy at work who has a few adjustable reamers, a mill, lathe, and can tig weld my motor mounts for me. Sounds like I may have the KDX engine in by the 4th. That would rock.