The 10+ year KX500 rebuild thread

[demographic]

Do you have a manual that shows the resistance of the coil?
I have if you need me to ratch the numbers out.

[Skub]

I've had strokers that wouldn't kickstart,but did with a bump/tow. At least one occasion it was down to a weak coil.

[Taipan]

Chokes are certainly not unknown to cause issues. Its deffo working alright and not sticking on or suchlike? I'm not familiar with these bikes though and dont know how critical choke operation is on them?

re: crankseals, isn't there a leak down test you check with? If its never run since rebuild, then there wont really be any oily giveaways.

Have you kicked it over in the dark and got someone to watch for errant blue flashes? Hopefully the new coil will sort it?

When are you getting chain and sprockets on. Tow starts pump everything how it should be and you can play with throttle openings etc.

[derek badger]

Do you have a manual that shows the resistance of the coil?
I have if you need me to ratch the numbers out.

I've got the Clymer and the Kwak service manual, but cheers fella.

[demographic]

Do you have a manual that shows the resistance of the coil?
I have if you need me to ratch the numbers out.

I've got the Clymer and the Kwak service manual, but cheers fella.

Even just making sure all the points where the wires or the coil connect to the frame are free of paint can help.

Its obviously firing for a few seconds mind.

[derek badger]

OEM coil and new plug cap ordered.

[KungFooBob]

For £500 plus expenses, I'll come and set it on fire.

[Potter]

My old CR250 needed a couple of kicks with full throttle and then it would run, I notice you're not putting any throttle on, once it catches have you tried giving it a bit of throttle? I know these things seem obvious but sometimes it's the obvious thing that's been missed - like the time I spent with someone from TRC trying to get a CR250 running, we tested absolutely everything and we both exhausted ourselves, then I said "There is petrol in it?" - it was bone dry.

Is the fuel flowing freely to the carb? Will it kick on full throttle? Does it make any difference if you change throttle position during or immediately after kicking?

My 500cc single is also very fickle and there is a knack, tickle the carb (i.e. flood it) kick twice on full throttle with the decompression lever in, then as soon as it fires you have to give a tweak of throttle in perfect harmony with it firing to catch it, then it runs. Anything either side of that and it floods or stalls and you can be there for half an hour.

I've heard lots of talk about crank seals but I've only ever seen one knackered one - well it wasn't my bike and that's what I assumed, the bike would start and it pressurised the gearbox and pissed oil out of the overflow, so that was my assumption. In all the old strokers that I've known to be resurrected I've never met anyone that's actually had a knackered crank seal that stopped a bike from running, although everyone talks about it.

[derek badger]

For £500 plus expenses, I'll come and set it on fire.

Knowing my luck it probably won't light...

[Skub]

The KX is just being a tease,it wants a lengthy thread to entertain us all. You'll get there man.

You'll be posting in the 'Where/when did you last ride your bike' thread before you know it.

[derek badger]

The KX is just being a tease,it wants a lengthy thread to entertain us all. You'll get there man.

You'll be posting in the 'Where/when did you last ride your bike' thread before you know it.

I might even get to start a "Post a picture of the hedge have you wheelied manically though" thread.

[derek badger]

Sprocket arrived from Talon. I had to go down to a 13 on the front to get the best chain fitment, this gives a final drive ration of about 3.31.





And no, before you ask. It's still not running...

[Skub]

You'll be able to bump it/tow it now.

Vids pleeze.

[Taipan]

Yay, pull start time!

[derek badger]

Err...brakes might be required before that sort of shenanigans happens.

[Nobby]

Iridium plugs ??!!
I'd. be swapping that. 2 strokes hate them.

[KungFooBob]

Iridium plugs ??!!
I'd. be swapping that. 2 strokes hate them.

My FAHRON tuned RD250 racebike hated expensive plugs. I had a big box of the cheapest council spec NGK's and at the first sign of any refusal to start new ones went in and the old ones straight in the bin. You can not 'save' sparkplugs by cleaning them in petrol, letting them dry out or wirebrushing.

[Taipan]

Think iridiums are okay in Fi ,water cooled engines, but not in anything else, at least in my experience anyway.

[MingtheMerciless]

When I took my 950 SM for a tune, the tuner binned the expensive iridium plugs as they were fouled and put bog standard NGK's in and said that they worked best in his experience and I was just wasting money on posh plugs.

[Nobby]

I've carbie water cooled and their fine in them.