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dangerousdave
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slowlydoesit
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slowlydoesit
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 Posted: 20:21 - 04 May 2014  Post subject: Brakes done, sticky carb, slow rev counter |
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Last time we finally got the right piston and seals in the KMX200's front caliper and tried to bleed the front brake, but not very successfully. Got some useful advice here from others and decided on a strategy to put the problem right.
| slowlydoesit wrote: | So I'm thinking that maybe there is air caught in the braided hose as it curves up and away from the MC. As bladerunner says (I think he says) maybe we can get that out by holding the braided hose straight or above the MC and getting rid of the airlock.
Or, by using a vacuum, quickly and easily pull a ton of fluid through the system and the airlock out with it. |
Today I took some time to pop over to work on the KMX again. The weather was fine and I saw a number of bikers about, varying from yer prototypical BMW riders in full adventure trim to a string of cruisers blatting down the long hill of the A478 as goes into Efailwen. Good for them, hope they all had a great day out.
At the workshop we broke out the vacuum-based brake bleeding kit to finish the job on the front caliper. I found that the vacuum kit itself worked efficiently but the hose let in some air around the bleed nipple. A bit of grease helped but it was still letting in bubbles. That's something to consider for next time (perhaps a hose clamp would help, or a new bleed nipple?) but we managed to get reasonable feel at the lever. The caliper is now moving properly and it stops the bike. It's not great, but ffor the MOT it's probably enough.
So, outside we took it into the sun. Looks dirty but nicely authentic.
https://i.imgur.com/kEemK2x.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6SJBAnD.jpg
At first the bike wouldn't start but we added some more petrol and messed with the fuel tap and it burst into life with clouds of smoke and a raucous ring-a-ding-ding. The exhaust is pretty nasty on the ear; maybe it needs repacking? It's marked "KHI K 141" which suggests it is the original. I do have a DEP end can, but the seller suggested that it sounds worse, which I would think is impossible.
I rode it around the garden a few times, not getting out of second and being careful not to guillotine myself on the washing line. It runs fine. It's very easy to handle at low speeds, tractable and a doddle to manouevre. When I came back to the workshop I discovered a clear liquid streaming out of the bottom of the bike. A touch and a sniff confirmed it was petrol, which I traced to a pipe attached to the carb overflow. My friend diagnosed a stuck float and we tapped it a few times with no success to free the float valve. Ironically, a close inspection of the float bowl showed marks on it where it has been tapped before. Not a new problem then.
https://i.imgur.com/rrcJkDv.jpg
Next step is to clean and rebuild the carb. There don't seem to be many rebuild kits around. In fact the only one I could find at short notice is this kit from NRP. Hopefully it will do the job.
I also noticed that the oil warning light came on when I stopped, which worried me. When I got home I checked the Haynes manual which says: "The oil level warning light should illuminate when the ignition is turned on and the transmission is in neutral, regardless of the amount of oil in the tank; this serves to inform the rider that the bulb has not blown". So maybe that's okay after all.
One thing I did notice while pootling around the garden is that the rev counter is sticky. It does move, but it lags the revs as they rise and fall. Does anybody know what might be the cause of this? Maybe this is the excuse I need to fit a Trail Tech Vapor. Though I do like the look of the original clocks, nicely old-fashioned and all the bulbs do work. Speaking of which, so do all the lights, horn and indicators. Sweet.
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Kawasaki KMX200 with broken fixed powervalves and a stutter |
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slowlydoesit
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Posted: 19:26 - 05 May 2014  Post subject: |
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Wondering why the exhaust is so loud. I guess the nuts on the end of the exhaust mean that it can be disassembled and repacked?
https://i.imgur.com/xLs1Ab2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oatGrdd.jpg
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Kawasaki KMX200 with broken fixed powervalves and a stutter |
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dangerousdave
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dangerousdave
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Posted: 23:20 - 05 May 2014  Post subject: |
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| slowlydoesit wrote: | Wondering why the exhaust is so loud. I guess the nuts on the end of the exhaust mean that it can be disassembled and repacked?
https://i.imgur.com/xLs1Ab2.jpg
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Also, worth noting that the silencer you have fitted to your bike is not the correct type, although it will probably work ok for the time being.
KHI K 141 = KMX 125 silencer
KHI K 175 = KMX 200 silencer
Going back to your original question about repacking them, its not something which I've successfully been able to do.
I did find some pictures of somebody opening one up, but it appears that the weld was ground off, rather than simply unbolting it.
https://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w544/bikemars100/10176235_554754104643629_3178840884331389998_n_zpsc5354c5c.jpg
https://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w544/bikemars100/10259917_554753937976979_7307431445619500247_n_zpsf15d0200.jpg
https://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w544/bikemars100/1972295_554754331310273_3386872285226326877_n_zpsca67f18f.jpg
https://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w544/bikemars100/1901205_554754217976951_6619872268043116574_n_zpsfc5faa25.jpg
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1988 Kawasaki KMX 200
Previous: Yamaha YZF1000, ZZR600, KMX200, DT50, KX80, CG125, PF50 |
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dangerousdave
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| Posted: 00:33 - 07 May 2014 Post subject: |
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| slowlydoesit wrote: | | dangerousdave wrote: |
Also, worth noting that the silencer you have fitted to your bike is not the correct type, although it will probably work ok for the time being.
KHI K 141 = KMX 125 silencer
KHI K 175 = KMX 200 silencer |
Ah, right, that's annoying but good to know. Does the OE exhaust pipe also have a serial number of some kind stamped on it? |
Just the KHI code on the side of the can and also on the expansion chamber body.
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1988 Kawasaki KMX 200
Previous: Yamaha YZF1000, ZZR600, KMX200, DT50, KX80, CG125, PF50 |
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| Posted: 22:30 - 07 May 2014 Post subject: |
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This is interesting. I was browsing the Japanese auction sites, like you do, and found a bolt-on "upgrade kit" for the KMX200 front caliper, which is a humble 1-pot device. The upgrade kit uses a 2-pot Tokico caliper and claims you can use the same master cylinder and hose. They throw in some pads too. Does that sound realistic? Is there a catch?
https://i.imgur.com/MsIhWYy.jpg
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Kawasaki KMX200 with broken fixed powervalves and a stutter |
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dangerousdave
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dangerousdave
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| Posted: 23:13 - 07 May 2014 Post subject: |
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| slowlydoesit wrote: | roughly £90. Not cheap, but not bad for a new and upgraded part given that manky 20-year old 1-pot calipers are going for £45 on Ebay UK. |
When you look at it like that, then yes it's good value.
Probably looking at £50 for a new piston and seals for the standard single-pot job. And even when new, the braking is fairly gentle. When riding on the road with a standard brake set up on my '200, it was a case of hitting both brakes, and hoping I'd stop in time! That was in the 90's, brakes have come on a lot since then, even on trail bikes.
A double pot caliper, nicely set up with the braided hose will give dependable braking, even just with one finger.
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1988 Kawasaki KMX 200
Previous: Yamaha YZF1000, ZZR600, KMX200, DT50, KX80, CG125, PF50 |
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stevo as b4
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| Posted: 23:28 - 07 May 2014 Post subject: |
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I'm just about to install HH sintered pads on my 125, like the current 200cc had before I stripped it down. Combined with a stainless steel line, it gave my 200 a firmer front brake and more bite, not quite enough stopping power for the 200 on the road still, but I think it will do better on the 125cc, especially as everything is new apart from the caliper itself.
Id probably look at trying to adapt an Blue spot 4pot caliper from a Yamaha to the existing KMX forks and 240mm disc with an adapter bracket, providing the disc covers the majority of the area of the pad?
I don't think a 2pot caliper will make a staggering difference compared to a well set up single pot caliper, but if it does then surely there is plenty of more modern off road bikes in the uk that could provide a 2pot like the one your looking at importing?
Lastly, if you wanted to go another route especially on a supermoto conversion or road only bike, id consider an oversize 260 or 280mm front disc and spacing out the std caliper, as this should give a huge increase in stopping power more so than any caliper conversion on the std disc will. |
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Kickstart
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| Posted: 23:59 - 07 May 2014 Post subject: |
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| Posted: 09:15 - 08 May 2014 Post subject: |
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[quote="slowlydoesit"] | Kickstart wrote: |
stevo, are discs like the 260mm oversize you (and dangerousdave) mention easy to fit? I'd imagine a larger disc than the 230mm has got to need some changes - is that what you meant when you said "spacing out the standard caliper"? |
I used a KDX 250 wheel, which fitted into the KDX forks. This had a larger disk as standard.
I know Steve has done a bit of research around larger disks for the KMX hub, if I remember right, a KLE500 disk. Thats right isn't it Steve?
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Previous: Yamaha YZF1000, ZZR600, KMX200, DT50, KX80, CG125, PF50 |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 10 years, 18 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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