1989 KDX 200 Problems,

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums, and I'm far from an expert on bikes. I could use some help from you guys if you can spare the time to read this. I've got an 89 KDX 200. It was in my shed, in pieces for 5 years or so. I never rode it. I needed bearings for my swing-arm and every year something came up and I never did fix it. So, I finally got my bearings, pressed em in and reassembled the bike. Pleasantly enough, it started on the third kick and ran like a top. I decided to give the clutch a little test, put the bike in 1st and gave it a shove. Clutch was not engaging as far as I could tell. That was the first sign of trouble. I read that some of these bikes are finicky and need to be warmed up for the clutch to work properly. I put the bike on a stand and started it, (it does sound sputtery when I nut it out in neutral...almost like the rev-limiter on a car being hit I dunno if that's normal or not). I let it warm up on the stand for a while, pulled the clutch in and popped it in first....the back tire began to spin slowly in the air. I did this a few times and noticed that the tire did not always spin...only sometimes and only slowly and with very little power. When putting the bike in gear, I can see the chain and back tire twitch a bit with the initial shift, but then nothing. If I sit on the bike and start it and put it in any gear, it will not move at all...runs fine, but will not move an inch. The bike seems to have plenty of compression. I haven't tested it, but it feels good when I kick it over and it runs fine. Anyway, thats it. Sorry for the long winded post. I wanted to cover everything I noticed. Thanks for any help, I appreciate it.

Jason  

what do you need help with? it runs fine! haha, other then maybe a carb clean or re-jet to get rid of that sputtering, all bikes will have hte tire spin a little bit on a stand when it is in neutral, and most bikes will jump a tiny bit when you put it in gear.  
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the bodies just a vehicle, transporting the soul, it is whats inside of people is beauty to behold

SOUTHERN MAINE

oh and welcome to the board, i'm pat. HAPPY 4TH  
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the bodies just a vehicle, transporting the soul, it is whats inside of people is beauty to behold

SOUTHERN MAINE

haha, thanks for the welcome Pat. Even though my post was long winded, I might not have been clear. I'm bad for that, you'll see. What I meant was that the tire spins sometimes and sometimes not with almost no power when it's IN gear, any gear. And when I sit on it and put it in gear it will not go....just sits there. Hope that makes more sense  

Maybe a clutch issue. That is weird.  
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Brand new yammi 450 =  $7399
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yeah, I was thinking clutch myself. Maybe I should rip the right side down tomorrow and see what I can see...I'll probably do more harm than good, but I can have a peek.  

ahh, yes, crkid i think got it, if the engine starts and feels strong enough it is probably the clutch, there is a cable adjustment at the perch on your handlebar, you can screw it in and out, between the back of the lever and the perch there should be a nickels worth of play in the cable, i'll post a pic in a sec.  
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the bodies just a vehicle, transporting the soul, it is whats inside of people is beauty to behold

SOUTHERN MAINE

like that, if it the cable is to tight it can keep the clutch disengaged.  
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the bodies just a vehicle, transporting the soul, it is whats inside of people is beauty to behold

SOUTHERN MAINE

I played with the clutch to no avail earlier today. I think though, that I left it adjusted way out...that could be it. I'll loosen the cable a bit tomorrow and try it. Quick responses here, thanks for your help guys, I appreciate it.  

I have a 90 KDX. Try the cable adjustment. Maybe leave it on the stand and disconnect the cable all together, just for troubleshooting purposes only. If to no avail, remove the side cover and see if every thing looks and operates ok. I would hate to venture into the tranny, ugghhh. Start simple, hopefully you will find the problem.  
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S.E. Indiana

1990 KDX 200
2002 KDX 200
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If you ajust the cable like pats pic it should work unless you have bad oil or water in your oil. It did sit around for 5 years, you might have condinsation in the oil.  

Or it might just be needing a clutch.  
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