Japanese pit bike?

abomination
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abomination 6/5/2018 5:21pm
6/5/2018 5:21pm
Thanks for the reminder. Sorry if you’d shared, doing a bad job keeping people and tips straight.

Alright, officially shopping for forks and those other parts to get this underway.
abomination
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abomination 6/18/2018 8:15pm
6/18/2018 8:15pm
How much did you guys have to spend for forks with guards & triple clamps, and front brake assembly?
seth505
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seth505 6/19/2018 3:44am
6/19/2018 3:44am
abomination wrote:
How much did you guys have to spend for forks with guards & triple clamps, and front brake assembly?
I just searched local for sale stuff and ebay and ended up 400-500 bucks.
Wandell
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Wandell 6/19/2018 6:35am
6/19/2018 6:35am
abomination wrote:
How much did you guys have to spend for forks with guards & triple clamps, and front brake assembly?
seth505 wrote:
I just searched local for sale stuff and ebay and ended up 400-500 bucks.
I have about the same invested if you include a bottle of fork oil and a set of fork seals.

The Shop

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abomination
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abomination 7/6/2018 8:41pm
7/6/2018 8:41pm Edited Date/Time 7/6/2018 8:55pm
Do I also need the lever?

Lever

Edit: guess I do according to @Wandell last page. Seems like it's going to be weird having different clutch & brake levers…
Wandell
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Wandell 7/7/2018 7:22pm
7/7/2018 7:22pm
Those forks look good. I don't see any pitting on the tubes and the bearings look good. They don't have the fork guards or lower brake line/fork guard sliders though, but that's not a big deal. You link "front brake" doesn't work. You need the front caliper, pads and brake line. You don't have to use a KX85 master cylinder, but it's a little easier if you have one. I bought the master cylinder, brake caliper and brake line as an assembly and bolted it directly to the bike. You can reuse your OEM master cylinder and lever if you want. I found this out when my son crashed and broke the KX master cylinder ( I know right, never had that happen in 30 plus years). I just bolted the KLX master cylinder to the KX brake line, bled the brakes and it worked fine.
abomination
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abomination 7/7/2018 8:17pm
7/7/2018 8:17pm
Yeah they're supposedly brand new pull offs. I've been messaging the seller—I'll see if he has the fork guards.

Would the 'fork guard sliders' come with the fork guards or with a more complete brake assembly?

Thanks for the tip about the lever—might as well hold off if i don't need it.
Wandell
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Wandell 7/8/2018 4:21pm
7/8/2018 4:21pm
Yep, you need that clamp. Also, the brake levers are different. I like the KX85 lever better, but it will not bolt on to a KLX master cylinder. I'm just hoping that there are no other parts you need that I'm forgetting.
abomination
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abomination 7/8/2018 6:47pm
7/8/2018 6:47pm
All good—you and others in this thread have been a huge help.

Did buy those brand new forks, front brake, front brake guide & front brake line. Ordered a set of Acrebis fork guards, as the guy I got the rest from already sold the OEM ones.

Now I just need to buy the 140L, haha. Wanted to take advantage of the new take offs when I saw them, as I didn't know when more would pop up. Just want to call around to see if I can get any sort of deal on a leftover '17.
abomination
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abomination 7/9/2018 8:38pm
7/9/2018 8:38pm Edited Date/Time 7/9/2018 11:54pm
Any clue how often the 140L is updated? I'm set on buying new from a dealer, but not sure how to compare whatever leftovers might be out there vs the '18 or '19.

Definitely want push start.

Edit: Wow, can't believe how long these have had electric start, and meanwhile Tomac is still kicking.
Wandell
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Wandell 7/10/2018 6:42am
7/10/2018 6:42am
Yep, the only updates have been "bold new graphics" and some small changes in color. Just remember the "L" model has a much better shock with adjustable damping. I think the small wheel version has an old school 1970's style shock with like a four or five position preload adjustment ring.
abomination
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abomination 7/10/2018 11:33am
7/10/2018 11:33am
Yeah definitely want the 'L'—clutch too.

Emailed several dealers, heard back from a couple. Best price I've gotten is '$200 off', but they have to look into 'out of state fees' so may be a wash. Was hoping to get in under $3k with how much under MRSP I got my other dealer bike, my '17 YZ250F.
Cokeham23
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Cokeham23 7/10/2018 11:54am
7/10/2018 11:54am
abomination wrote:
Yeah definitely want the 'L'—clutch too. Emailed several dealers, heard back from a couple. Best price I've gotten is '$200 off', but they have to look...
Yeah definitely want the 'L'—clutch too.

Emailed several dealers, heard back from a couple. Best price I've gotten is '$200 off', but they have to look into 'out of state fees' so may be a wash. Was hoping to get in under $3k with how much under MRSP I got my other dealer bike, my '17 YZ250F.
Both KLX140’s have a clutch. I think you’re mixing it up with the KLX110 and KLX110L (L has a clutch).

Like Wandell said, there hasn’t been many changes with the 140s since they came out in 2008. The only real difference is they changed the start/kill switch. The older models have a battery switch, a kill switch, and a starter button. The newer bikes (2010 up, I think) have one switch that is your on/off and starting button.
abomination
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abomination 7/10/2018 12:05pm
7/10/2018 12:05pm
Ah, was mistaken about the clutch—thanks for the info. Also glad @Wandell shared about the better shock, because if I had found out the 140 had a clutch, I might've gone with it for the right price—no longer.

Cool. Hopefully end up with a recent year if not '19 for those bold new graphics, ha.
abomination
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abomination 7/13/2018 6:33am
7/13/2018 6:33am
Looking like right around MRSP OTD is the best I'm going to do.

Anyone run bigger foot pegs? I wear a size 13 and wondering if I should look for some full or oversized pegs.

Pit Row

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mxteach
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mxteach 7/13/2018 7:05am
7/13/2018 7:05am
I had a TTR125 that i did the YZ80 suspension conversion to and it was a lot of fun. But then I found a CRF150R for a great price and it my go to Pitbike now....sold the TTR and the Pitsters. It gives me enough of a "big bike" workout on my track while being small enough to be loads of fun. Plus if ever want to huck it big, you can.....of course with my penchant for making bikes look retro i made it a McGrath Peak Honda.....
7
Wandell
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Wandell 7/13/2018 7:16am
7/13/2018 7:16am
abomination wrote:
Looking like right around MRSP OTD is the best I'm going to do. Anyone run bigger foot pegs? I wear a size 13 and wondering if...
Looking like right around MRSP OTD is the best I'm going to do.

Anyone run bigger foot pegs? I wear a size 13 and wondering if I should look for some full or oversized pegs.
I actually just installed another set of foot pegs on mine. I stumbled across a set from a Pitster Pro X4 while moving stuff in the attic. After eye balling the two pegs, I found not only were the Pitster pegs wider, they were lower by almost 3/4 inch! All I had to do was drill them out slightly to fit the larger Kawasaki mounting pins. Freaking wore out two drill bits and destroyed my drills chuck in the process! For "Chinese pot metal", those pegs were tuff! I'm not sure if any pegs from other bikes will just bolt on. I've heard KX85/100 pegs will, but I haven't been able to confirm that.
abomination
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abomination 7/13/2018 7:21am
7/13/2018 7:21am Edited Date/Time 7/13/2018 7:21am
Ha, of course you've done it already. Not sure I'm handy enough, but maybe I'll consider swapping my X5 pegs if I haven't sold it by the time I grab the KLX. That's sick that they're lower…all the more reason to try.

Just put fresh air filters on the Pitsters, and graphics & grips on one—going to get them listed today. Hope I can get something for them.

@mxteach Not usually a fan of vintage bikes, but that looks so rad.
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kage173 7/13/2018 3:34pm
7/13/2018 3:34pm
Why are you comparing a Pitster to a 250F? Those aren't even remotely the same.

As far as pitbike, any of the Jap electric starts will do. You can get them super cheap on craigslist and they're all pretty dependable. I had a TTR125 that was a lot of fun.

But, if you're moving all the way up to a 140 or 150, then why not just get KX85 or KX100 and rip the hell out of them? I mean if you're looking for power and a better suspension that's the way to go. To me, I like the CRF 70 because I don't want the pit bike taking a lot of room in the trailer or truck.
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kage173 7/13/2018 3:39pm
7/13/2018 3:39pm Edited Date/Time 7/13/2018 3:40pm
mxteach wrote:
I had a TTR125 that i did the YZ80 suspension conversion to and it was a lot of fun. But then I found a CRF150R for...
I had a TTR125 that i did the YZ80 suspension conversion to and it was a lot of fun. But then I found a CRF150R for a great price and it my go to Pitbike now....sold the TTR and the Pitsters. It gives me enough of a "big bike" workout on my track while being small enough to be loads of fun. Plus if ever want to huck it big, you can.....of course with my penchant for making bikes look retro i made it a McGrath Peak Honda.....
How'd that TTR conversion go for you? I looked into it for a while because my daughter likes to jump but I didn't want her to have a ton of power. It looked like a giant pain, so I just sold it and bought her a KX100, which of course gave her too much power
abomination
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abomination 7/13/2018 3:57pm
7/13/2018 3:57pm
kage173 wrote:
Why are you comparing a Pitster to a 250F? Those aren't even remotely the same. As far as pitbike, any of the Jap electric starts will...
Why are you comparing a Pitster to a 250F? Those aren't even remotely the same.

As far as pitbike, any of the Jap electric starts will do. You can get them super cheap on craigslist and they're all pretty dependable. I had a TTR125 that was a lot of fun.

But, if you're moving all the way up to a 140 or 150, then why not just get KX85 or KX100 and rip the hell out of them? I mean if you're looking for power and a better suspension that's the way to go. To me, I like the CRF 70 because I don't want the pit bike taking a lot of room in the trailer or truck.
Think I covered it in my OP—not comparing because they're similar, but because the feel (and ease of getting repaired in shop) of the 250F lead me to wanting more from my pit bikes.

As for the KX models, I don't have a good reason (aside from not really wanting a 2-stroke), but I'm not sure why I don't see it more.
abomination
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abomination 8/23/2018 10:57am
8/23/2018 10:57am
Picking up a '19 saturday. Dropped off my '18 KX85 take off parts too, but they were a bit non-commital about whether they'd be able to get the front end swapped in time for me to pick it up.

Going to ride it stock a bit but imagine I'll be ordering that bore kit—we'll see.
1
Wandell
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Wandell 8/23/2018 1:08pm
8/23/2018 1:08pm
The swap is super easy! I think the biggest issue I encountered was having to drill a hole in my aftermarket handlebars for the "nub" on the inside of the housing for the starter and kill switch.
abomination
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abomination 8/23/2018 1:25pm
8/23/2018 1:25pm
They just called and said "the front end does not look like it's going to work the where the triple trees go on. It's a different. So there's pieces that interfere that make it not going to work".

Weak. Certainly don't believe that to be the case. But really don't want to do it myself. I'll need to crack back open your thread.
liver
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liver 8/23/2018 6:41pm
8/23/2018 6:41pm
KDXGarage wrote:
KLX140G has 21" front wheel and 18" rear wheel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldACNsoI_-A

At 6' 2", it might be worth a look.
Indeed, I’m 6’-4”, and the 140 is kind to my big frame. But, the case breather dumping oil into the air box is annoying when the bike is tipped over for more then 5 secs
abomination
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abomination 8/26/2018 9:11am
8/26/2018 9:11am
Yikes. How much can I expect out of the big bore or maybe a pipe? Very, very underwhelmed by the power. It’s pretty silent and I’m don’t think I can wheelie (need to wait a few days for hand to heal to be sure).
abomination
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abomination 8/30/2018 11:21pm
8/30/2018 11:21pm
Wandell wrote:
The swap is super easy! I think the biggest issue I encountered was having to drill a hole in my aftermarket handlebars for the "nub" on...
The swap is super easy! I think the biggest issue I encountered was having to drill a hole in my aftermarket handlebars for the "nub" on the inside of the housing for the starter and kill switch.
Shop got scared off by needing a washer. Where I can I get one that would be the right size? 0 experience doing anything like this.

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