1998 KX build for Le Touquet

H9
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H9
Edited Date/Time 11/15/2019 12:52am
Preparing a bike for the race on the 3rd of February. it' 3hours long in deep sand with 1200 riders.

I just bought this 1998 250 in decent condition, it's supposed to be a great machine. I chose two stroke as it will be easier to stay within budget and i want to learn how to ride properly even though it might mean more hours struggling and also i love the noise Smile

Any suggestions on what i should start with?




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philG
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philG 11/12/2018 2:25pm
11/12/2018 2:25pm
Everything in the motor, crank, piston, bearings, clutch plus anything else you find along the way. If its not spot on it wint last a lap
H9
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H9 11/12/2018 3:49pm
11/12/2018 3:49pm
philG wrote:
Everything in the motor, crank, piston, bearings, clutch plus anything else you find along the way. If its not spot on it wint last a lap
Thanks Phil. Just ordered a proX piston and clutch. Crank looks in great condition with no movement in it. Now going to clean the powervalves tonight.
Jrewing
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Jrewing 11/12/2018 6:37pm
11/12/2018 6:37pm
Great motor on the 98’s. Look up the Eric gore porting. Couple of easy mods.
DoubleA
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DoubleA 11/13/2018 1:28am
11/13/2018 1:28am
Sand tire, air filter sock, radiator sleeves, drill some holes in the airbox with a fine mesh over the holes to try stop as much sand getting in as possible maybe do 2 layers of mesh, Fresh spark plug, nut crusher tank, and life Phil said just completely check the bike over, completely re-grease everything and loctite bolts.

The Shop

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H9
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H9 11/13/2018 8:02am
11/13/2018 8:02am
Jrewing wrote:
Great motor on the 98’s. Look up the Eric gore porting. Couple of easy mods.
Is it something i can get done here in Spain? i'm thinking of riding a stock engine this year to focus on my riding and spend some money on suspensions.
H9
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H9 11/13/2018 8:10am
11/13/2018 8:10am
DoubleA wrote:
Sand tire, air filter sock, radiator sleeves, drill some holes in the airbox with a fine mesh over the holes to try stop as much sand...
Sand tire, air filter sock, radiator sleeves, drill some holes in the airbox with a fine mesh over the holes to try stop as much sand getting in as possible maybe do 2 layers of mesh, Fresh spark plug, nut crusher tank, and life Phil said just completely check the bike over, completely re-grease everything and loctite bolts.
Ok great! thanks for all those tips. any tire brand to recommend?
I heard the Pirelli at the back is pretty good.
ordered the air filter sock and bearings for everything on the bike....man that's expensive.
do you drill some holes for more air inflow? because i will probably spend a lot of time in the sand haha wouldn't want the sand to get in.

A few pictures of the progress... just noticed the frame is bent badly... just found a replacement 1994 frame as well as a bigger tank for 70 euros.




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H9
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H9 11/13/2018 8:12am
11/13/2018 8:12am
whoops one picture too many lol
Jrewing
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Jrewing 11/13/2018 1:17pm
11/13/2018 1:17pm
Jrewing wrote:
Great motor on the 98’s. Look up the Eric gore porting. Couple of easy mods.
H9 wrote:
Is it something i can get done here in Spain? i'm thinking of riding a stock engine this year to focus on my riding and spend...
Is it something i can get done here in Spain? i'm thinking of riding a stock engine this year to focus on my riding and spend some money on suspensions.
He posts his stuff online and just follow his instructions. I had his book which showed what to do.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=kuYFuUqzNBMC&pg=PA205&lpg=PA205&dq…
philG
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philG 11/13/2018 1:35pm
11/13/2018 1:35pm
philG wrote:
Everything in the motor, crank, piston, bearings, clutch plus anything else you find along the way. If its not spot on it wint last a lap
H9 wrote:
Thanks Phil. Just ordered a proX piston and clutch. Crank looks in great condition with no movement in it. Now going to clean the powervalves tonight.
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach race 5 times, used to run pistons that he had taken out earlier in the season. Might have 25 hours on them, but still good.. cant take that chance on a 20 year old bike though.
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H9
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H9 11/13/2018 1:39pm
11/13/2018 1:39pm
Thanks so much, i purchased his book on ebay. looks pretty interesting for plenty of mods.

thanks to all for all the tips, don't hesitate to keep them coming.

I found a cheap enough set of Kayaba SSS from a yz 450f, going to give them a call. really loved those on my yz250f and saw a few upgrades done by other kx guys.
I'm planning to also make the swingarm a bit longer to be able to go faster while being more stable. aiming for +3cm, but i need to find someone to help out.

Let's goooo
H9
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H9 11/13/2018 1:46pm
11/13/2018 1:46pm
philG wrote:
Everything in the motor, crank, piston, bearings, clutch plus anything else you find along the way. If its not spot on it wint last a lap
H9 wrote:
Thanks Phil. Just ordered a proX piston and clutch. Crank looks in great condition with no movement in it. Now going to clean the powervalves tonight.
philG wrote:
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach...
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach race 5 times, used to run pistons that he had taken out earlier in the season. Might have 25 hours on them, but still good.. cant take that chance on a 20 year old bike though.
Great tip! i thought many people changed a week before but your remark makes most sense to me. i'll do that for sure.
I saw Nathan Watson last year in le Touquet he was rapid!!!!!

Any other tips in regards of managing temperature in that kind of weather and sand?
i saw an ad locally to me on some bigger radiators for 40 euros.... i'm tempted
philG
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philG 11/13/2018 3:37pm
11/13/2018 3:37pm
H9 wrote:
Thanks Phil. Just ordered a proX piston and clutch. Crank looks in great condition with no movement in it. Now going to clean the powervalves tonight.
philG wrote:
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach...
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach race 5 times, used to run pistons that he had taken out earlier in the season. Might have 25 hours on them, but still good.. cant take that chance on a 20 year old bike though.
H9 wrote:
Great tip! i thought many people changed a week before but your remark makes most sense to me. i'll do that for sure. I saw Nathan...
Great tip! i thought many people changed a week before but your remark makes most sense to me. i'll do that for sure.
I saw Nathan Watson last year in le Touquet he was rapid!!!!!

Any other tips in regards of managing temperature in that kind of weather and sand?
i saw an ad locally to me on some bigger radiators for 40 euros.... i'm tempted
I have seen guys fit expansion tanks for the radiator like a road bike , up under the rear side panel ( like DRZ ) .. it means than you dont blow coolant out , it goes to the tank..
https://rideexpeditions.com/cool-runnings-how-to-avoid-overheating-part…

And i would leave the chassis alone, the straight is a place to have a rest, not be trying to make up time, longer swingarm will mean moving chain guide and running longer chain, not ideal, and also wont help keeping the front light, as you are effectively moving the engine forward

And yes, Nathan was fast , i was there with them in 2015, i crewed for him and Ben, Ben won the youth race, and Nathan was 11th in the main,after a real bad start , but didnt get credited as a finisher, as he wore the transponder bars off his side panels. Even though we had pictures of him crossing the line.
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Sidecar
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Sidecar 11/14/2018 9:58am
11/14/2018 9:58am
Don’t over grease anything, sand will get in and it will turn into a grinding paste, soak your chain in petrol overnight to get the grease off and run it loose ish and dry, tape up all your electrical connections, tape up your air box just leaving the top open, make her as water proof as you can, put a rubber glove over your exhaust in the Park ferme to stop condensation getting into your motor, have a pair of tights to hand to put over your filler cap while fuelling in the pits so as a passing bike can’t fill your tank with sand, tape an old piece of bicycle inner tube over your kick start swivel point making a gator to keep the sand out, run big hand guards... I have done a lot of big beach races in the U.K. on a KX500 powered sidecar... they are hard work but great fun, keep the updates coming... I wish LeTouqet let sidecars run with the quads...











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philG
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philG 11/14/2018 11:14am
11/14/2018 11:14am
Do the wheel bearings too.. easy job. And put another potential DNF to bed.
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H9
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H9 11/16/2018 7:03am
11/16/2018 7:03am
philG wrote:
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach...
Get some time on the motor, so it isnt fresh, and the piston is worn in . I know Rob Meek ,who won the Weston Beach race 5 times, used to run pistons that he had taken out earlier in the season. Might have 25 hours on them, but still good.. cant take that chance on a 20 year old bike though.
H9 wrote:
Great tip! i thought many people changed a week before but your remark makes most sense to me. i'll do that for sure. I saw Nathan...
Great tip! i thought many people changed a week before but your remark makes most sense to me. i'll do that for sure.
I saw Nathan Watson last year in le Touquet he was rapid!!!!!

Any other tips in regards of managing temperature in that kind of weather and sand?
i saw an ad locally to me on some bigger radiators for 40 euros.... i'm tempted
philG wrote:
I have seen guys fit expansion tanks for the radiator like a road bike , up under the rear side panel ( like DRZ )...
I have seen guys fit expansion tanks for the radiator like a road bike , up under the rear side panel ( like DRZ ) .. it means than you dont blow coolant out , it goes to the tank..
https://rideexpeditions.com/cool-runnings-how-to-avoid-overheating-part…

And i would leave the chassis alone, the straight is a place to have a rest, not be trying to make up time, longer swingarm will mean moving chain guide and running longer chain, not ideal, and also wont help keeping the front light, as you are effectively moving the engine forward

And yes, Nathan was fast , i was there with them in 2015, i crewed for him and Ben, Ben won the youth race, and Nathan was 11th in the main,after a real bad start , but didnt get credited as a finisher, as he wore the transponder bars off his side panels. Even though we had pictures of him crossing the line.
Alright, I'm looking into the coolant tank. But I'll see that last as my time is limited and I'm going to need to train a fair bit.
For the swingarm, I understand what you mean but is it possible to counter this effect because the wheels are further apart? Also I've been told by a friend to put some 25 offset triple clamps in there.what do you think?
H9
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H9 11/16/2018 7:07am
11/16/2018 7:07am
Thanks Sidecar for all those great tips. I'm definitely writing them done. I think Sidecar people are nuts! Haha
I know it's big in England, is it also in France?
It would be super entertaining to see them in the quads category. I feel you guys can exploit different trajectories which would be great entertainment.
H9
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H9 11/16/2018 7:21am
11/16/2018 7:21am
Sorry I haven't had time to post the past few days. I've been busy in the gym and ordering parts.
It's going to be a PC 97 splitfire replica.
Here's where I'm at:
-Neon green frame
-big tank under seat
-decals and gripseat cover from EVOMX+ big seat.
-yzf 450 front end (Kayaba SSS)+ brake+ bigger springs
-kxf 450 triple clamp offset 25.
- swingarm sent for +3cm
-bud racing HGS pipe + carbon silencer
-13oz flywheel weight+ carbon cover
-carbon front and rear disc cover.
-Boyesen carbon Reed's
- Flogreen Neken bars w risers
-ohlins steering damper
-raptor footpegs
-new to me break pedal
- big radiators and found Devol protection+new hoses.
-rebuilding wheels w new spokes and Powder coat hubs bronze and rims black.

Added bonus found myself a nice splitfire jacket online ?
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Kidkawie
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Kidkawie 11/19/2018 5:03am
11/19/2018 5:03am
People still talk about that motor, last thing Id do is change the porting. You can clean up the casting but thats as far as I would go. KX450 forks should fit the bottom clamp but you need to shim the top with a soda can. Use a 04 or newer front brake master off a KX.
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H9
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H9 11/19/2018 8:51am
11/19/2018 8:51am
ok thanks for your advice kidkawie. it's been well documented here that it's a good motor. i'm still waiting for the Eric Gorr book to come in. apparently there's loads of good tips in there. I honestly think that this year because of time and budget constraints i will run the engine stock. i prefer to spend my money on suspensions and spend more time on the bike training and building good technique.

Kidkawie, have you toyed around with that motor?
CSAR FE
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CSAR FE 11/19/2018 4:44pm
11/19/2018 4:44pm Edited Date/Time 11/19/2018 4:44pm
Err on the side of rich jetting for a sand race if you want that motor to last.
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H9
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H9 11/21/2018 7:42am
11/21/2018 7:42am
Nice Color, tank looks great with the weight distribution.
mattyhamz2
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mattyhamz2 11/21/2018 8:50am
11/21/2018 8:50am
H9 wrote:
Nice Color, tank looks great with the weight distribution.[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/11/21/304078/s1200_IMG_20181030_104656.jpg[/img]
Nice Color, tank looks great with the weight distribution.
I want to see more pics of that tank!
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H9
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H9 11/22/2018 6:20pm
11/22/2018 6:20pm
Ok I'll send more pics in a couple weeks. Man that Eric Gorr book is good! Quality stuff
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H9
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H9 12/14/2018 3:38am
12/14/2018 3:38am
Back from the states, let's get to business.
Graphics, break down the wheels, add flywheel weight, new blue silicon hoses, bits of carbon parts.


H9
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H9 12/14/2018 11:00am
12/14/2018 11:00am
Making the seat for my special tank

H9
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H9 12/14/2018 12:01pm
12/14/2018 12:01pm
smashingpumpkins167 wrote:
Where did you get the tank?
Found it for 20 euros in Spain. I've been told it's from racing team. Weirdly it has same reference number as the oem
H9
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H9 12/16/2018 6:42am
12/16/2018 6:42am
Should I spray paint over? Really want it to look nice but previous owner looks like he bottomed a few times .
Getting things polished, and seat is taking form.

Stevehrc
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Stevehrc 12/16/2018 8:22pm
12/16/2018 8:22pm
Clean the air box as best you can, Then wave a blow torch lightly over it. Cameron Niemela does this in one of his videos.
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H9
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H9 12/18/2018 6:30am
12/18/2018 6:30am
The unbearable calm before the build waiting on my custom frame and swingarm.

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