2005 kx250

Woody250
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sacramento, CA, USA

Looking to get some info on this fork set up. In the picture there are two canisters located at the top of the fork tubes with a line plumbed to the Schrader valve. What are these components? Overflow res? air chamber? Looking to purchase as a project bike just wanting some more info before committing. Thanks in advance! 05 kawasaki 250 0.jpg?VersionId=ioXP6.60CLJuK0HyaJQF

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3strokemx
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2/25/2026 6:51am Edited Date/Time 2/25/2026 6:54am

Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. 

I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.

Should be easy to remove if you want to go that route. They usually thread into the bleed screw hole.

There's a chance the holes might have been drilled/tapped to accommodate the tank lines.  (Would be fine if you find a plug to fit the new size)

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Nairb#70
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2/25/2026 9:38am

The 2005 KX250 had bed springs for suspension stock.

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Woody250
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sacramento, CA, USA
2/25/2026 12:16pm
3strokemx wrote:
Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.Should...

Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. 

I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.

Should be easy to remove if you want to go that route. They usually thread into the bleed screw hole.

There's a chance the holes might have been drilled/tapped to accommodate the tank lines.  (Would be fine if you find a plug to fit the new size)

Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking 1300$ needs fork seals, fork guards, carb rebuild, grips, and a rear tire and tube. Most concerning thing was that it wouldn't roll through all the gears, best I could get to was 3rd. Tried starting it up and it cut out immediately, compression feels ok. I thinking of offering 800-1000$. Any thoughts? 

The Shop

3strokemx
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2/25/2026 12:28pm
3strokemx wrote:
Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.Should...

Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. 

I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.

Should be easy to remove if you want to go that route. They usually thread into the bleed screw hole.

There's a chance the holes might have been drilled/tapped to accommodate the tank lines.  (Would be fine if you find a plug to fit the new size)

Woody250 wrote:
Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking...

Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking 1300$ needs fork seals, fork guards, carb rebuild, grips, and a rear tire and tube. Most concerning thing was that it wouldn't roll through all the gears, best I could get to was 3rd. Tried starting it up and it cut out immediately, compression feels ok. I thinking of offering 800-1000$. Any thoughts? 

Well you said you're looking for a project 🤣

I never owned one but they weren't highly regarded. If it was me I'd probably find something else.

Side note: The 04-05 Suzuki 250's are the same bike, Kaw and Suz did a weird partnership and shared some models for a few years, so the RMZ250f is a Kawasaki with yellow plastic.

1
Woody250
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sacramento, CA, USA
2/25/2026 12:37pm
3strokemx wrote:
Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.Should...

Those are fork air subtanks, they were super popular for a while. 

I don't think they really do much, so leaving them on isn't a big deal.

Should be easy to remove if you want to go that route. They usually thread into the bleed screw hole.

There's a chance the holes might have been drilled/tapped to accommodate the tank lines.  (Would be fine if you find a plug to fit the new size)

Woody250 wrote:
Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking...

Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking 1300$ needs fork seals, fork guards, carb rebuild, grips, and a rear tire and tube. Most concerning thing was that it wouldn't roll through all the gears, best I could get to was 3rd. Tried starting it up and it cut out immediately, compression feels ok. I thinking of offering 800-1000$. Any thoughts? 

3strokemx wrote:
Well you said you're looking for a project 🤣I never owned one but they weren't highly regarded. If it was me I'd probably find something else.Side...

Well you said you're looking for a project 🤣

I never owned one but they weren't highly regarded. If it was me I'd probably find something else.

Side note: The 04-05 Suzuki 250's are the same bike, Kaw and Suz did a weird partnership and shared some models for a few years, so the RMZ250f is a Kawasaki with yellow plastic.

Lol definitely 😅 Ive read a lot of the horror stories on here think im going to take the high ground on this one. Would be cool for cheap, but im hesitant to even offer what I mentioned. Thanks for the feedback dude! Going to look at an 07 yz450f later today. 

3strokemx
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2/25/2026 12:38pm

Number 10 on the Worst Bikes Ever List
The 2004 Kawasaki KXF250/ Suzuki RM-Z250
For starters, the bikes ran terribly hot. They would start boiling coolant after only a few minutes if ridden slowly and overheat regularly. Woe be to you if you forgot to check your coolant before every ride. Then there was the little issue of oil capacity. Unlike the YZ250F, the Kawazukis did not feature an external oil tank. This limited their overall oil capacity, made cooling more difficult, and necessitated a constant checking oil of the level. Because of this reduced capacity, oil consumption became a major concern on the two machines (and Honda’s new CRF250R as well). This oil consumption issue became a real problem as the little four-bangers loved to drink the stuff. If you forgot to check your oil before every ride there was a good chance you might be in for a very expensive surprise.

In another brilliant move, Suzuki pulled perhaps the stupidest bit of cost-cutting ever by making the oil filter cover one piece with the water pump. This meant if you wanted to change the oil you had to drain the coolant first (maybe they figured it would burn so much oil you could just keep adding fresh? Hey, it worked on my ’78 Ford Pinto). In a bike where oil life is CRITICAL, making the task a complete pain in the neck was not smart. Some of the bike’s many engine failures might be attributed to four-stroke newbies just letting the oil change interval go too far. Pro Circuit made even more money by selling water pump covers to fix this glaring problem (I sense a pattern here).

Along with the overheating and oil consumption issues, there were problems with the cam buckets, valves, and valve seats (once again Pro Circuit to the rescue). If none of those things failed, then you still had a good chance of the transmission letting go. Race teams spent astronomical sums of money trying to work out the many issues these bikes had. Unfortunately, as they squeezed more and more power out of the machines the reliability continued to suffer, leading to several well-publicized DNF’s during the ’04-’05 seasons.

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3strokemx
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2/25/2026 12:42pm Edited Date/Time 2/25/2026 12:44pm
Woody250 wrote:
Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking...

Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking 1300$ needs fork seals, fork guards, carb rebuild, grips, and a rear tire and tube. Most concerning thing was that it wouldn't roll through all the gears, best I could get to was 3rd. Tried starting it up and it cut out immediately, compression feels ok. I thinking of offering 800-1000$. Any thoughts? 

3strokemx wrote:
Well you said you're looking for a project 🤣I never owned one but they weren't highly regarded. If it was me I'd probably find something else.Side...

Well you said you're looking for a project 🤣

I never owned one but they weren't highly regarded. If it was me I'd probably find something else.

Side note: The 04-05 Suzuki 250's are the same bike, Kaw and Suz did a weird partnership and shared some models for a few years, so the RMZ250f is a Kawasaki with yellow plastic.

Woody250 wrote:
Lol definitely 😅 Ive read a lot of the horror stories on here think im going to take the high ground on this one. Would be...

Lol definitely 😅 Ive read a lot of the horror stories on here think im going to take the high ground on this one. Would be cool for cheap, but im hesitant to even offer what I mentioned. Thanks for the feedback dude! Going to look at an 07 yz450f later today. 

I do have experience with the 06-09 YZ450's, they were great bikes, I'd love to get another one.  

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Woody250
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sacramento, CA, USA
2/25/2026 12:59pm
3strokemx wrote:
Number 10 on the Worst Bikes Ever ListThe 2004 Kawasaki KXF250/ Suzuki RM-Z250For starters, the bikes ran terribly hot. They would start boiling coolant...

Number 10 on the Worst Bikes Ever List
The 2004 Kawasaki KXF250/ Suzuki RM-Z250
For starters, the bikes ran terribly hot. They would start boiling coolant after only a few minutes if ridden slowly and overheat regularly. Woe be to you if you forgot to check your coolant before every ride. Then there was the little issue of oil capacity. Unlike the YZ250F, the Kawazukis did not feature an external oil tank. This limited their overall oil capacity, made cooling more difficult, and necessitated a constant checking oil of the level. Because of this reduced capacity, oil consumption became a major concern on the two machines (and Honda’s new CRF250R as well). This oil consumption issue became a real problem as the little four-bangers loved to drink the stuff. If you forgot to check your oil before every ride there was a good chance you might be in for a very expensive surprise.

In another brilliant move, Suzuki pulled perhaps the stupidest bit of cost-cutting ever by making the oil filter cover one piece with the water pump. This meant if you wanted to change the oil you had to drain the coolant first (maybe they figured it would burn so much oil you could just keep adding fresh? Hey, it worked on my ’78 Ford Pinto). In a bike where oil life is CRITICAL, making the task a complete pain in the neck was not smart. Some of the bike’s many engine failures might be attributed to four-stroke newbies just letting the oil change interval go too far. Pro Circuit made even more money by selling water pump covers to fix this glaring problem (I sense a pattern here).

Along with the overheating and oil consumption issues, there were problems with the cam buckets, valves, and valve seats (once again Pro Circuit to the rescue). If none of those things failed, then you still had a good chance of the transmission letting go. Race teams spent astronomical sums of money trying to work out the many issues these bikes had. Unfortunately, as they squeezed more and more power out of the machines the reliability continued to suffer, leading to several well-publicized DNF’s during the ’04-’05 seasons.

Left that part out.. I confirmed the VIN on the title, they matched but it is documented as an 04. The bike has the pro circuit oil/water pump cover up grade, radiators looked small, and the air box wasn't connected to the carb (fixed that real quick) then noticed what I thought needed to be done at the very least. Probably would have been in over my head if I had got it. Im just a weekend warrior that likes to tinker. 

The 07 looks ok, per the ad it needs "carb work" due to cutting out during idle. They are asking 2,000$, I haven't put eyes on it yet. yz450f 2

yz450f.jpg?VersionId=R7YOQXbbmRN6u rZeuShyFf
3strokemx
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2/25/2026 1:15pm

This one looks promising, noticing OEM brake rotors (most people would replace with aftermarket because of cost) and no scuffing on shock body/air box. Likely low hours.  

Idle issue is a little concerning, but maybe it's due to old gas sitting in the carb, so a cleaning would fix it. 

I had around 250h on one and never opened the engine.  

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Woody250
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sacramento, CA, USA
2/25/2026 6:04pm

Ended up being a flake. I'll keep it in mind going forward. Thanks 3strokemx 

 

2/26/2026 6:03am

I had an '05 KX250f and an '09. I'd look '09 or newer. They were a complete redesign. The '05 felt like a KLX110 compared to the '09.

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3strokemx
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2/26/2026 6:14am
Woody250 wrote:

Ended up being a flake. I'll keep it in mind going forward. Thanks 3strokemx 

 

He must have cleaned the carb and got it running right 🤣, decided not to sell it

Woody250
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2/27/2026 7:42am
Woody250 wrote:

Ended up being a flake. I'll keep it in mind going forward. Thanks 3strokemx 

 

3strokemx wrote:

He must have cleaned the carb and got it running right 🤣, decided not to sell it

Ya no kidding! lol 

 

Kidkawie
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ქუთაისი, GE
3/1/2026 12:00pm Edited Date/Time 3/1/2026 12:02pm

I used the fitting from a set of TGT bars.  You have to plug the bar ends.

20220707 103611 0.jpg?VersionId=KXUC3aV

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3/3/2026 7:45am
Woody250 wrote:
Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking...

Forsure, I found a thread last night. The name Enzo racing was in there stating the same thing. After talking with the guys they are asking 1300$ needs fork seals, fork guards, carb rebuild, grips, and a rear tire and tube. Most concerning thing was that it wouldn't roll through all the gears, best I could get to was 3rd. Tried starting it up and it cut out immediately, compression feels ok. I thinking of offering 800-1000$. Any thoughts? 

It's a 2005 KX250F. Worst engine ever built. Run, don't walk away from it. 

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