2003 KX 250 SF Conversion

[umberto]

My last frame cost me 225 to have it stripped and coated in Kiwi Green.
How much is your guy asking?

He was over $300, but I guess once I ship it to a cheaper place and back here it will cost me more than $300 anyway.

[Pmcg]

I didn't realize that you had installed the EFM.  Looks like you're happy with it.  You did have to add a spacer in the clutch cover?  I want to order one. Any thing else I should know first?

[umberto]

I didn't realize that you had installed the EFM.  Looks like you're happy with it.  You did have to add a spacer in the clutch cover?  I want to order one. Any thing else I should know first?

I love it.  It makes the clutch pull super light (if you need to use the clutch at all), and I think it's a must for riding in the trees or tight technical trails.  I did have to add a spacer, but you can skip that if you just leave an extra 1/2" in your cover when you convert it to a two piece.  I bought an already converted cover from Sandblaster before I decided to go with the EFM, and had my buddy make a spacer, but Sandblaster also sells just the rings.  The guy at EFM is really nice, and got my clutch done really quickly.  It's a little pricey, but unlike a Rekluse you don't have to eventually replace it.  You just replace the clutch pack and your good.

All in all, I would say it's probably tied for my favorite modification with the suspension.

[Kawafornication]

My last frame cost me 225 to have it stripped and coated in Kiwi Green.
How much is your guy asking?

He was over $300, but I guess once I ship it to a cheaper place and back here it will cost me more than $300 anyway.

Ouch, I thought everything in the USA was cheaper than the UK other than PPV boxing, I have been quoted £95 GBP for a 250 frame to be done in Kiwi green which is around $122 USD and the reviews for them are all good!! 

[umberto]

My last frame cost me 225 to have it stripped and coated in Kiwi Green.
How much is your guy asking?

He was over $300, but I guess once I ship it to a cheaper place and back here it will cost me more than $300 anyway.

Ouch, I thought everything in the USA was cheaper than the UK other than PPV boxing, I have been quoted £95 GBP for a 250 frame to be done in Kiwi green which is around $122 USD and the reviews for them are all good!! 

Man, that is cheap! I wish I could find someone that cheap here.

[umberto]

Look what I got from the UPS man on Friday.

Larry got my compression release added to the spare head I bought from Sandblaster.  His work is as good as advertised; this dude looks factory.





Unfortunately it looks like I won't be able to get this dude on for a while.  I just had back surgery, and can't lift any weight or ride a dirt bike for 12 weeks.  Getting old sucks a lot.  Oh well, I also can't go to work for a while either.  It's not all bad.   

[umberto]

I had a question on how I spaced out my rear brake lever to fit the 1/2” clutch cover spacer for my EFM auto clutch. I made two spacers from 1/4” aluminum, by using a hole saw to cut the aluminum and removing the piece caught in the middle. I had to belt sand them smooth, and enlarge the center hole, but they make excellent spacers and are perfectly round. Plus you can vary the size of the spacer by picking a different starting hole saw size. Of course the brake lever pivot bolt was too short, so I just cut off the threads and drilled a hole through the center. This weakens the part that holds the lever on the pivot, so I just removed it and replaced it with a stainless steel fender washer. I used a stainless metric button head bolt to mount the lever. Once I had the lever spaced out, I carefully bent the clevis open more so the it would go over the end of the brake lever.

[umberto]

I’m still a little limited on what I can do post surgery, so I have been avoiding the garage. Today I wandered out there because I was bored, and started looking at Goliath.  I had the thought that maybe I could install the decompression head Larry made for me if I did some trimming. I moved my coil to the side of the frame, but I never removed the coil brackets. I started measuring, and realized if I cut them off I could get the head off.  A couple of passes with the reciprocating saw, and I had the old head off.  I ran in to an issue putting the new head on though. Both the locating pins were frozen in the old head, and of course I only had one new one. Oh well. It’s not like I’m going riding for a while anyway. 

[umberto]

I recently purchased a kit from TX Race in Spain to put 2017 to 2019 KX250F plastic on your 03-07 (or 08 overseas) KX, and needed a donor bike.  I guess you can probably guess which bike I decided to update.  Goliath got stripped down and I got started on the install.

The kit itself comes with a nice set of instructions (get a magnifying glass for the details), and an extensive group of brackets, bolts, washers, nuts, an airbox extender, and a seat (in addition to a set of plastic custom tailored to this kit).  Some of the bracket pieces are plastic, while some of them are aluminum.  They use rivnuts and the clamp on nuts in a couple of places, as well as studs where applicable.  Overall the quality of the kit is very good. 

I attached pictures of the instructions and all the parts laid out.

[umberto]

Installation is pretty straightforward.  I did have an issue with one of my brackets that was reversed, but it was easy to modify with another rivnut and a little bit of grinding.  I attached a picture of some of the brackets installed.  The airbox plastic piece is pretty cool, and does a nice job of covering the gap between the new fender and the old one.  I was initially concerned about the airbox holes from the 2003 side panels being open, but the new side panels and brackets cover them really nicely.

[umberto]

I struggled with the plastic a little bit, but I think the Clarke oversized tank is to blame.  Once I got them on the bike, I think all the problems can be fixed with a little sanding.  Anyway, here is a picture of where I stopped for the day.

[umberto]

Besides the plastic adjustments around the gas tank, I will need to get the seat shortened a little bit.  It's about 3/4" too long, but I once again attribute this to the Clarke tank.  I think if you had the stock tank, or an IMS tank, you would be fine.  All in all I am very pleased with this kit.  For the price, it is very well engineered. 

[umberto]

I got my plastic fitting really well, and updated my brackets to fit around the tank. This kit really updates the ergonomics. I’m really pleased with the purchase.

The last step is to blow it apart to powder coat the frame. I’m going to start that tomorrow.

[umberto]

Well, I finally did it.  I broke Goliath down for the finishing touches.  I'm taking the frame, frame guards, and pipe mount to the powder coater tomorrow.  I'm excited to see how it comes out once it's all together with the new plastics and graphics.

I posted a couple of pictures of the carnage.  It's so weird seeing a pile of parts where my bike used to be.   

[ftc]

maybe i missed it but what color?  or is it a suprise?