Just finished rebuilding the rear shock.
The Pivot Works Kit for the CR500 is NOT perfect for the the KX. The o-rings, bladder, c-clips and rear bumper all worked fine.
I ended up buying a "All Balls" shock head for the KX. Here is a picture comparing all of them... Left is the one that came out of the shock, middle one is Pivot Works for CR500 kit and right is All Balls for KX500 (see all balls label)
Please note that All Balls model has a longer inner bushing than the other two (even the one that came out of the KX)!
Please note that All Balls model has hole in the side... others don't.
"""""Sorry the picture is getting messed up and it is reversed... tried several time to correct it with no luck!!!
I used the All Balls one because I wanted to save the Pivot Work for my 97CR500. But I think the Pivot Works one will have worked fine... it looked the same as the one that came out of my KX500.
Piston Band/Valve as it was removed from shock and document how the piston valve goes.
Note: the piston band that came with the Pivot works kit was too "wide" I think it is 46mm x 12mm. It needed to be about 10mm. I measured the old band and it was 46mm x 10mm! But they only sell 46mmx12mm or 44mmx10mm bands! According to Racetech and KYB the CR and 2004 KX uses the same band 46x12!!! Maybe I have a different piston? KYB manual says all KX have the 44 dia piston but it also says it uses the 46x12 band for the 2004 KX500... hmmmm! Maybe this is the main difference between why the CR kit cannot be used for the KX? Or the KYB and RaceTech stuff is incorrect?
Sine the old one was 46mm I sanded down one side of the new 46mm band until it was 10mm wide so it fit in the piston valve groove... took about 10 minutes and I went slow and used 800 grit paper. There is an o-ring behind the band so the band does "give" a little. I test fitted the piston with the new band and it went inside the shock body without forcing anything! So either someone did the same thing I did during the last rebuild, or my shock body is worn to a point that a 46mm dia will work, or someone put the wrong piston in the rear shock!
All Cleaned up and ready to be but back together. Everything went back together snugly and did not have to force anything. So I hope the 46mm band will work! I added 80PSI of air and the rod came out nice and smoothly and no binding! If the band was too large I think I would have seen some binding issues.
Next time I will order both sizes (they are about $10 each) to have them both.
added the fluid and bleed everything per the manual and this web site. Everything held with no leaks.
Notes: Get the shock bullet from tusk or race tech to install the shock head... well worth the $12. I also purchased the race tech head installer tool for $35... could have done without or made my own, but it made my life a lot easier. I also purchased the piston band installer tool for $17 of the internet which made putting the piston band on take 1 min. Others on the internet say it takes 20 min by hand to install the band. Then I placed electrical tape around the band as tight as possible to reform the piston band back on the piston (let it sit for about an hour before taking the tape off). Also don't forget to replace the o-ring under the piston band... mine only had 1 o-ring others said they had 2.
Grinding off the top of the old bolt was nerve-racking just go slow until you can see the entire shaft. I used an impact to finally get the nut off and then used 12-1.5mm (I think) die to redress the threads. Make sure the new nut goes on smooth and by hand... don't force it! Used the new bolt from the kit and torqued it and used red locktite and let it sit overnight to cure.
I used the Honda ss-7 suspension oil it is 5w and I had a new bottle already so I used it. Many people use 10w.
Overall I think the Shock Kit for the CR500 worked on my bike with some modifications to the piston band. But I'm not sure whether my shock had the oem piston or head seal. So I can't say with 100% it will work on all of the new KX500. Sorry
JoeO