Lessons Learned during the build
1) Not all powder coat colors/types are the same. I did the swing arm in a color called brushed nickel, and it chips very easily. Bump it with a wrench and you will leave a mark. The black I used seems more pliable and durable.
2) None of the really good engine cleaners work very well for an extremely carbon coated top end (KIPS, etc). A wire brush, a dremal with a wire brush attachment, a good exacto knife, and some serious elbow grease will be needed.
3) Make sure you mark ALL the holes with press fit bearings or races before you send it in for powder coating. The powder coat is very difficult to remove without changing the shape of the hole you are removing it from. They missed one of the swing arm bearing holes on mine, and it was a PITA to clean out.
4) The mod to the carb boot that goes into the reed valve was also a PITA. The directions say to use a hacksaw, but that seemed like it would destroy the little tiny rubber lip that provides the seal. I ended up using a dremel with a thin cutting blade to cut the tabs flush. There is no way to do it with a razor blade. I would love to hear how others have done this.
5) REAR FENDER MOD
a. This almost cost me two fenders. The directions at the top of the site assume your sub-frame is PERFECTLY square. What should be stressed a little more clearly is that you need to drill a hole on one side of the fender, THEN elongate the two holes under the seat, THEN squeeze the fender into the subframe, and lift lower this last side of the fender until it sits straight looking from the back. The hole WILL NOT be in the same location as the other side. This sensitivity is due to the fact that the new fender is under a lot of pressure because you need to squeeze it to fit it in the frame. This is hard to visualize until you try it. The directions on the website gave me the impression that the two holes under the seat wer the most important for getting the fender to sit straight. THEY ARE NOT. My main point in this is: DON?T DRILL THE SECOND SIDE OF THE FENDER UNTIL THE VERY END.
6) Don?t use oven cleaner on your top end to get the carbon off. It works, but it will leave your top end looking poo. It makes a mess. (It says on the can, do not use on aluminum. Listen.)
7) The MSR skid plate requires a new hole to be drilled for the mount closest to the brake lever. This thing was actually kind of a pain to install.
94 KX250 rear fender DOES NOT FIT
9) Seat mod for the new fender was very easy
10) Be careful when you build a new mount for the top of the pipe. This mount is VERY close to the tank, and you don?t want anything rubbing on the tank.
11) BABBITS shipping is very slow!!
12) Motosport.com was great.
13) Callaway Motosports in Riverside, CA was very quick to get part from Kawasaki. Most of the stuff I needed, they could get the next day. Chaparral Motosports SUCKS. I hate that place. Anything you need to order takes at least a week, sometimes two, and they are just as close to the Kawasaki factory as Callaway.
14) Almost no one stocks parts for my 92 KX500 anymore. I had to order almost everything.
