Zip-Ty Pipe/Tank Combo Kit

[kawdude]

That's beautiful.  Very nice setup!

[mikesmith]

NICE!

[toddwunsch]

I just ordered the KX-KIT for my new '04 500.  Thanks for the pics.  What's up with the rear fender.  That's not an '04 250 fender is it ?  That looks great.  Where can I get one of those ?

[SLEEZ]

It's a 93' KX250 rear fender. I'd wait to put it on when you get the KX kit. With the KX kit the seat sits slightly  more forward than the stock set up. I put it on with the stock tank and had to trim the fender near the rear of the seat which I could've avoided.

[jmart233]

The bike looks great, but more importantly are you a surf board shaper or salesman?  Looks like you have a bunch in your garage.

[jtorresiii]

Your bike looks sweet Sleez!  That kit really changed the whole look. I think I'll save money to get a kit for my 98 kx5. Got to rebuild my top end first.

[toddwunsch]

Just put my KX-KIT on with the Flow pipe, silencer, and IMS tank.  If looks could kill !!!  I also replaced the handlebars with taller stock steel replicas (I'm running out of money).. so I could fit my Scott's stabilizer in there.  I had to shave down the KX-250 shrouds a little and thanks to my recent 60+ mph crash last weekend, I didn't have to adjust the radiator brackets much..    Still nursing my collarbone separation from that crash however so fitting the pipe was quite the chore ...  http://www.sportsmed.buffalo.edu/info/sterno.html  ..  Should be ready for Baja trip at the end of March..

[toddwunsch]

Here's the Zip-Ty KX-KIT with the Flow pipe and silencer.

[kawdude]

What's the bike sound like with pipe and silencer?  Louder or softer???

[mikesmith]

That looks to cool!I may be in the minority here,but I like the stock KX500 fender.Not that it has anything to do with bikes,but I like your landscaping also!

[kawdude]

I like your landscaping also!

d**n.  I like palm trees and ferns too.  Too bad I get to look a snow!!!

I'm soooo jealeous!

[toddwunsch]

Yeah.  I took the pictures in front of our palm trees because my riding partner is stuck in the snow in Maryland and I just wanted to send him a little nudge to get home before riding season ends here.  He lives in Beaumont, CA which is basically the riding capital out here.  Besides, he's got a brand new '04 YZ450F sitting in his garage that he hasn't even started yet (so he says).  I'm just trying to egg him on..  Hey Mike, I thought the '03 KX-250 rear fender was going to be the final upgrade on the body for this bike.  I ordered the '03 KX-250 rear fender because I liked the looks of it with this kit. (See pictures earlier in this post of another identical bike with the 250 fender).  But when I put mine on, the bike just didn't say KX500 anymore.  I don't know how to explain it, but the bike seemed to lose it's personality.  So I threw the stock rear fender back on and knew that had to stay.  Hey, I know I'm a little obsessive.  But at least I'm in therapy.

Anyways, the bike's very loud with this flow silencer.  And the power increase is noticable.  After re-gearing my sprockets to a 15/45, the power smoothed out a little.  This pipe/silencer combo seemed to give me a refund on that slight power loss and a little bit more all over the RPM range.  I've only taken it up and down the street but I'll be back in the sand and hills in the next week or so.  I want to feel it out, get a total range on the tank, then I'm going to start installing fuel intake upgrades one at a time.  1st, Moose spacer.  2nd, Power Now. and 3rd, V-Force delta 2.  I'm going to take it out on the same ride, same mileage, after each upgrade.  I'll let you guys know how things improve both with the power delivery and the gas mileage.

[mikesmith]

Well at least Im not alone on the fender,I feel the same way!Sounds like youve got a good plan,let us know what you think of each upgrade.

[toddwunsch]

Well, I'm almost done with all the mods on this bike for now.  I haven't replaced the reed cage, but I'm going to go with stock for now.  I called DSP regarding the power now and they don't make one for the 2004 KX-500.  Or at least that's what the gal told me.  She said that the diameter of the throat is different than the KX-250.  So I took advice from another post and made my own from aluminum sheet metal.  Used a dremel tool with an engraving bit to score two notches in the side of the throat.  Made a template out of cardboard and then used the dremel tool to shape the fin out of aluminum.  Epoxied it in place with two part metal epoxy and it works great.  I was able to make fine tune adjustments to nudge it right up to the slide without touching it.  Installed the Moose spacer as well.  The carb is a tight fit after you install the spacer.  The throttle cable assembly comes very close to the rear spring and shock assembly.  The bike still hits pretty hard.  The one thing I noticed more than anything was that the bike was very responsive on the bottom end using the power now fin in the carb.

So, I ordered the 93 KX-250 rear fender from Dennis Kirk.  It came the other day.  It was a UFO fender and it said right on the label 1992-1993 KX-250 Rear Fender.  Let me tell you, this thing was not even close.  I don't know if the sub frame has changed with the 2004 model or if I just got the wrong fender but the sub frame was too narrow for the fender.  I was able to chop the *#&@ out of it and get the two holes in the front of the fender to line up with the screws under the seat without any noticeable damage, then I went to put the seat on.  Not even close.  It's sitting in the trash.  (The rear fender, not the bike !)

Anyways, I don't mind the stock rear fender anyways.

I've got a flywheel weight coming from Steahly.  14oz.  I'm going to put that on and head out to Borrego and run some jetting testing and mpg testing.  I've got to get this thing up to 25 mpg. and ready for Baja in two weeks.  Oh, I lowered the float to reduce the amount of fuel in the bowl.  Maybe I was losing some fuel there as well.  I've got a nice 5 mile loop out at borrego that incorporates sand, whoops, single track, and hill climbs.  It's a beautiful loop for testing and setup.  I'll keep you up to date.