Favorite Self-Build mods for the KX500

[KXcam22]

I seem to be monopolizing this thread!  I just made some fork guards.  Mine are the smaller OD forks ('92) and measure 2-1/4" OD.  I found some thinwall PVC pipe that measures 2-1/8" ID and cut out about 1-1/2" out of the back. Painted them with some plastic paint though not sure how well it will holdup.  Dummy me made some for the upper forks not realizing they are tapered. Doh!  Cam.

[KXcam22]

Based on Ricks description of his shock rebuilding slidehammer, I built one out of threaded pipe parts. It is a 1/8" x6" pipe nipple with an endcap and large junk reducer for the slide part. I drilled the inside of one nipple end to 9/32" and tapped it with a 8mm x 0.75 tap so it screws onto the outside of a schrader valve.  The actual schrader thread is .305x32 (or 7.7mm x 0.75) both hard to find.  The 8mm works well.  Cam.

[mikesmith]

I seem to be monopolizing this thread!  I just made some fork guards.  Mine are the smaller OD forks ('92) and measure 2-1/4" OD.  I found some thinwall PVC pipe that measures 2-1/8" ID and cut out about 1-1/2" out of the back. Painted them with some plastic paint though not sure how well it will holdup.  Dummy me made some for the upper forks not realizing they are tapered. Doh!  Cam.

I made the same thing when I first got the 500 back in '95,but I used poly pipe.Its allready black and not brittle,had them on for almost 10 years now!

[Rick]

Nice slide hammer for shocks.  Looks much better than the tool I built years ago when I was trying to figure out how to rebuild shocks.

[KXcam22]

Rick,
  I read (and re-read) the description of the one you built but passed by the plumbing pipe stuff on the way to get parts to build one like yours and it just sort of happened. Was cheap with only 3 parts.  The weird thread threw me for a loop but luckily close is good enough.  The plastic paint definitely stays on the PVC pipe fork guards, even where I hit big stuff (that I'm not supposed to). Cam.