My brilliant idea!!

[jtricer1973]

Ok guys, I want a 1974ish KX 250, Bad. Been looking for several years and can't find one locally and whenever they come up on the auction site they are half way around the world and costs 500 bucks to have shipped. Also, I am not made of money so I can't really turn loose of alot of cash at once but can put money into my bikes a little at a time. Not cheaper but somehow easier to do it that way for me.

So here's my idea. I know a guy that has a 1973 F11 250 enduro that I can get for 100 bucks. Doesn't run but is all there. I know that the F11M used the same frame and forks as the enduro model. So what I am thinking of doing is getting it. Tear it down and basically make a 73 F11M/74 KX out of it. I am sure I could get a rebuildable KX 250 engine and with some work mount it in the frame. Get a Circle F KX down pipe, find some hubs and lace up some rims, MX tires, shocks, MX fenders, bars, tank,seat, you get the picture.

I know this wouldn't be cheap or easy, but I don't think it would cost anymore than doing a resto. Most of the parts could be found on the auction site and other places with some lookling. It would take a while but thats ok too, I have a bike to ride. Some may call me crazy,but the more I think about it the more excited I get.

Sorry so long but I wanted to fully explain what I am talking about. Input please(including stuff like your nutts).

Thanks guys, now let me have it.

 

[jtricer1973]

Actually, the more I think about it, I think I will leave the engine alone, at least at first.Don't know if it would be as powerful as a KX250 engine but I bet if it was properly jetted maybe with an aftermarket down pipe and possibly some gearing changes it would be pretty quick.I read an old article about the 1973 F11 motocros bike and they were saying that many people back in the day bought the enduro models and basically turned them into MXers. They said that it was so popular to do that some of the first service bullitins that Kawasaki released were about how to modify the bike and engine to get it up to MX standards. Wish I could get a hold of that information somehow.

No responses so I guess everyone thinks I am crazy. I am still gonna do it. Should be alot of fun and hopefully will end up with a descent bike.Will be a little while before I get started(6 weeks of nursing school left), but I am gonna post pictures and updates here as I proceed for anyone interested.

Also, anyone with any knowledge or tips about getting the most out of that engine/bike would be helpful.

To be continued...
See ya

 

[2stroke]

IT sounds like an idea to me. Thats how I work, a little at a time. I race a '72 Kawasaki F9 which was an enduro. I built that a bit at a time, and all told had only about $600 in it total. Preston petty plastics, windsor plastic tank, etc.... I had alot of parts already leftover from my youth. Its fast as all hell but its a beast on the track. Ive got alot of "factory speed kit" parts on it, and I changed the front end around alot until it handled well.
The F11 was piston port...Ive never had any experience with those, but anyhting can be tweaked. Thats half the fun for me....see just what you can do with an old enduro because like you said, thats what alot of guys did back in the day.

I also built a Yamaha that way. Its a '76 DT400 enduro, but I got a hold of an MX400 engine for it...same deal a little at a time...Its soo much easier finding an old enduro cheap.

I lucked out with the KX400....it was cheap and nearby, but it needs work....I will have to preserve what parts I can and buy only what I absoulutely need...


Good Luck!

 

[john221ex]

Make sure you find some good new brake shoes....I could fade the brakes on my F9! Great engine, though.

 

[2stroke]

amen to lousy F9 brakes in the front. My F9 now wears a 21 inch wheel from a Yamaha, with good brakes! :laugh:

 

[Britt Boyette]

The 74 KX250 is a way better bike than the F11. You would wind up with a bike that was more like a F81M rather than a KX. They made lousy MX'ers but they were excellent flat trackers because of the extra weight carried lower in the rotory valve engine.
If you like the look of the 74 KX250 but want a bike that does everything better plus can be found for less money, get a 75 KX250. The lay down shocks make it handel so much more better than a 74. The KX250's also don't have the rotory valve engine which makes them much lighter overall and easier to work on. Think "jetting". The one thing I do like about the 74 is that it has an iron lined cylinder which means you can bore it out. 75 was the first year for the plated cylinder which cost a little more to fix at overhaul time.