Popular Post kicker Posted July 7, 2021 Popular Post Posted July 7, 2021 I've had this sitting around in my garage for about 18 months while I pissed around trying to get it road legal. I'll run through my experience in case anyone finds it useful. Anyway here it is when I first got it. 17 2 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 7, 2021 The bike was mostly complete and other than washing it I didn't do anything to it as I wanted to confirm I could get it on the road otherwise would flick it on. A call to VTNZ told me it had been imported in 1999 and had been entered into LANDATA which was promising, the only issue was a lack of any export certificate and Japanese deregistration needed for the compliance process. I knew I'd probably need to use the Alternative Docs process to get an exemption for the missing papers but didn't want to pony up the $184 unless I knew I had a good chance. I contacted the exemption team directly and they said to just send through as much info as I could to make their job easier. The Alternative Docs form asks for the following; -Proof of previous registration I had no proof of previous registration (hence the need for the exemption) but did include an email from a Japanese company that sources copies of deregistration certificates stating that no copies are kept for motorcycles. -Ownership trail I had no ownership trail other than a receipt from the guy I bought it off so I got a JP to sign a copy of that, signed an ownership declaration, added printouts of the TradeMe auction, auction success email, text convo organising for me to pick up the bike and an email chain between us with him stating he had no information either and no longer had the details of who he bought it from. -Written VIN/chassis number verification This was a piss around until I got clear info, basically only the VTNZ/VINZ person approved to comply the bike can do this so you can't just go to any old station, it also needs to be hand written on official letterhead. -Photographs of the vehicle and identifiers Easy, take heaps, pad that sucker out -Confirmation of deregistration from the country of origin Had nothing for this -Statutory declarations covering how the vehicle was obtained and its condition Another declaration signed for this Along with this stuff I added my initial communication with NZTA about the process and heaps of info on how this was a street model (I didn't want them to think it was a dirt only model I was trying to sneak through) which included Kawasaki catalogues showing trim levels, copies of pages from the owners manual I sourced, photos of factory brochures I pulled from Yahoo Japan Auctions, photos of bikes in Japan showing their plates that I found on instagram and even a spreadsheet of vehicles I pulled from the NZTA fleet database available to the public. Once I had it all together I added my $184 bank cheque and sent it off, I might not have needed to include lots of it but I wanted to give it my best shot. A couple weeks later I got a letter saying this. 17 Quote
HighLUX Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 Vids of hitting pipe and nangin round WGN plz Bonus points for tunnel nangs 5 Quote
kicker Posted July 7, 2021 Author Posted July 7, 2021 Will definitely get some vids, anyone got recommendations for a phone holder or cheap cam so I don't need a gopro Quote
kicker Posted July 7, 2021 Author Posted July 7, 2021 Anyhoo, so now I had the approval from NZTA I had to get it ready for its compliance inspection. Tyres were tricky due to the 21/19 sizes needed, took a bit of searching but found that Michelin Trackers came in the right size and were road legal. It was good fun getting the old ones off and the new ones on, positioning the bead lock and tube etc The brakes were shit so new discs, pads and hoses all around along with master and caliper rebuild kits. Replacing the front hose was a pain as due to Honda having some kind of patent on hose routing (WTF) for a while the KDX had a hose/hard line combo going under the fork leg. New hose routing Wheel bearings were rough so new ones chucked in front and rear. Fork seals weren't sealing, after making a couple tools the job was a piece of piss. Steering and swingarm bearings felt good so just pumped some new grease in To make it look a bit nicer I bought some new fork shields (on the right) from Aliexpress for $17 delivered Going by the NZTA info the last thing I needed was a park light as the KDX doesn't run a battery. I borrowed 3x 18650 batteries and BMS from another project and knocked up a small 12V that fits under the seat, wired in a bar switch and fit an led in the rear guard. 9 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 7, 2021 The bike now ready I gathered some more docs together, another ownership declaration and the NZTA approval, loaded it on a trailer and towed it to VTNZ. A few days and $525 later ($325 inspection fee + 6 months rego) I got a call saying it was ready to pick up, clean sheet check, nice. 15 1 Quote
Vintage Grumble Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 Oh golly, you are going to have so much fun on this. Good choice on the tyres, I had 70/30 spec ones on mine, and it was rubbish off road, and was still able to spin a tyre on wet roads, so didn't inspire much confidence. I loved blasting around on the 220, felt sort of naughty. 1 Quote
jessemk2 Posted July 8, 2021 Posted July 8, 2021 KDxs are sweet bikes Keep eye out for motard rims and tires. That and a re gear will make it a back road demon on the tarmac. 1 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 8, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 8, 2021 You are on the money there, the main aim for this was to have a 2T motard. Currently working on these 13 Quote
cletus Posted July 8, 2021 Posted July 8, 2021 Yesyesyes I used to think motard type bikes were dumb like putting semi slicks on a toyota surf I was very wrong so much fun on twisty back roads, things like big mid corner surprise bumps, which on a sport bike would probably send you into the trees, are soaked up no problem 2 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 8, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 8, 2021 So much fun! My favourite bit is when it goes from eeeEeeeeEee to EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! But because I like doing things the wrong way it now looks like this Crank seals needed attention (they are a split the cases job) and I need to see what state the KIPS valves are in as they are prone to stripping teeth. Good news so far the piston and cylinder look good, will check the rest out once it's apart. 10 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 9, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 9, 2021 Whipped the valves out today, I'm surprised, some wear and carbon build up but no chewed gears or sheared shafts, win. Better look at the cyl, nice 13 Quote
kicker Posted July 19, 2021 Author Posted July 19, 2021 Not much progress but the engine has been stripped a bit further, everything is looking good so far. Someone has put a Wossner piston in it at some point so it has been opened before, not sure if they split the cases but since I have to anyway to replace the crank seals then I may as well go a bit further so I have a rod kit on the way. And the main reason for the rebuild Where the fuck did the seal go? The metal outer part is there but the rubber has vanished and you can see the spring chilling on the crank. As mentioned earlier I wanted to get this legal before spending money on a rebuild so I used sealant on the sidecover to keep it in a running state haha. Currently fabricating a case splitter as I couldn't bring myself to pay $130 for something that looks shit and might only get one use. 7 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 24, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 24, 2021 My bedframe/bearing puller case splitter Split them nice and easy with a few tappity taps here and there. LH crank bearing was stuffed and not long for this world. Crank has been out before as there is evidence of sausage fingery under the RH bearing where someone must have tried cutting a race off. It's currently with the bike shop for a rebuild. 11 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 24, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 24, 2021 I'm also on a quest to turn up the ring dings. I could source an aftermarket pipe but I have cutting discs and welding wire. Inside the stock exhaust there is some baffling in the chamber which can be removed for more hp's and a crisper sound. 15 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 25, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 25, 2021 Yeah, need to find a cheap one, this'll do in the meantime. I removed the rest of the mesh and dampening material and gave it a wire brush as far as I could reach, also tapped out a small dent. And I think I'll borrow one of the Toomey silencers from my RD parts to put on. 10 Quote
jessemk2 Posted July 25, 2021 Posted July 25, 2021 Cutting stock muffler in half will(cheap shorty)help ring ding ding 1 Quote
Popular Post kicker Posted July 27, 2021 Author Popular Post Posted July 27, 2021 I'm currently cleaning up the crankcase halves and decided to do a potentially unnecessary job but one that is super easy to do at this point. KX/KDX's of this era have the potential to leak from where the steel crank bearing seat ties into the crankcase, as per the arrows. A bit of JB Weld sorts it out Also picked up the rebuilt crank, the wombled bearing seat was just within spec. And finished off the expansion chamber and gave it some high heat paint that'll probably just burn off anyway as it was quite rusty on the header pipe section. 14 Quote
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