When it involves 500cc two-stroke initiatives, they every now and then scurry one amongst two directions: the major is a entire restoration of the stock steel-framed chassis, or the 2nd is taking the two-stroke powerplant and fabricating it accurate into a newest-day, four-stroke, aluminum-framed chassis. The debate on these two forms of builds would possibly well well scurry on till the tip of time about which conception is more fit, and even the magazine workers is torn in varied directions. Then again, when it comes magnificent all the kind down to it, we luxuriate in to be simply and notify each and every are savory to jog. We determined to alternate things up a bit on this invent, and likewise it’s seemingly you’ll well be surprised with the implications.
LET THE WORK COMMENCE
We didn’t strive to reinvent the wheel here, but did rethink our methods of madness. As you are going to luxuriate in figured out from the title of the story, the 500cc two-stroke engine is out of a 2004 Kawasaki to be real. After lengthy hours of deliberation, the resolution became made to make utilize of a steel-framed chassis. No, no longer a Kawasaki chassis. We as an different frail a major body, swingarm and subframe of a 2013 KTM 250SX two-stroke. The oval-tubed steel KTM body supplied great-considerable flex characteristics and, frankly, made it more straightforward to sever up and weld accurate thru the fabrication phases.
With the foremost decisions made, it became time to beginning out reducing and welding. When the KX500 engine became on the floor next to the KTM chassis, it gave the look of there became no methodology it became going to suit, but surprisingly, the OEM 250SX engine cradle became utilized (with adjustments needless to claim). The body-cradle tubes had been notched, and chromoly tubes had been welded into narrate for the bottom engine-mount bolts. This became carried out to rep the engine crank as puny as imaginable to non-public the total center of gravity low. The finest varied body modification became a strategically positioned dent allowing rep admission to to an engine-case scurry. Despite all the pieces the adjustments had been carried out, the major body became sent out to be powdercoated Kawasaki Inexperienced.
The engine underwent more adjustments, each and every internally and externally, than the body. The Kawasaki KX500 situations needed to be bored out to receive a KTM swingarm pivot scurry. The countershaft and rear-sprocket alignment are considerable on a invent like this, so contemporary rear-engine spacers had been machined to be obvious that real fitment. Sliding the engine over about 5mm didn’t pose a foremost field, simplest attributable to the body rails had been wider than the KX500’s major engine situations. Internally, the engine became utterly rebuilt using ProX points, and the crank became balanced to serve lower vibration.
Our KX500 powerplant did rep some manufacturing unit-stage engine adjustments, but now to no longer expand the total horsepower. KX500 clutches had been always a nightmare to alternate, attributable to customarily your entire magnificent-aspect case needed to be removed. The stock clutch conceal became sliced, diced and machined to receive a newer KX450 Hinson conceal with Hinson billetproof parts frail inner. We lucked out on the FMF pipe, attributable to that they had a pair leftover objects from when Donny Emler and Danny LaPorte built a motocross model of our KDX just a few years aid. Pacific Crest Pipe Repair made the growth chamber peek better than contemporary for photos.
With adjustments carried out, our focus changed to off-avenue scurry-on requirements. This became made methodology more straightforward with the newer KTM chassis, as points are on hand in abundance. Magura hydraulic clutch serve, brake-master cylinders, lines and calipers had been keep in with Braking rotors. Knowledgeable-Wheel black hubs and 70-R rims added some kind and energy to face up to off-avenue abuse. Michelin Starcross 5 tires would serve rep that broad-bore vitality to the floor, whereas the Michelin bib mousse foam inserts would establish away with the possibilities of getting a flat on the crawl.
Acerbis became a broad share of the total peek of our KDX500 invent, with a entire plastics kit, handguards and oversized tank with great-considerable further gasoline skill. Totally different objects on the invent embrace ODI handlebars, lock-on grips, SDG gripper seat conceal, Devol performance hyperlink, Waft Racing power parts, Scuttle hardware, Works Connection skid plate and Raptor titanium pegs.
LET THE FUN BEGIN
We’re going to be the major to confess that if KTM or Kawasaki made this bike, our cash deposit would be positioned the moment it became announced. The WPS KDX500 is so great fun to jog—yes, it’s a bit a handful on tight trails and obviously takes more effort to beginning out than ethical pushing a button like newest off-avenue bikes, but, man, is it a blast to jog! The KX500 engine has a form of vitality all the diagram in which thru the narrate, and the KTM chassis handles tall off-avenue. The crew at PWR role the suspension up for Western Powersports’ VIP Pete Treadwell, so it’s a bit on the stiff aspect for the practical human but works tall. Now we would possibly well well be a puny bias in the in the period in-between attributable to the KDX500 is sitting in our garage, but this hybrid machine is one amongst the handiest-performing and -taking a gape KX500 two-stroke body conversions now we luxuriate in got been ready to check. The steel-framed mafia gets one for the steal column. Perhaps it’s time for an aluminum-framed KX500 project? Dwell tuned!
