New Guy

[KLXkid]

Hello,
New here to the forum. I rode a YZ80 when I was in middle school. Now many years later I have a son that has expressed interest in riding. We bought him a 2006 KLX 110. Bike is pretty nice, but I'm in the process of freshening the bike. I come from an old skool hot rodding background so I'm not too afraid to get my hands dirty working on his bike. Looking to learn a lot here as I do not have extensive motorcycle experience.

 

[miniriders]

Welcome, KLXkid. Nice looking bike, any modification you have in mind?

 

[KLXkid]

@miniriders Thank you for the warm welcome, I am happy to be here. I bought the bike a few months ago and knew there were some things I wanted to do to the bike. My brother has several Honda 50's that are modded. He is also very particular with keeping them clean.
My bike was fairly clean for the most part, but there was mud caked here and there as the guy I bought it from had kids that rode it periodically.
My first item to tackle was new tires and innertubes. I found these Kenda Millville II's on the Motosport website.




I also bought a new chain and sprocket kit.


I changed the oil with the Kawasaki oil & filter kit as well.
When I had the oil filter cover off, I noticed it was covered in mud and very dull. I washed it and figured I'd buff it on my buffing wheel.


I ordered all new plastics and graphics kit. This was my first time applying these large graphic stickers to plastics. Since the decal covers the entire piece of plastic, I really had to take my time so air bubbles wouldn't form beneath the sticker. It took about an hour per plastic.


I also found an unused new buyers kit with the owners manual, factory paperwork, warranty info, etc. So I bought that so I have a manual for the bike.



I also picked up a new Tusk shift lever.



I wanted to detail the bike, so I bought some items to help me along.

 

[KLXkid]

Over a period of several weeks I slowly worked my way through applying the decals to each panel. It took some effort and I was able to get them looking pretty good. That was a pain...lol!!



Since I had the skid plate off, I decided to put that on my buffing wheel as well.






Yesterday I pulled all the old plastic off the bike and gave it a good bath and detail.





I also buffed the kick start Since I had my buffing wheel out.

 

[KLXkid]

The side of the engine was missing some paint. I assume this is incredibly common as the riders boot rubs against this part of the engine. Since I have all the plastic off, I painted the engine case with high temp engine paint.





I also painted the chain guard as it was faded.



My plastic kit came with new grips and a pro taper pad.

 

[KLXkid]

My friend was once a mechanic on the pro circuit. I forget which team he worked for, but he enjoyed his time wrenching on a pro team for one of the major manufacturers. I brought the bike to his place and he checked the valves. He said they are in perfect specification. He also installed the new tires for me.


I have the exhaust off and I'm going to freshen that up too.



The bike runs great and starts on the first kick. It idles perfect and has zero hesitation on acceleration. The engine sounds great with no wierd noises. It's just a great honest little bike our family can have a lot of fun with.

Hopefully this weekend I will have the bike back together with all the new plastics and parts. It should look pretty sweet. As far as mods, I want to get a pro circuit pipe, air filter kit and jets. This bike is for my 11 year old son and he is fairly new to riding. It should be a great bike for him to learn good techniques. My 7 year old daughter now wants a bike of her own, so she may get this one as I think a KLX110-L would be fun to get as well.

 

[KLXkid]

I'm new to dirtbikes (even though I had a YZ 80 when I was a kid) so I have a lot to learn. I have several classic cars so I'm no stranger to wrenching on things. I definitely feel like a fish out of water though.


I just pulled the tape and masking away and it turned our pretty nice.

 

[KLXkid]

I cleaned the air filter, just need to buy some spray. I'll also need to buy some hand grip glue so I can get the grips on.

This evening the paint had dried so my son and I began some of the assembly. It's starting to look like something.

I need to adjust the handle bars so they're in line with the forks, too.





The exhaust looks pretty nice, too.




A little Bling Bling so he can impress the girls, LOL!

 

[miniriders]

@miniriders Thank you for the warm welcome, I am happy to be here. I bought the bike a few months ago and knew there were some things I wanted to do to the bike. My brother has several Honda 50's that are modded. He is also very particular with keeping them clean.
My bike was fairly clean for the most part, but there was mud caked here and there as the guy I bought it from had kids that rode it periodically.
My first item to tackle was new tires and innertubes. I found these Kenda Millville II's on the Motosport website.

WOW! Your son's so blessed. So amazed by your detailing and those decals. All turned out pretty nice. Can't wait to see everything done.

 

[miniriders]

How did it go? Excited to see photos of the finished product.

 

[KLXkid]

@miniriders Thank you for the compliments. It's so much easier to give a bike (or car) a great cleaning and detailing, then continue to keep them looking good. A clean bike is a happy bike. They just look so much nicer.

No he does not have a girlfriend...all he cares about is sports and hanging out with his friends.

Today I was able to finish the bike. Although I did order new Pro Taper grips (green) and green & black Number graphics.

 

[KLXkid]

We are super pleased with how it turned out! It looks like a new bike. The look is awesome!!







Oh yeah, I painted my garage wall ocean blue today.

 

[miniriders]

Awesome!!
It turns out like brand new and sporty at that. Congratulations. Why don't you post a before and after photo?

Cool wall color by the way.

 

[KLXkid]

Thank you. Its pretty amazing if you put a little time and money into these, they look great. Our KLX looks brand new. Today I ordered his number graphics, he wanted number 97. We are having them custom made (Kawasaki green and blue trim) I'm waiting for the company to send me the proof of the design so I can sign off on it. I figured I put this much work into the bike, may as well have the numbers fit the panels right so it will look nice. Also, the K&N air filter spray arrived, I taught my son how to properly wash, prep and treat an air filter. We're still waiting for the green Pro Taper grips to arrive.


I've done a decent job of keeping photos of the bike since the purchase. These two photos are from the For Sale Ad when it was listed by the previous owner. This was our first look at the bike on-line.

So here's my "Before & After"

BEFORE.....







AFTER...





I am very seriuosly considering purchasing a KLX 110 L for me. There are several tracks around here and I think riding with my kids would be incredibly fun.

 

[miniriders]

I am very seriuosly considering purchasing a KLX 110 L for me. There are several tracks around here and I think riding with my kids would be incredibly fun.

Really nice job, an amazing transformation, can't recognize it from its previous appearance.

It surely is fun riding with your kid. How does this bike differ from your kid's?

 

[KLXkid]

This KLX 110-R has a 3 speed gearbox, no clutch lever and standard suspension. It is a great bike for them to learn to ride on and gain good riding techniques.

I would like to get a KLX 110-L which is 1" taller, has beefier suspension, 4 speed gearbox and manual clutch.

This way we could go riding together at local tracks and trails.

 

[miniriders]

The R is therefore a bit easier to drive in terms of shifting compared to the L.
No For Sale Ad yet?

 

[miniriders]

Hey, what's up? How's the son and bike?

 

[miniriders]

This KLX 110-R has a 3 speed gearbox, no clutch lever and standard suspension. It is a great bike for them to learn to ride on and gain good riding techniques.

I would like to get a KLX 110-L which is 1" taller, has beefier suspension, 4 speed gearbox and manual clutch.

This way we could go riding together at local tracks and trails.

Did you get the LX 110-L already?