2003 KX125 Build

Michael

Michael

PR Addict
Picked up an 03 Kawasaki KX 125 nearly a month ago and have been plugging away at redoing it from top to bottom. Nearly every bit of the bike will have been taken apart and cleaned/refurbed/replaced when it is done. 90% of the bike was original, which would have been great if original didn't mean beat and neglected. The final look of the bike is based off Stewart's KX125 with some modern and personal touches.

Here's how it looked upon first getting the bike home:





I'll post some in-progress and as it sits pictures throughout the coming week.
 
Looking a little more like a bike. Really happy with how the fork tubes came out!


Cleaned, but beat rear shock.


That looks better!


Even more like a bike again.


Carb lookin' fresh!


Motor waiting for a good cleaning. Boy does it need it...
 
Whats your technique for cleaning?.. and explain the fork tubes. Looks good!
 
Vapor Hone? Instagram builders love that stuff. Looks better than factory! Word around the campfire is Parma Dave is getting his hands on a Vapor Hone set up soon.
 
A lot of elbow grease and some help from various fluids/tools is the cleaning methid. Simple Green is the primary cleaning fluid used. Paired up with a combination of tools to actually remove dirt and grim including rags/paper towels, a drill with plastic brushes, wire and scotchbright wheels on a bench grinder, small hand wire brushes, a tooth brush, and brush attachments on a Dremel. Depending on the part it would the either get a quick rinse with water or just be wiped down good with a rag/paper towel after the primary cleabicl. Some parts got treated with aluminum wheel cleaner before that final rinse or wipe.

The fork tubes were anodized by a place in Mentor called Anodizing Specialists Inc. They were done in the standard gold they offered. The fork tubes had some knicks and scrapes and had a big spot on one that looked like the result of heat or chemical spill. Long story short the anodizer wasn't thrilled with how they turned out, meanwhile I thought they came out very nice considering their condition prior to anodizing. No sign of the spot that was burned off or whatever and the knicks are hardly visible. From 10 feet it looks like a near perfect job.

Never even heard of that vapor honing, but upon looking it up, wow that's the bee's knees! Would make the bulk of cleaning a breeze.
 
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The motor cleaned up really nice!


Wheels looking fresh! Rims are powdercoated, spokes are new, sprocket is new, hubs received a good cleaning.


The brake components receiving much needed attention.


Fits like a glove.


Almost a complete bike again.


Preview of the graphics. Happy with how they came out. The discerning eye will notice the front plate and fender are for a 16-18 KX450F.


The bike is complete and was out at Crow Canyon this past weekend. It ran mostly right; carb just needs a bit of tuning to get her screaming throughout the whole RPM range. I'll wait until tomorrow to post a few pictures from the impromptu photoshoot I did of the bike Friday night.
 
nice job!! i love a nice kx build. i have never owned a kawasaki big bike and definitely want to do up a kx125 one day for no reason whatsoever other than a pretty garage piece!! lol
 
Looks amazing!! You definitely pay attention to detail! How many hours do you think you have in it?
 
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