why a 200 ?

S

sweeper

Banned
The more I browse around the site the clearer the picture.The bike is heavy,but stable and feels planted.I can live with the trade off.Probably tough also.I'm not a big ktm fan for that reason.

What I'm getting is that the bikes mostly weigh the same,or rough there abouts.The 300 I get.I dig em they are their own animal.But for me its not the daily driver.

So if the 200 and the 250 weigh the same,share all parts within model and year.Aside from the barrel and crank?

Why the 200?
 
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Ill let you take mine for a spin and then you can tell me. They're just fun! Wring them a little harder, shift Em a little more, they're easier on the upper body (imo).Just a blast to ride.
 
That's the kind of input I'm lookin for.Thx.

See if we are on the same page.Would you consider a kdx 200 a trail bike or a race bike.As designed,engineered and marketed in stock form.As is from the manufacturer.And can you give me an idea of how you would compare the two.

A 1999 kdx 200 vs a 1999 Gas Gas ec 200
 
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A 200 is about the ideal engine size if you want to ride a dirt bike "for all it's worth": They have just enough power to do just about anything and they are very easy on the rider. A 250, to me is the most difficult to ride as they can have too much power in some conditions and not enough power in others (300s always have power so you always know what the bike will do). The problem is that as you go up in altitude, up in ambient temperature, up in age, and up in body weight the 200 will have not quite enough power to make the long hills or the long sand washes. Throw in failing eye sight and slowing reflexes and then you need a 250 or 300 to make your ride easier. I had a 200 KTM SX (yes, they sold it as an MXer in '03 and '04) as my backup bike for years and loved it after I fixed the suspension (without a doubt the worst suspension on any dirt bike I have ever ridden...EVER!). I got rid of it as I got older and figured out how to best ride the '07 250 I have. Make no mistake, though, the 200 in the hands of an experienced rider in decent shape will embarrass everyone short of A+/AA rider in tight singletrack! Especially at lower altitudes!

Eric
 
I've owned 3 KDX 200s in my life and raced Enduro/Hare Scrambles on the east coast of US on them. I have also owned 1999 and 2000 GG 300s. Comparing stock to stock, the GG is better as the stock KDX is way to soft for serious riding from the seat, to the suspension, to the motor. The GG is more geared to a serious rider. Now, if you let me modify the KDX correctly I would take that over the GG. Mods? Seat, rider compartment (pegs, bars, levers, etc.), KX forks/shock/brakes, FMF pipe/silencer, and find someone to port/modify cylinder and head...Then I would bang my knees on the bars again and I would want the GG!

Eric
 
coopernicus said:
I've owned 3 KDX 200s in my life and raced Enduro/Hare Scrambles on the east coast of US on them. I have also owned 1999 and 2000 GG 300s. Comparing stock to stock, the GG is better as the stock KDX is way to soft for serious riding from the seat, to the suspension, to the motor. The GG is more geared to a serious rider. Now, if you let me modify the KDX correctly I would take that over the GG. Mods? Seat, rider compartment (pegs, bars, levers, etc.), KX forks/shock/brakes, FMF pipe/silencer, and find someone to port/modify cylinder and head...Then I would bang my knees on the bars again and I would want the GG!

Eric
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I'm glad you've owned a kdx because I wasnt sure how to answer his question! Shew, that was close! I owe you a beer! :thumbsup:
 
sweeper said:
The more I browse around the site the clearer the picture.The bike is heavy,but stable and feels planted.I can live with the trade off.Probably tough also.I'm not a big ktm fan for that reason.

What I'm getting is that the bikes mostly weigh the same,or rough there abouts.The 300 I get.I dig em they are their own animal.But for me its not the daily driver.

So if the 200 and the 250 weigh the same,share all parts within model and year.Aside from the barrel and crank?

Why the 200?
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Lmfao @ your "reason for editing"
 
kdx 200s were-are very popular out on the east coast for many years.They really didn't have much competition in that class either until 98.Aside from the 84-86 IT 200.After 98 they pretty much went extinct.

They are the Timex of bikes though,gotta give them that.


Some guys in the west like them for trail riding.
Some guys in the west think they are hillclimbers too
 
I like the rush of being up on the pipe, wringing it out for all that it has. But the flipside is that it can be lugged down, and a flick of the clutch the fun factor starts all over. I like to think it has the best of both worlds.

My only complaint is, I just wish it was in a smaller frame, and was a little lighter. As for being stable, the only thing more stable in the rough would be the USS Ronald Regan!
 
I enjoy riding a 200. Like Rick stated, I like to ride aggressively on the pipe. It's why i wanted a 250 over a 300 when I bought my GasGas.

I had a 2003 KDX200. It is definitely a trail bike even though they have been raced a lot and Jeff Freddette rode them better than anybody and won on them. They take a lot of work to make "serious" though in my opinion. I still miss mine though and kind of wish I had kept it for a back up bike. I'd like to find one and do a KX/KDX hybrid someday :D .
 
1) The KDX has a great Motor
2) The KDX has a suspension out of the 80's at best
3) A KDX is a cheap trailbike not a hard core enduro bike like a GG
4) You don't get as hurt when you're tired riding a 200.
 
I haven't had the joy of swinging a leg over a 200, but for a few years I was ready to drop the coin on one if they had of landed them in Australia.

I have however made the move from the 300 to the 250, and recently purchased a 2013 250 again. I think its the perfect capacity for what I do, but it most definitely can be a handful if you turn the throttle without respect. I think a 200 would be similar, without as much peak HP.

Same as the others, the driving force for me was the less is more theory. I enjoy riding the bike rather than taming the beast. I like to zip on the pipe every chance I get, and on a 300 that was simply too tiring. If your style is to just chug around off idle, then the 300 is the perfect bike.
 
I rode in an enduro yesterday that I was no way fit enough for. No bike I would have rather rode than my ec200 because it chugs through the roots and wet rock slabs just right, then with a flick of the clutch there's enough to get up that hill or over that tree. Felt like it was looking after me :D I'll never be able to outride a 200, although I can understand that the competitive riders can use a more powerful bike.

I had a couple of KDX200 years ago. Good motor, but the chassis and suspension was out of a different era compared to the Gas Gas. If kawasaki resurected that engine with a modern enduro chassis, I for one would be very interested, but we all know that's not going to happen.
 
I guess you could say I'm the master of 200's being I own a KDX 220,KTM200, and GasGas 200, all currently so I can get a good feel for the differences

below was copied from one of my kdxrider posts


I have a KDX 220 RB mods/everything but suspension, a 2004 ktm 200 exc and a gasgas 200 in my ownership currently and here's the break down

1997 KDX: you should pretty much know all this, smooth power, 220 doesn't rev too high, old suspension, aging ergo's, still IMO one of the best woods bikes

2004 KTM 200: super twitchy to me in anything but tight woods, but way lighter to pick up and to ride than the GG and KDX, Lightning bolt of a motor for the 04/05's. newer ones are smoother and slower.

2006 GasGas 200: In my area parts are not a concern (Smiths Powersports is a great store with great people behind it), suspension is the best of all, ZOKES in the front, Ohlins in the rear. the motor is smooth but snappy, doesn't want to spin like the ktm, but revs out unlike a KDX without mods done to it. my bike has a map switch on it and it makes a noticeable difference. lots of parts crossover on this bike, bike is super stable on fast straits, yet turns like the ktm in tight woods. CONS- this bike is heavy when moving onto a stand compared to the KDX and KTM, when riding it feels lighter than the KDX. The KDX definitely wants to wheelie more on hill climbs the GG you can lean back to get traction and the front will still stay down.
 
Jakobi said:
If your style is to just chug around off idle, then the 300 is the perfect bike.
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Jakobi that statement will get a big chuckle out of many west coast 300 riders.Some of them do a little more then chug around off idle.

Here's the deal.Gas Gas is unique in that their 200 and 250 models weigh approximately the same.What do you gain with a 200 and what do you give up to the 250.

East coast vs. west coast riders have always differed there.It comes down to terrain.
In the west we have hills.What advantage the 200 picks up in the tight stuff if much at all may be given away on the big hills.Graded climbs and transfer sections.Sounds like most of you just like them.I can dig that.
Thx for the imput.
 
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thejackrabbit said:
I guess you could say I'm the master of 200's being I own a KDX 220,KTM200, and GasGas 200, all currently so I can get a good feel for the differences

below was copied from one of my kdxrider posts


I have a KDX 220 RB mods/everything but suspension, a 2004 ktm 200 exc and a gasgas 200 in my ownership currently and here's the break down

1997 KDX: you should pretty much know all this, smooth power, 220 doesn't rev too high, old suspension, aging ergo's, still IMO one of the best woods bikes

2004 KTM 200: super twitchy to me in anything but tight woods, but way lighter to pick up and to ride than the GG and KDX, Lightning bolt of a motor for the 04/05's. newer ones are smoother and slower.

2006 GasGas 200: In my area parts are not a concern (Smiths Powersports is a great store with great people behind it), suspension is the best of all, ZOKES in the front, Ohlins in the rear. the motor is smooth but snappy, doesn't want to spin like the ktm, but revs out unlike a KDX without mods done to it. my bike has a map switch on it and it makes a noticeable difference. lots of parts crossover on this bike, bike is super stable on fast straits, yet turns like the ktm in tight woods. CONS- this bike is heavy when moving onto a stand compared to the KDX and KTM, when riding it feels lighter than the KDX. The KDX definitely wants to wheelie more on hill climbs the GG you can lean back to get traction and the front will still stay down.
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Good write up and interesting to me as I'm going from a 2004 KDX 220 to a EC300. I'm excited about the new bike but the Kawi gained a ton of respect as a trail bike despite being a fairly old platform.
 
Obviously I was speaking in relation to what I ride. No doubt in the desert/wide open areas there is no replacement for displacement. If thats the riding that you're into then the 200 likely isn't the best bike for the job.

While the 3 bikes share the same chasis, and the engine cases appear the same externally, don't under estimate the difference in feeling between the bkes. The way they make their power, dip into turns, vibrate, etc are all varied between them.

For me, and the areas I ride, a 300 is too much bike, 90% of the time. Its not too much peak HP, but just too much too soon. The 250, will peak out as well (if not better), vibrate less, but will ramp up a more aggressively and also gives some up off the bottom. Again, I personally like this. Its soft and smooth when I need it to be and the power is only a twist away. A 200 has a bit less again, but the same principals apply and they are a little more forgiving when holding it on. Another big consideration when you're riding is how much power can you actually put to the ground? Whats the point in riding a 300 if its breaking traction at every twist of the throttle?

Its simply a matter of matching the bike to your requirements, and for some people the 200 checks that box in terms of how they like to ride, where they ride, and how much power they need to get the job done.
 
Also, the 200 uses different engine cases, crank, cylinder, head and pipe. The rod is the same part with a different offset (stroke). The chasis and running gear is the same. I doubt there would be a whole lot of weight difference on the scales, but I'd bet the 200 would feel much more nimble, the same way the 250 feels more nimble than a 300, with only a diffferent head, cyl and piston.
 
As I stated early on in the thread,stipulated that the 300 is a seperate beast.Although not the daily driver for many still kinda nice to have around.

I was really trying to get a comparison of the 200 vs the 250.I've got a pretty good idea where they land.I keep hearing the same thing "the fun factor" is great on the 200.Their also are a lot of riders who feel less is more when it comes to displacement.

Personally I ride single track to find a hill.When I find it I wanna stamp it.If there isn't one ,we make one.

I'm not talking about the desert.Take a look at a topographical map of the western states and it will be very clear.

Even though this is a Gas Gas site,I haven't heard any negatives on the 200,
Sometimes what you don't hear says more then what you do hear.
 
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