Hi,

Had to pass on something cool I have just discovered. The JR50 comes from the store as a one speed centrifugal clutch with too high gearing to climb even a moderate slope.

However - if you pull off the right side cover and grind some blanking material from the selector you can open up a low ratio gear ! This gear is really low and makes a superb trials gear. ( It's selected by lifting the lever - and the original gear by going down. )

This was great news for me as my boy has been struggling with his KDX lack of grunt - and I really didn't want to have to get a small wheel trials bike - I want his next one to have big wheels and a clutch.

( He's had the KDX since he was three - he's now five ).

So if you're looking to buy the kid's first bike, but want to extend its life to some early trials, think about the JR/KDX.

Andrew,

If I understood correctly, the low gear is up and the high gear is down. Kind of backwards from a normal bike. Anyways, it is a great tip and when my little ones get old enough the Kawa-zuki will definitely be considered.

Do you know if the Yamaha PW50 has multiple gears? Also, how did you find out about this modification?

Matt

Just more wonders of the WWW.

It is awesome - Colin was playing in 10 inch water/mud at the weekend and the bike will just spin its way through - he can't stall the engine against the clutch at all in the new gear. Only down side is that I've had to make a tie wrap repair on the rear fender after he looped it climbing a slope.

He's keen to do a full season of trials next year.

I've seen a lot of people dog the JR/KDX for lack of power, general structural weakness, poor suspension and lack of tuning parts - and this is all probably true for racing, but for an all rounder, with two gears, it makes a very good proposition.

Are you ready for a "slightly used" KDX yet ? I still have the training wheels.....