Apollo ADX-250 upgrade questions
 

Hi all, just purchased a 2015 AZX 250 Apollo dirt bike. I mostly trial ride and took it out for a 2 hour maiden voyage. A few things that I did right away before riding, started, idled and cooled off 3 times for break in. Took EPA stuff off right away. It has the PK30 carb on it and seems to be running correctly.

Like that Upstate NY rider, I am looking for a little more grunt and unfortunately I found this thread after I ordered a 41 tooth rear sprocket instead of a 12T front. Here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171073994263...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I would have rather done the front. I read through his thread but it was not clear to me whom he ordered that from. I am not ready to change the carb out yet to a mikini as I feel my limitations are suspension related.

From the box it seems to be set on the lowest adjustment in the rear, I have to raise it up to see how the suspension responds, but I have already ordered a rear air shock

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181445838898...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Moving to the front, I just bought some mineral fork oil to add. I am 6' and 200 pounds, so anything over 3 feet off the ground equals me smashing the suspension dangerously. I think I would also like to change the bars to these moose racing Burleson cut type. The arm fatigue after just a few hours riding was amazing, this bike suspension wise worked me over. I also have a 2000 KTM 250 2 stroke that I ride (left it in denver and get there once every 1.5 months) and that is plush in comparison.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221843624499...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

has anyone added these? I think I will need some type of adapter assuming this is not a direct bolt on. Other add on's would be a joker billet aluminium throttle and that should just about round it out. Going drill out the rivets on the muffler and unpack it...oh yes, has anyone put an air cone filter on this yet? Any recommendations?

Any feedback on better front forks? Any cross over suspension that works with the OEM brake calipers?

Will add a photo later, but I think anyone would know this bike, black with the 36 logo on it.

My name is Max by the way and I live in Atlanta, GA now. I also ride in Denver regularly and out in the Northwest in the cascade mountain range in Washington state and Oregon. Riding plans are possible Moab trip in April and a definite mining town, back country ride in Steamboat CO area in mid June. Glad to make new friends here, so thank you for your time, consideration to my questions and reply.

Warmest regards.

Welcome, Max!

I have not tried those bars, and I'm looking forward to your review of them, should you decide to buy them. On SpudRider's recommendation, I use Valvoline MaxLife ATF for fork oil; it really improved the ride.

I'd still love to see a pic of your bike. :D

Thank you for the tip on the fork oil. I really think the fork oil and handlebars will get rid of the rider fatigue. I will update when I make these changes.

All feedback and suggestions are welcome. I would really like to find a place that supports these bikes with upgrade parts.

Weldangrind, can you point me to a front 12T sprocket? I think it is probably a lot easier to swap that out than the rear. I tried going over another link in another post for this, but I did not see my Make and Model as an option?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will get pictures up, but plan to take them once I get my parts in and do a wrenching day on it. Getting the bars and adapter risers this week. Gone for the weekend, but I will be working on it so it will be ready to ride when we go out the 21st.

This is my guess: http://www.jtsprockets.com/catalogue/sprocket/JTF259 You'll need to remove your sprocket and measure to be sure. If it's correct, you'll find it on eBay, or just about any bike shop could order it for you.

http://www.jtsprockets.com/fileadmin...all/jtf259.jpg

I just put an order in, did not take my time and paid about double what I should have, but 10 more is an acceptable loss for my impatience. Classic American syndrome...immediate gratification....

So that completes the laundry list for now. I will grab brush/hand guards later and a 1/4 turn billet throttle later. All of this will go on next week when I have some wrenching time. Thank you for the heads up Weldangrind!

Did you happen to confirm the measurements before you ordered, or does that fall into the impatience category as well?

:D

ummmm, patience category...:hmm:
"Confirm the measurements" phffff, you did that with the link! (bahahaha, I will hold myself accountable)

You may want to double check those measurements on the output shaft. Might be 20mm and 16mm. The incorrect size sprocket could strip the output shaft!!!
We get ours from WHygostock and we send them our measurements and the get the correct sprocket everytime.

So a quick update. I came back from last weeks travel and today was the first 1.5 I had to work on the bike. I switched the front sprocket, and clearly need to swap the rear to the 41 to just take up some slack lol. I also took the front bars off and put 4oz of fork oil in. Put the caps back on and they felt rock solid stiff. Never changed or added fork oil and did not read anything but was I supposed to have them under load when I put the caps back on?? I did get the moose handle bars in today but the adapters come at the end of next week according to the tracking number. Once they are in I will put the bars on, re work the front forks and put the hand brush guards on. Changing the rear sprocket this weekend while my daughter naps! I also have the rear shock so I may look at dropping the stock one out and putting that one in. I did get a coil spring wrench so I will dial up the rear shock first and take it for a ride to see how she feels. Pictures will come, the issue is getting them from my phone to the computer. I have yet to do that.

Glad to have met all of you in this forum! Oh and the front sprocket is not as wide but fit with no slop at all. I hogged out one of the holes in that collar to get one bolt in but did not get the other one in, do people just adapt a C clip in its place?

The fork oil in any China bikes I've owned has been horrid. Sounds like you overfilled your forks by adding, hence the rock hardness. Pull the forks off and drain them, then add the correct amount of a good fluid. I'm about your size and weight and I like 10W. There's threads here somewhere on changing fork oil and Ive done it myself to all my CB's and may have written something up on that regarding quantity. It's a VAST improvement. Will it compete with your KTM regarding suspension? Not a chance but the Apollo also didn't cost near as much either.

So another day working on the bike for 1.5 hours and another round of information. I put the front sprocket on, but the chain will not make the tighter radius which surprised me, so I pulled the rear tire off and tried to put the rear sprocket on after replacing the front back to stock. The rear holes do not line up even though the supplier told me they would. Shame, but not end all. Waiting on the handle bar adapters to get here before I finish the rest.

As for the KTM, well I bought a used 2005 200 2 stroke exc which was raced since new by the original owner who purchased it in 2009. It was $1200 so 300 less than i spent on the Apollo and yes it smokes it in every way. Pun intended (thank you 2stroke humor) but it does not have electric start like the apollo and they are very different machines all around. Regardless. The apollo is for friends to join in on the fun and I most likely will have it sold by the end of next weekend. I do however need to drain those forks and put in some decent fork oil. More time invested, and I do not need idle hands anyways...

I love the tinkering on the bike some nights when i get home after work. Oh, and like a dumba$$ I dropped it off the bike stand and broke the left side fairing. Stupid me, but 45 dollars gets a complete set on Ebay?! Happy about that!

Please dumb that down for me. I've installed 12 tooth sprockets on China bikes in the past.

Bars done
 

Took the KTM out and let my girlfriends sister ride on the apollo. It was her first time on a dirt bike and it was a mudbath day in the woods. Cruel punishment but she took it like a champ. On the way there in the car I told her to expect to crash/fall and try to "Walk off the bike" whenever it was a slow tip over. The bike may be new, but I do not care about seeing her injured in the woods.

She tipped it over 8+ times, picked it up the first 3 times by herself. It was slick as snot and I was trying to explain that going a bit faster clears the lugs on the tires, she eventually picked up on it and became fast enough to keep her momentum up steep hills and over obstacles.

Came back and swapped the bars the next day, trying to attach pictures now. The stock bars ended up slightly bent from dropping it so many times so it was perfect timing to upgrade. I also took the forks out and drained them, put in just 3. ounces of fork oil and capped them. The next thing is to lower the shock or just put the rear upgrade on. I need it to be about three inches lower for her height because she can just tippy toe the bike while standing.

I cannot explain how impressed I was that she toughed it out for over 2 hours in the mud.

My KTM was the nuts. $1200 of shear screaming monster. I have the same bike out in Denver, but here at sea level third gear blip the throttle and my front end makes the the fastest unicycle in the woods. Not my style, but happy to learn the bike and float over jumps... More pictures to post.

The before shots
 

Taken after a ride on Saturday, before I made the changes on Sunday