Jeff Fredette ISDE Racer – 2004 Kawasaki KDX220

In Japan, Off-Road, Race by Tim HuberLeave a Comment

There’s no better authority on the Kawasaki KDX than Jeff Fredette. The AMA Hall of Famer (and ’93 AMA Sportsman of the Year) is responsible for a ridiculous number ISDT/ISDE wins and podiums — the vast majority of which were achieved aboard KDXs. In his decades of experience, Fredette became extremely well acquainted with the KDX, modifying and developing the fifth-liter Kawasaki for off-road competition use.

The so-called “KDXpert” began his race career at the age of 12 in 1970. Two years later he would win his first event, by 1975 he’d become an AMA A rider, and by ’77 he was receiving factory support from Penton/KTM. In ’78 Fredette took part in his first ISDE and the following year he became a Suzuki factory rider where he then won a trio of gold medals at various European events aboard a PE250. In 1983 Fredette left Suzuki for Kawasaki, an arrangement that continued until less than a decade ago, and resulted in a stupid number of victories.

During his time as a Kawa factory rider, Fredette managed to nab half-a-dozen ISDE gold medals, two-and-a-half-dozen silvers, and one bronze—not to mention a myriad of prestigious AMA wins. While Fredette did officially serve as an adviser for Kawasaki’s racing program, he had no official involvement in the initial creation or the later development of the KDX. So in ’85 the accomplished rider founded Fredette Racing Products as a means of refining the KDX, making it a more competent racer.

On top of making the KDX a faster, better-handling machine, Fredette also greatly bolstered the Kawa’s reliability. From 1983 to 2006, he finished every ISDT/ISDE event, riding machines he’d personally prepared. And one of those machines is now for sale: Fredette’s 2004 Kawasaki KDX220 Poland ISDE racer.

This very example was piloted by Fredette in 2004, resulting in a silver medal. Following the race, this 220 was shipped back to the US, where the number 339 rider stripped down and reassembled the two-stroker. According to the seller: “This bike has every modification that Fredette Racing does to a late model KDX”. Making the deal even sweeter is the fact this example is said to have less than 1,000 miles on the odo. Another one of Fredette’s KDX examples is currently on display at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

You can find this ex-Fredette 2004 Kawasaki KDX220 ISDE racer for sale here on Craigslist in Central New Jersey with a price of $4,000.