1998/99 DK General Lee BMX Restoration Project

This weekend I picked up part of a black 20″ 1998 or 1999 DK General Lee that will be one of my project builds over the Sydney Winter. I haven’t properly dated this one yet, and it will be my first DK BMX restoration.

The DK General Lee BMX is a classic mid-school dirt jump bike. First released in 1997 as a full chromoly frame and fork. It needed to be strong to withstand the dirt jumping it was originally designed for. The bike took it’s name from the ’69 Dodge Charger called ‘The General Lee’ driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard.

Since 2003 the DK General Lee BMX frame has been changed significantly. Riders stopped dirt jumping and bikes needed to be made cheaper for more mass production. To do this DK changed the frame and fork from chromoly to the much cheaper hi tensile steel.

The 2000 DK General Lee BMX sold brand new for $699.99 USD and was still considered a classic BMX. By 2003 the bike featuring cheap parts and hi tensile steel frame and fork sold for $199.99 USD.

Today the DK General Lee BMX lives on through name only. Now available from Walmart in the United States for $129.99 USD. The bike is cheapI was a huge fan of the decal design on the early bike. The new one looks terrible.

If you are looking for a classic DK General Lee BMX to add to your collection make sure you get one of the earlier chromoly built frame and forks. The holy grail is the original 1997 build bike which does not have the gusset built into the frame between the top tube and bottom tube at the head tube.

As I progress with the restoration over the next few months, I’ll post up progress reports and photos.

For a list of blog posts that include other reproduction decals go to BMX Decals Design. For more information on all BMX decals go to re-rides.com.

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For more information on this BMX and more, you can LIKE my Facebook page, to receive regular updates in your feed, visit the re-rides website or see the rebuilt and restored rides and parts for sale on our eBay store. For more images of all our re-rides in progress follow us on Instagram.