200X rear suspension question!

[oldtoys72]

ok so i got this 85 200X last week and since i just moved not long ago my other trikes are not here so i have nothing to compare it to! It seems to me like this thing is a mojor @$$ dragger. Could someone tell me how the rear suspension should be bolted in and set up, i thought the shock got bolted to the top of the swingarm but i could be wrong. This one has a bracket that bolts to the top of the swing arm and to the bottom of the swingarm and then the shock hooks up to the middle of the bracket. Im wondering if this is making it slouch in the @$$ I have this pick of i guess the top or the swing arm where the bracket bolts in where i thing the shock should bolt in... not ver good pick but all i got for now. Please let me know if this is right or what and if you have a pic that shows how its suppose to sit and where it should be bolted that would be great! thanks guys

[oldtoys72]

sorry i forgot to add the pics, here they are

[oldtoys72]

you can just barely see it there behind the blue frame bar....

[oldtoys72]

Seriously..... all this knowledge on here and nobody can help me out here?????????

[rdlsz24]

Your pic is not very good but I think you have it right. 84-85 200x used the linkage piece you are talking about to bolt the shock to the swinger. 83 the shock bolts directly to the swinger.

Rob

[oldtoys72]

thanks rob, do you know did the 85's sit lower in the rear? I feel like its just so dang low..... I just went and looked at it again, the "nut" or whatever you want to call it that holds the coild in place is about in the middle of the threads.... is it possible to get more height if i spin it up or down ?

[redhot]

Here's the owners manual if you don't have one.

http://campaigns.hondampe.com.au/Motorcycles/manuals/atv/own85atc20001.pdf

Check out page 17 & 18 for shock adjustments. What Rob said is right about the linkage for 84-85. The 83 has a different swing arm and the shock bolts right to it on the 83 with no linkage. Your pic is of an 84-85 swing arm and the shock looks mounted right.

[Dirtcrasher]

thanks rob, do you know did the 85's sit lower in the rear? I feel like its just so dang low..... I just went and looked at it again, the "nut" or whatever you want to call it that holds the coild in place is about in the middle of the threads.... is it possible to get more height if i spin it up or down ?

That will add more pre-load to the spring and may help you out some. Hw much do you weigh? has the shock ever been rebuilt? could be low on oil and or nitrogen. It may just be tired but the 83-85 200X isn't know for great suspension action anyhow. The 86/87 200X is better as well as the 350X but the 250R has very good linkage type suspension.

Allot of these older machines sag a bit in the rear but it does look like you have it right. Put some penetrating oil on the pre-load nuts and lift the rear end off the ground. That will make it easier to adjust them....

[WIkid500]

If the "dog bone" is in upside down they will drag in the arse. I had mine in upside down last year and it cornered like a mother but kinda sucked for avoiding rocks. I have it in the right way this year and it gave me about an extra 1.5-2 inches in the lift department.

[oldskool83]

flip the L bracket, it will raist it like 2", there is a mark that said up on 1 side.

[86trizinger]

It appears to be sitting at the almost exact height mine is. . Mine felt like it was a little low and soft when I first got it... but it hasn't bottomed out for me yet. I only trail ride though.. A few jumps and a few logs here and there. Nothing major though. Works pretty good for what I do.

[oldtoys72]

I'm a big dude so any extra height I can get is a plus! I will check it out when I get home and let you guys know asap!

[x200x]

oldtoys72, i have an 83 200x and my @$$ drags too. your shock looks like its mounted right, but the front and rear shocks can be raised and lowered. in the front there are just some air valves on the top of the shocks, on the rear you need some special can of nitrogen gas, and you can see how to adjust it in the owners manual, good luck

[x200x]

any of you know what the little rubber thing sticking out of the crank case on the right side of the engine just behind the cyllender is? just can't figure it out...

[oldtoys72]

If I lift up on the grab bar there is only about a 1/2 inch of static sag so I don't think the shock is bad, I dunno something just doesn't seem right, my other 200X doesn't sit like this one, but of corse its not here for me to look at!

[x200x]

like i said, mine sits low too, and the manual says you can raise them...

[oldtoys72]

ok guys, just got home and checked out the "dogbone" situation. It appears to be in the correct position with the "up" indicator on the top side! Here are a couple of somewhat better pics!

x200x : what are you lookin at? maybe i can tell you better what it is?

[Yamaha_Rules69]

The shock is really bad when it bounces like a pogo stick, thats how you know its time for a rebuild. Its either blown and bouncy, or good and stiff. It looks like it sits at the right height to me... Is that shock fluid on the shaft? Wipe it off and climb on it and make the shock work, then look at the shaft. If there is an oil ring on the chrome shaft, it means the seal is blown, or going out, and wont last much longer. That would make your suspension really soft and bouncy. May be time for a rebuild! Also, whats that SPARKS sticker I see on the airbox? Do you know anything about it?

[oldtoys72]

the sticker is from curtis sparks racing ( I googled it) www.sparksracing.com

No oil on the shock, bike pushes down kinda easy but it comes right back up nice and smooth, not bouncy! I know that my other bike is much higher in the @$$ and is real stiff too. Would it help if i crank the nuts on top of the spring down to put more tension on the spring or would that just lower it even more? As it is now, they are about in the middle of all possible threads!

[Grizzlypeg]

Standard spring length with no weight on the shock is 7.7 inches. You can only safely adjust it plus or minus 0.2" from standard length according to the 84 manual.

How much role does the gas charge play in this? According to the manual it should take 66 lbs force to compress the springless shock 0.4". That's a fair bit of assist from the gas if that is linear and it takes 4x that force to compress it to 1.6"

[oldtoys72]

Im just gonna set it as stiff as I can get it and see what happens I guess! if that doesnt help me then I will pull it out and start with a new one or if anyone has a good one laying around they are not using let me know!

[Xfile]

The dog bone has an "up" cast into it....when that mark is up, the dog bone is in the original position, if you turn the dog bone upside down (the "up" mark towards the bottom) it will raise the suspension. This does not give you more suspension travel, it just makes the machine sit higher.

[oldtoys72]

Xfile !!!!!!!!!!! thank you!!!!!!!!! i will be doing that tomorrow, I knew there had to be some way that I could get that samn thing up in the @$$ !

[rdlsz24]

any of you know what the little rubber thing sticking out of the crank case on the right side of the engine just behind the cyllender is? just can't figure it out...

Sounds like the timing chain adjuster. It has a black rubber cap over it

Rob

[Grizzlypeg]

Mine's an 84 200x and the timing chain adjuster is on the left side of the cylinder, top of crankcase. I'm going to go outside and look for something like you describe on the right.

[oldtoys72]

Im not sure what he is looking at, from my pictures I see nothing on the right side of the motor behind the cylinder that looks like what he is describing

[Grizzlypeg]

There's a crank breather hose in the centre, behind the cylinder. Only rubber thingy to the right is the clutch cable cover.

[oldtoys72]

thats the only other thing i figured he could possibly be thinking too!

[redhot]

I think Rob meant cam chain adjuster.

[Dirtcrasher]

the sticker is from curtis sparks racing ( I googled it) www.sparksracing.com

No oil on the shock, bike pushes down kinda easy but it comes right back up nice and smooth, not bouncy! I know that my other bike is much higher in the @$$ and is real stiff too. Would it help if i crank the nuts on top of the spring down to put more tension on the spring or would that just lower it even more? As it is now, they are about in the middle of all possible threads!


Am I CRAZY? or did I post how to do this as easy as possible a few posts back??

EDIT - Post #8..............