Spongy front forks

[Blacklungs]

Been tinkering around with the front forks on my 85 atc 250r for about a week. Drained out the old oil which was a greenish gray, put in mobil1 atf, more than what was spec. for. Then redrained and put in 13.5oz into each tube. There is still preload with the forks suspended. But they still feel spongy. I'm wondering if this is an oil weight problem or an old spring problem. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks123127.

[Vealmonkey]

Springs control the compression of your forks, oil controls the return. Which part do you feel is spongy? You can always add small pieces of pvc cut to length to help stiffen your preload if need be and heavier fork oil would slow up your rebound.

[beets442]

+1.... thicker fork oil.

[Blacklungs]

Rebound feels fine, they compress really easy though. Since it is likely to be the springs, has anyone tried the one piece progressive springs?

[willreed03]

I just put progressive springs in my 250R and it was a night and day difference over the stockers. The front end feels how I think it should feel now, tight and responsive. I highly recommend progressive springs!

[atctim]

your springs are worn out for sure. While many mention using PVC - I like using cheap deep well sockets (13/16" I think fit well), cut down to about 1.5" long. This helps tons. As someone else mentioned above - progressive springs are readily available for this bike still and are a great upgrade. Easy to install too! Last I knew Dennis Kirk had them for about $85

[Tri-Z 250]

I'd agree...^^^
Even if you had a shop do the work your looking at under $200 with new springs seals and oil.
I would recomend running boot covers or at least fork socks. Infiltration of dirt and rocks will kill your forks. It's good insurance and keeps the roost off.

[ceaserthethird]

Progressive Springs, I highly suggest.

I have them =)

[Blacklungs]

Got the progressive springs in the mail yesterday, and the problem is fixed. Found them online for about $72.00. These things are great. Thanks guys for the input.:w00t: