Frankenstein forks

[PerryS]

I read some where that you coumd take the top half of the 350x forks and mate them to tge lower half of the 1st gen 250r forks and you end up with a set of forks that are 1 inch shorter and have 1 inch more travel than stock 350x forks. This is also suppose to help with the fast rebound 350x forks have. Im interested in this set up for my 250sx and before i start rounding up parts and shell out alot of money for te parts id like to know for sure whether or not will work and what your experiences with this setup are.

[wonderboy]

The mod that I did was to use the damping rod from 2nd gen 250r (83-84). I compared all the parts and I think you are right, if you used the original 350x fork tubes, you'll end up with a bit shorter overall assembly. I used the 250r fork tubes, 250r damping rods, and the 350x sliders. I ended up with basically the same overall length setup, but with the increased travel.

I have no idea about using them on the SX though.

[wonderboy]

The 250R damper tube is on top, 350x on bottom. The 250R damper tube is longer overall.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i356/frank-and-sara/350x%20Forks/damperrods.jpg

[wonderboy]

This picture shows the original fork tubes / damping rods from each machine for comparison. The 250R fork tube/damper is on top, the original 350x parts are on the bottom. I've lined up the index mark at the top of the fork tube to show the difference in lenght and stroke between the two. You can see how the 250R is a bit longer to start, and has more room to compress than the 350X, giving the overall improved travel.

All I did was to take the 250R fork tube and damper rod and put 350X slider on it.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i356/frank-and-sara/350x%20Forks/overallcomparison.jpg

[PerryS]

Both the 250r and 350x forks will fit the 250sx. Im wanting a setup thats alittle shorter than the 350x with more travel. Wonderboy what was the overall length of your setup.

[wonderboy]

Sorry I never actually measured it (machine is not at my place either, othewise I'd just go out and measure). However, based on what I observed, using the 350X fork tube and slider with the 250R damping rod will give the extra travel, but keep the original overall length. If you want to lower the front end, you can just run the fork tubes higher in the triple clamps.

[PerryS]

Ok so what was your experiemces with your setup dis you trail rde it or race it or what? How dis it handle what did the compression and rebound feel like compared to the stock 350x

[wonderboy]

I'm no racer, that's for sure. I just trail ride and tool around my parents land. The mod slows down the rebound on the front end. I also put in 15W fork oil after doing to mod, so it firmed up the compression damping also.

[PerryS]

I dont race either unless you consider our little homemade backyard oval track racing haha and my 250sx will be used mostly for mountain riding.