84 125m To 200s Front End Conversions

[DasUberKraut]

Over the past month or so I've been stock piling 200s front end parts to convert our 125m's (Mine & The Wife's) to front suspension.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/PreConversion.jpg

The list of what I have so far...
3 near complete fork and triple asemblies.
2 complete axle, hub, and brake assemblies.
1 All Balls steering stem bearing kit.
1 All Balls front hub bearing kit.
1 set of headlight hardware. (Looks like the 84 125m headlight hardware is very similar and may allow me to use the 125m headlights)
1 new front brake cable.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/PreConversion1.jpg

I only got one set of All Balls for now just to make sure I get one completed first. The second may be a project for our son depending if I get a 200x I'm looking at. If I do get the 200x the wife will just use my 125m that is already registered.

I will need 185s / 200s fenders eventually. I figure I'll order them when I'm near completion.

The plan is to tear everything apart and pick out the best of everything. Sandblast and powder coat. Reassemble with either old powder coated hardware or I may splurge and buy black stainless bolts for everything. That will be spendy seeing as I will have to buy full bags of every size. Good to have spares though. I just like the look of black stainless on a project. As far as I can tell the steering stops will be easy to fab up. Just need to take precise measurements of the location of studs on bottom plate of the 125m forks. Drill holes in the 200s forks and run a bolt up on both sides. I may even go so far as to cover the threads with sleeves. If there is a better way please advise.

If anyone can offer me some tips on completing the conversions that would be great. Any advice on removing old bearing races and installing new races without mangling everything to trailpro would also be appreciated.

I may even get ballsy and sell the two 125m front fenders and mud flaps, forks I guess if someone really wants them, hub assemblies would need to go too.

[tblumer]

For my 200s to 90 swap I had to notch the crosspiece in front of the steerer stem. Is the 125 frame like a 90/110?

[jr315rn]

could this be done on a 110

[DasUberKraut]

As far as I know the 110 frame is the same as a 125m.

[Jon Boy]

yeah, the 90/110/125's are about 95% the same. they have the same head/steering tube. i'm not sure about the US90's though.

[gomer202]

yeah, the 90/110/125's are about 95% the same. they have the same head/steering tube. i'm not sure about the US90's though.
i put a 200ea front end on my US90 without any modifications!
143204

[jr315rn]

Sweet thanks man tht will be my next little project ! Could I use the same front tire from the 110

[DasUberKraut]

I was going to look up what the max tire size is for the 200s forks is. Haven't gotten to it yet. Just by looking at it. It seems like 10" is the widest the forks will allow. I'm just guessing though.

[Amater45]

Hey it's those 200s forks i sold you! haha, glad to see theyre being used. hope this project goes well!

[DasUberKraut]

One of the bearing races in my All Balls kit is just a hair taller than the other. Whiche one goes on the bottom? My guess is tall on the bottom? Anyone who used the All balls Steering Stem kit run into this? I tried to measure on the fork tube but as having isssues with an accurate reading.

[DasUberKraut]

Finally started on the first conversion.

Here is a progress pic. Just waiting to determine which bearing race goes where before I mount a set of shock forks in. The races are already in the freezer.
I may email All Balls and see what they say too, just in case I don't get a quick response on here. I never have good luck with customer service though.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-09_12-59-15_738.jpg

[oscarmayer]

it's a direct bolt on.... done it many times.

[DasUberKraut]

it's a direct bolt on.... done it many times.

To which to de you refer? Also have you used the All Balls kits? Do you know if the taller race and bearing goes on top or bottom?

[DasUberKraut]

Nevermind. The shorter race is on top as I thought. Customer support at All Balls is quick! They responded to my e-mail in about 10 minutes!!!

[oscarmayer]

i always just re-use the stock bearings myself. clean everything up like new, take some lith grease, spap it in the races, insert the bearings 1 at a time on the top, then do the same to the botom and install neck. sometimes take sa few tries to keep bearings in place. but works well.

[DasUberKraut]

oem races are beyond usable. they are pitted from sitting too long or overtightening.

[DasUberKraut]

How the FtrailprotrailproK?!?!?!? does this lower bearing race come off? Is it pressed on? Threaded on? I tried pounding on it but couldn't get a decent angle.

I made such good progress before work yesterday that I came home and dug right in thinking I could get the 200s forks mounted. That would leave doing bearings on the front hub and getting a wheel put together before work today when I wake up.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_01-55-31_597.jpg

[hillbilly 200x]

How the FK?!?!?!? does this lower bearing race come off? Is it pressed on? Threaded on? I tried pounding on it but couldn't get a decent angle.
hammer and a cheisel with alittle bit of heat.

[DasUberKraut]

New All Balls Top race installed.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_11-15-07_100.jpg

New All Balls Bottom race installed.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_11-15-31_98.jpg

The back side of this 29mm Axle Nut socket worked perfectly for a driver. Fit into the neck tube to fully seat the race. The socket fit through the opening in the race and rested nicely on top of the race and gave even pressure. Races took all of 5 mins to install. Whoever gave the tip of freezing races for 24 hours, I owe you a :beer

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_11-17-47_577.jpg

[DasUberKraut]

So I got the lower race off the steering tube. New bearings don't want to go on very well. Thinking I will take it to the machine shop and have it pressed on for the whopping $5 they charge. I don't want to risk messing up my sweet new bearings.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_14-57-32_67.jpg

As for the people the people that keep saying the swap is a direct bolt on, I'm calling BS!!! SHENANIGANS!!! This steering stop tab needs to be cut off so the triples cross-member can fit.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-10_14-55-49_495.jpgI
Came home from work and gave the lower bearings another shot. Taking my time tapping slowly they finally seated to what I thought was a decent position.

Ended up cleaning the garage for the next hour. Need more cut off discs before I can remove the tab for the steering stops and attempt to piece it together again.

[tblumer]

I notched the crossmember for the tab. I'm abandoning the swap because I'm running 18's in the back and even with a 20" out front it's a chopper. Probably going to sell the forks. If anyone is interested pm me.

[Jon Boy]

As for the people the people that keep saying the swap is a direct bolt on, I'm calling BS!!! SHENANIGANS!!! This steering stop tab needs to be cut off so the triples cross-member can fit.

oops, i thought i mentioned needing to cut/reweld the steering stops, but after looking at my 1st post i see i didn't. sorry about that Das. :(

[DasUberKraut]

It's all good. It's all coming together nicely. Although when I do the next one it'll go even better now that I know what to watch out for.

[DasUberKraut]

So I've got these parts now taking up space in my garage. Just wondering if there would be any interest in some 84 125m parts???

Hub / Axle assembly. I did take the brake arm and cam / parts out. It's in overall good shape one end looks like they had problems trying to pry a wheel bearing out.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-14-44_355.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-15-13_582.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-13-51_683.jpg

Front forks and triples top. Headlight bracket rubbers seems in good shape. Threads are clean. Left lower oem bearing race intact.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-50-08_657.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-50-35_716.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-56-09_87.jpg

Front fender and mudflap. Sun faded and surface weathering. Overall is useable an very sound. One spot on front corner is the worst it gets. Couple small chunks out of mudflap edge.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-52-54_555.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-51-11_753.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-52-29_194.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-11_14-51-30_407.jpg

If I cannot modify the headlight bucket / brackets to work for me. I may be putting that up for sale as well.

I will post this in the Classifieds in a few days if no one following my thread is interested.

[pipeline triker]

I may be after everthing but the hub stuff. if you decide to get rid of the headlight also let me know. I would need it shipped to 54174 also. I just picked up a decent 84 110 with a set of bent forks and no headlight. My neice comes home on leave in August and i want to have a 110 or 90 going and registered for her to trail ride with my wife and sister.

[DasUberKraut]

I may be after everthing but the hub stuff. if you decide to get rid of the headlight also let me know. I would need it shipped to 54174 also. I just picked up a decent 84 110 with a set of bent forks and no headlight. My neice comes home on leave in August and i want to have a 110 or 90 going and registered for her to trail ride with my wife and sister.

PM me an offer. I imagine I won't know about the headlight for a week or two still. I'm going to try and make it work without destroying it.

[DasUberKraut]

So I finally got back out in the garage for a little bit tonight after work. I got the steering stop tab ground down to about 1/8" or less in some spots. I didn't want to got too far and risk damaging the neck. I also had to take a small notch out of the front of the pinch weld on the neck. In a quick assessment I believe the new forks will mount nicely and have no problems turning when tightened down. Not sure what to do for a steering stop at this point. Thinking either a hardened bolt or small tab welded to the back of the neck may work.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-13_22-42-27_276.jpg

Also, I noticed my top race seems as it's fully seated but I still have 1 or 2mm stick out of the neck. Is this common? It makes the bearing sit considerably higher than the neck obviously. I just read through the Moose Bearing Rant thread and now I'm kinda worried I'm gonna mangle my fresh new All Balls.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-04-14_12-29-13_297.jpg

Does anyone have a picture of what they used for a steering stop on their conversion? I want to get a few ideas before I settle for one thing.

[DasUberKraut]

Anyone have experience with All Balls Steering bearings? I want to put it back together, but I'm not sure if the top race is down far enough.

[DasUberKraut]

Ok... So I get impatient easily. Didn't feel like waiting for a response to my bearing race question. I went ahead and pieced it together and everything fits like it should. New All Balls are amazingly smooth. I think the 125m looks very decent with the 200s forks. I imagine the ride enjoyment increases 10-fold.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/84125m-86200sForks.jpg

Here's a close up of where I ground the steering stop tab down and notched he bottom of the pinch weld. Enough room to spin free, and that's about it. I also hit the bare metal with some flat black rattle can to prevent rusting. I kinda oversprated that's why the fram looks dull in a couple spots.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/200sForks.jpg

Now I gotta work on hub bearings and brakes. Trying to figure out the best way to remove hub bearings. :wondering

[Jon Boy]

hey Das, you make the wife happy yet? as in "have you got the other one done?" :lol:

came across a few forks in the last month or so dirt cheap, but they were all so shot, none of them were worth the trouble IMO. :rolleyes:

[DasUberKraut]

Still waiting for the father inlaw to sandblast my front hub parts so I can finish putting mine back together.

Hers may have to wait. I might be dragging home a 85 200x this weekend if I play my cards right. Shhh!!! Don't tell her!

[Jon Boy]

:lol: your secret is safe with us. :lol:

[DasUberKraut]

Didn't get the X this weekend. Damn overtime takes up all my free time. Father inlaw finally started blasting parts tonight though. Hopefully I'll have them back in a day or two depending if he powder coats anything.

Anyone know where to get a dust seal for the front hub?

Was messing with the wife's machine and discovered both steering stops are sheared off.

[oscarmayer]

fron seals can be had on ebay. get a compelte bearing kit as those are probelby worn.

[DasUberKraut]

I have new All Balls. I need the big brake drum dust seal. Can't find em anywhere.

[tulsamike3434]

That would be cool I myself like to keep everything as original as possible.

[DasUberKraut]

That would be cool I myself like to keep everything as original as possible.

Mike, I asked you on your build thread why you didn't opt for the front end conversion. You never responded. I guess that answers it. LOL.

[tulsamike3434]

Mike, I asked you on your build thread why you didn't opt for the front end conversion. You never responded. I guess that answers it. LOL.

Sorry i must have missed that question. But yes i like to keep everything as original as possible. :)

[DasUberKraut]

No more OT at work for now I believe. The X WILL be home Friday. Sat at the latest. I will not wait any longer.

Then it's back to 125m front end conversion #1. There may be a complete strip down of 125m #2 coming soon as well.

Edit: More OT. X not coming home til tomorrow.

Anyone have a picture of how this fairing mounts? It's off of an 82 185s I was told. I know it's not meant for my 86 200s forks. I thought I could maybe make it work without looking horrible.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20120518_203610.jpg

[DasUberKraut]

So I won an excellent condition 200s headlight Friday on ebay. Got it today. Still waiting for hub parts at my inlaw's. X still hasn't found it's way home yet, either.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/_KGrHqVHJCcE-f1GDlNIBPtukS6Ruw_60_58.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/_KGrHqN_jEE9woHoWe3BPtuknFstg_60_58.jpg


Edit: Can someone provide me with a picture of the correct way this wire holder is supposed to be installed. I seem to be having issues. The headlight keeps rubbing on it.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/2012-05-30_23-57-16_232.jpg

[DasUberKraut]

So after the wife and I split last year I ended up couch surfing for 8 or 9 months and my trikes were parked outside behind my brother's garage all winter buried in ice and snow. I finally moved to a more permanent place with a garage I can use and a basement to put my spare parts shelf. The past few Sundays I've finally been able to wrench on projects again. I stripped down an 81 XR 250R I got for a school project. I want to stuff the motor in a 200x frame after completely rebuilding it. I started stripping down my parts 125m with the cracked frame and motor without a head on it. It's about 80% complete. Just have to pull out the wiring harness and separate the rear end from the frame and a couple small bits to pull off. A few of the parts need to swapped out on the running 125m which I just gave the front end conversion to. Gotta install the headlight and modify a beat up 125m fender to fit. I have a great idea to make it work and look not half bad in the end. I hope it turns out. At least I'm using a not so good fender for the attempt. Clutch is wonky...not sure if it's just an adjustment or if it's shot. Clutch out of the parts motor is good and so is the Hi-Lo shifter. Hi-Lo is very stiff on the runner and bent. It moves but I never tried it running to see if it engages or not. I can't decide if I like these Moose Racing handlebars or if I like a pair of aluminum low-rise bars I took off the XR.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130330_182222_101_zps5bc9e889.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130329_164304_178_zps6f3a8a55.jpg

[DasUberKraut]

Trying to finish this up finally. Made a vid of the fender idea I came up with after watching YouTube's 200mmonster modify a fender for his same style front end. Granted he took his modifying in a whole different direction. I tried to keep as much of the fender intact. I left as much of the thick plastic on on the sides that I could. It's still very sturdy.

ATC Front Fender Mod - 84 125m Into 86 200s Forks (http://youtu.be/zqJMOmlPuOU)

[DasUberKraut]

Test fitting the fender and seeing if the headlight works. It does.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130419_163053_939_zpseaab9d4f.jpg

[KC9LJO]

Looks awesome. Thanks for the write up. Hey we're damn near neighbors. I'm in Ashland.

[DasUberKraut]

Howdy neighbor!

Thanks. It's definitely worth the little effort it takes to convert.

[DasUberKraut]

Spent some more time in the garage today.

Put an updated throttle control on with a NOS throttle cable from an 86 125m. Removed the rear brake cable. It was seized. I have a NOS one, but I think I will leave it off for now. The rear brakes lock up if you breathe on the pedal, so I'll stick with that until I get my front hub rebuilt with bearings and fresh brake pads and a NOS cable. I also put a better choke cable on. The threads were broken off the other one. Cross-bar pad can't be on for choke to function. If I don't need the choke though...pad will go back on.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130427_162138_744_zpsc80d5e4d.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130427_162138_744_zpsc80d5e4d.jpg.html)

Freshly cleaned carb.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130427_162126_678_zps5694142d.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130427_162126_678_zps5694142d.jpg.html)


A straighter grab bar put on. Still slightly tweaked though. Toolbox. Dug my rack out. To get it to sit level the bolt holes for the back two mounts go right through the grab bar. How easy is it to straighten a rack? Or should I just drill through the grab bar? Yeah it's sad to do that. But it it makes the rack level and useable without trying to bend and destroy it. I don't know???

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130428_145119_973_zps28a5aedc.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130428_145119_973_zps28a5aedc.jpg.html)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130428_145105_811_zps21479f76.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130428_145105_811_zps21479f76.jpg.html)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130428_132318_298_zps29ee0602.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130428_132318_298_zps29ee0602.jpg.html)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130428_132349_071_zpsbeac7302.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130428_132349_071_zpsbeac7302.jpg.html)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w33/Duggalo/IMG_20130428_132355_707_zps1c7479a2.jpg (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/Duggalo/media/IMG_20130428_132355_707_zps1c7479a2.jpg.html)