200x fork pressure

[83185s]

how many PSI should i have in the front forks of an 84' 200x??

[350x'inNY]

0 psi .... pressure builds up when you ride... I bleed mine off periodically.

[Huffa]

0 psi .... pressure builds up when you ride... I bleed mine off periodically.

He's correct. Keep the air OUT!

[83185s]

o ok thats cool then..how do u bleed it out..the little things on the top of the forks??

[350x'inNY]

A huh... those things that look like valve stems on a tire. Yep... use a key or your fingernail and push the little metal stem inside it in to let the air out. :D

[83185s]

sweet deal thanks guys..i didnt know if it was to put more pressure in to stiffen them up or what..i figured tho if you jump it and come down in the front in really hard it would bust them so i was a bit tipsy on puttin air in them..thanks for the info guys!

[Pablo83R]

I put 6psi in my 83r which is what it should be but it either didnt stay in or when you recheck it was so low it wouldnt register on the low pressure guage. Best to regulate with thicker fork oil

[HRC1]

I'm not condoning what i'm about to say, nor endorsing it, now that i've laid down my disclaimer.........

I have a old dirtwheels that states that curtis sparks used 10 psi in his forks, on his factory 200x. And i thought i saw in the clymer manual for a 250r that you can run 3 psi in the 85 and 86 models. I've ran 2 psi in my 250r and it stiffened up a bit, but i just used heavier fork oil when i changed the seals later that summer. I honestly don't think that the seals will hold 10 psi, i just wanted to tell you what i read. Flame on!

lol

[83185s]

well...i dont know how to rebuild the forks and i dont think i want to right now cause its cold outside..lol..and it doesnt have an engine on it right now anyway so its kinda pointless besides geting it fixed up to ride when i get an engine on it..but i dont ave one right now for it that will run so...i was just checking..it kind of sounds like i have water in them tho..or do they all sound like that?? it sounds like water squishing when i push down on them..and they arent really stiff but they arent really soft either so i dunno..ill prolly check em out here in a bit..thanks for the info guys

[HRC1]

yah, you can usually hear the oil in them. I'd just drain the old oil and refill with new stuff and see how u like it. Measure the amount that drains out of eatch and see if it's equal, then pop the caps off and refill, i have a manual for the 86, but maybe someone here can give you specs for the amount to refill them.

[83185s]

how do u drain it and refill it..also what kinda oil?? tranny fluid or engine oil...one had some air in it and the other didnt make a sound...lol..it sounds like there is water in it tho..it s wierd but its cold outside and its 8 30 pm so im not doing it tonight..ill have to thursday cause i gotta work 2 morrow

[84honda 200X]

That water sound your hearing is the oil in the forks going through the ports in the tube. If you do refill them there are little drain plugs on the bottom of each fork and you just take those out and drain the oil. The oil you fill them with is Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). As for the air in the forks the manual says that you can put air in them to stiffen them up so you dont bottom them out. About 5 pounds is what i have in mine and they are stiff but soft to so they soak the bumps and landings up well.

[pomona51]

Aren't you supposed to use fork oil? Why ATF?

[84honda 200X]

Thats what my manual says and thats what i used.

[350x'inNY]

Yes, you can use ATF, but you can't adjust the wt of the oil that way.

[Red Rider]

83185S, Actually, the noise that sounds like water in your forks is caused by aeriation of the fork oil. It's not just the oil going through the oil ports that you're hearing, it's also air bubbles that are trapped in the oil. If there weren't any air bubbles in the oil, it would be fairly silent as the fork went through it's travel stroke.

[83185s]

so what should i do to fix that?? drain it and refill it??

[xracer771]

drain the forks, put in fresh oil, either atf or fork oil, your choice, the manual says up to 10 lbs in the forks, personally I don't like the ride, it is kind of stiff. I put in new springs and fresh oil and no air, but it is an option.