Got my progressive forks springs installed today.

[Louis Mielke]

And man I'm I super happy with the front suspension on my 250r. My suspension has always been super sloppy. I just haven’t spent the money to get it redone. Well today I installed progressive fork springs, spacers, and fresh oil in my forks and WOW. I'm amazed at the difference. I'm so amazed in fact that I'm gonna have the money spent to rebuild the rear shock.

i used to bottom the old springs constantly, but today on my test rides I really hammered this front end and my fat butt couldn't even begin to bottom the front end. (sadly the rear still bottomed hard) I dropped off a 5 foot ledge, blipping the throttle to bring the whole bike off clean before starting to fall and repetitively I must landed 10 times and the front end was awesome.

Its just as such a night and day difference I had to make a post about it. Once I get the rear rebuilt I'll try to get some real big air and get someone to take some pictures.

its kinda sad, I've been so used to riding my half beat R that now that I know how good it could be I'm gonna spend even more money..argh...my wallets stretched so thin.

Ultimately I wanna get it setup and try to make some races in OHIO!!!! lol


EDIT: After reading this i'm sure everyones like...WELL DUH. But I was excited and had to get it out. SO sue me. lol. I'm just excited about being able to do crazy stuff with out jarring my skull and back.

[200x Basket]

LOL, congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dammit!]

I've been wanting progressives front and back for ages. I put two inch spacers in my forks a while back with the same old saggy springs and that alone made a HUGE difference. With progressives I imagine it would be even better.

[3leggeddog]

yeah they are great.a really good invest if you do alot of jumpin,or just aggresive ridin.i run the progressives,and 1 inch spacers to keep my r from bottoming.they really help overall ride quality aswell.

glad you are happy with them,now you just need to get your tail out here for some mx!!

[350xBomb]

I know what Im doin next...

[Louis Mielke]

yeah they are great.a really good invest if you do alot of jumpin,or just aggresive ridin.i run the progressives,and 1 inch spacers to keep my r from bottoming.they really help overall ride quality aswell.

glad you are happy with them,now you just need to get your tail out here for some mx!!


As soon as I get my rear shock done I may plan a speacial trip. I've been known to drive to cleavland for a day and then come back.

[Kintore]

Yep I LOVE mine, and im buying my dad a set for his birthday.

Im thinking of running spacers, im not running any yet though, hmmmm

[Louis Mielke]

My set came with instructions that recommended 1.5" spacers so thats what I'm running. Its a little unbalanced since my rear shock is in desperate need of a rebuild but I'm sure it'll be fine after I get it redone.

[88 Turbo Coupe]

Where did you buy them? Saves me the time to look for em. Thanks!

[Pete]

I got mine from Dennis Kirk.

[Derrick Adams]

Louis if you watch ebay close you can snag a nice aftermarket rear shock for a little more than rebuilding the stocker. If you think the aftermarket springs were great wait till you try a good rear shock. NO Comparison to a stocker!

[Kintore]

Yah I agree to derrick, I snagged a works rear shock for the Z off ebay for 50 bucks. Just gotta be patient!

[88 Turbo Coupe]

Are the springs made by Progressive Suspensions?

[3leggeddog]

a rebuilt stocker still has it's issues.for the best performing shock,you need the dual rate.plus having it valved to your specs.,and spring set up too,man,what a combo.i spent some time on a stock suspended bike the other day on nates track.i was scared to jump the thing more then 30 foot.bottomed hard,and the springy rebound was unbearable.do what best suits you,but for seriuos jumpin,aggressive ridin,buy an aftermarket shock.

[thefox]

Hey there was a topic about progressive springs on one of the motorcycle forums I check in on. One of the members there found this place, they look cheap, but I haven't read through to find the shipping cost or anything.

http://www.mawonline.com/progress.htm

For part#...
http://www.progressivesuspension.com/prod_search.aspx

[Louis Mielke]

a rebuilt stocker still has it's issues.for the best performing shock,you need the dual rate.plus having it valved to your specs.,and spring set up too,man,what a combo.i spent some time on a stock suspended bike the other day on nates track.i was scared to jump the thing more then 30 foot.bottomed hard,and the springy rebound was unbearable.do what best suits you,but for seriuos jumpin,aggressive ridin,buy an aftermarket shock.



Trust me 3legged, I know. The works shock on my 500 is totally sweet. I'm just really trying to juggle fundage irght now. I've gota get the KTm forks redone for my specs for the 500, and I really hand't planned to spend a whole lot on my 250. I'd really like to go with an elka like yours but I can't pull an extra 800 out of thin air for just one machine right now. Christmas is comming and this year I have way more people to buy for. Kinda sucks. We'll see what goes down. I may see what works can put together for me.

The dual rate is the way to go you say? The only thing I don't like about my works shock on the 500 is there are no adjustment clickers or screws. if I would have relised it I may have looked elsewhere. The man I talked to really didn't say anything about adjustment, just asked questions about my weight and the bike'. blah.

Wish I could afford an elka like yours.

Even if I find a cheap used one I still gota get it redone for my weight. Most shocks seem to be setup for 170-180lbs riders. my fat butts 220. blah.

[mrbones]

Thanks for the review of the springs. I've used Progressive springs in street bike applications before and was very happy with them. I wasn't sure how well they would work in the dirt. I'm going to order some as my '85 250r front end is so mushy it's unsettling to ride at times. I found an ebay retailer selling them cheaper than DK. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=003&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=130053588023&rd=1,1

Those springs fit the following bikes. I tried searching for them for a street bike and possibly getting them even cheaper, but couldn't find anything.

* Honda - ATC250R 1985
* Honda - ATC250R 1986
* Honda - VF700C Magna 1985
* Honda - VF700C Magna 1986
* Honda - VT700C Shadow 1984
* Honda - VT700C Shadow 1985
* Honda - VT700C Shadow 1986
* Honda - VT700C Shadow 1987
* Honda - VT750C Shadow 1983
* Honda - VT800C Shadow 1988
* Honda - XL600R 1983
* Honda - XL600R 1984
* Honda - XL600R 1985
* Honda - XL600R 1986
* Honda - XL600R 1987
* Suzuki - VS1400GLF Intruder 1987
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1987
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1988
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1990
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1991
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1992
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1993
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1994
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1995
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1996
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1997
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1998
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 1999
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 2000
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 2001
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 2002
* Suzuki - VS1400GLP Intruder 2003
* Yamaha - YTZ250 Tri-Z 1986

[xracer771]

would a progressive setup be worth the investment for my 200x? if so does anyone know where to find the parts or will the 250 parts work?

[mrbones]

Yes, it would be worth it. The springs are 20 years old!

What year is your X?

[kb200x]

would a progressive setup be worth the investment for my 200x? if so does anyone know where to find the parts or will the 250 parts work?


I think Dennis Kirk also has them for a 200x. The 250R springs wont work on a 200x.


I have been thinking about doing this to my 350x. I know you can use the air cooled 250r springs as an upgrade or the progressive setup for the front but what about the rear shock on the 350x? what are the options there?


Hey Louis did you ever get the 450r exhaust on?

[mrbones]

I've wondered about the rear on the 250r, too. I have an '85. Curious if trx250r shocks would fit. I don't know a whole lot about the air cooled Rs, but I can't imagine any of them would be an upgrade. There's nothing like new springs with zero hours on them!

[kb200x]

I've wondered about the rear on the 250r, too. I have an '85. Curious if trx250r shocks would fit. I don't know a whole lot about the air cooled Rs, but I can't imagine any of them would be an upgrade. There's nothing like new springs with zero hours on them!


I think the air cooler R springs are a little longer than 350x springs so they give a little more travel. But I would think the progressive is better also...

[mrbones]

Wouldn't longer spring just change the spring rate? Travel is limited to the fork tube. Ain't it?

Well, either way, yeah I would think a new spring would be better than an old one.

[Derrick Adams]

I scored the elusive Progressive rear spring for MyMistress86R this week. SUPER tough to find. I've only ever seen 3! He will be riding Progressives all the way around!

[kb200x]

Wouldn't longer spring just change the spring rate? Travel is limited to the fork tube. Ain't it?

Well, either way, yeah I would think a new spring would be better than an old one.


The inner damping rods and springs are I think an inch longer in the air R's than the 350x. I think changing the sliders and springs will increase the the travel about an inch. I still think the progressive spring is a better way to go. But this set up with 250r guts would be better than say a spacer.


Sorry Louis not trying to high jack your thead.:D

[Louis Mielke]

I did not get that exhaust on yet. I need the mid pipe and I haven't had a chance to make one yet. My 350x is still a unicycle (the rear ends getting rebuilt) so I'm not in too much of a hurry to get the exahust on. One day at time.

I did get the new jets for the 500 though. :-P maybe the tripple tree fairy will come some day and I'll get the inverts on the front. hehe

[Billy Golightly]

I'm waiting on a couple new welding nozzles to come in so I can do them bolt holder pieces on the outside without melting everything around it. You think them stock forks with progressives are nice, wait till you experience inverts :drool:

[Louis Mielke]

I'm afraid its gonna end up costing $400 to get Moto Pro to setup those forks right right but it will be worth it.

[xracer771]

Yes, it would be worth it. The springs are 20 years old!

What year is your X?


I have an 84 do you know what springs I need for the forks?

[mad_max]

Dude. Go to www.denniskirk.com...

You can enter the year/make/model of your ride and then pick the area you want parts for (suspension) ..... it will give you the part number.

Or call 'em and tell 'em what you want. They are in Rush City MN if thats near you.

Easy.

[xracer771]

it's about a 45 minute drive, I'll check it out thanks.

[xracer771]

The springs are not in stock but it says expected soon I added them to my cart and the price was $75 but it said each, do they sell these individually or is it $75 for the set?

[mad_max]

for the set (got mine 2 years ago)

[xracer771]

thanks, guess I will pick them up when they get some in.

good winter project

[TimSr]

good winter project


Winter project? Should leave you with plenty of free time then since it takes about 15 minutes to change oil and put in new springs!


Progressivly wound springs, ("Progressive" is a brand name) are still sold in Dennis Kirk for about any 3 wheeler that uses real true shocks as forks. They are sold in pairs for $75-85 depending on model. They have no effect on the amount of travel, but will retore lost travel due to "sag" from worn springs. THEY ARE NOT STIFFER THAN STOCK SPRINGS! They are LIGHTER than stock springs for the first part of travel, and get STIFFER as they are compressed. This gives you the benefit of a smoother ride during normal riding in the lighter range of the spring and more resitistance to bottoming when compressed into the stiffer range of the spring, such as jumping. For this reason, they are of great benefit to the casual trail raider, and are not just for MX racers!

[xracer771]

from the searches I did going through the forks looked like it may take a little more than 10 minutes, but I hope you are right.

[TrikeKid]

Hey guys, I don't have a trike with suspension, but are these forks by chance damping rod style? If they are, some Race Tech cartrige emulators would make a big diffrence, I run some in my CRF, and just putting them in, same oil wieght and the only spacer being the emulator itself made my forks 10 times better, they track great and soak up little stuff going slow, but I can also pound whoops like I never have been able to on this bike, and I haven't bottomed it once while being able to run harder than before.

[Billy Golightly]

Changing the springs is a cinch, don't worry about it. Changing fork seals and bushings is when it gets a little tricky but still not bad.

[TimSr]

from the searches I did going through the forks looked like it may take a little more than 10 minutes, but I hope you are right.

Its nothing more than taking the oil drain screws out of the botton, taking the caps off the tops, stick your finger in and pull out the spring, and drop the new one in, put the plug screws back in, and add the necessary amount of oil, put the caps on, and your ready to go. Literally, 15 minutes, or a half hour if you have a beer between each fork leg. As Billy said, it only gets more complicated of you are changing seals or something. If they dont leak now, LEAVE THE SEALS ALONE! Keep the frame elevated enough to have all weight off the front, or the fork caps will fly into the ceiling when you unscrew them.

[xracer771]

I like your description of the process much better than the ones I located on the searches.