are my 200x forks supposed to be this soft (there on a 250sx)

[peco250sx]

i installed some 200x forks on my 250sx and when i started to ride i noticed that they were so soft i could bottom them out by pressing on the brakes. is this normal or did i screw up changing the fork oil?

[2hundredx]

they shouldnt be that soft. have you tried putting some air in them?

[Dirtcrasher]

What weight oil did you put in, how much oil and how fat are you?? :D

[peco250sx]

i just put some racing fork oil in that i got from the shop at the collage (some red stuff) and as for air, my motosport tech instructor told me to put in only 7 psi and im 6' 4" and 180 lbs (if my stock forks didnt bottom out these shouldnt)

[peco250sx]

i put in 100 ml (4 oz) of fork oil

[peco250sx]

wait 100 ml = 3.38 oz

[2hundredx]

well the book says that after draining you should add 7 oz

[Dirtcrasher]

I always use at least 15 or 20wt also....

Red could mean ATF which is fairly light. I don't think you've got any problem or did anything wrong other than maybe to light and too little of oil in the forks.

Don't put any air in them at all, the air valve is for bleeding built up air, not for adding pressure.

Should be a nice improvement when your done, are you running the disc brake?? or did you just use the fork tubes and lose the front brakes completely?? It's best to use the tripple clamps and everything, you just have to fab up some steering stops.

[peco250sx]

i used the triple clamps, forks, disc brake, axel, hub, everything whole front end is swapped out and i even managed to run it with the 250sx front fender and headlight assembly

[2hundredx]

I always use at least 15 or 20wt also....

Red could mean ATF which is fairly light. I don't think you've got any problem or did anything wrong other than maybe to light and too little of oil in the forks.

Don't put any air in them at all, the air valve is for bleeding built up air, not for adding pressure.

Should be a nice improvement when your done, are you running the disc brake?? or did you just use the fork tubes and lose the front brakes completely?? It's best to use the tripple clamps and everything, you just have to fab up some steering stops.

are you sure that you cant add pressure? the book says you can add up to 10 psi

[NewfieBish]

i wouldnt bother with the air, the forks are all about oil, puttin air in them only puts you at risk of blowing the seals ( i done it with my 250R). i wouldnt even do 10 psi

[2hundredx]

oh ya i know, i dont have much, if any, in mine. just thought you could put air in em'.

[NewfieBish]

im not sure, but i rebuilt my forks just now, and its still really springy, and it could be the piston ring inside the forks i think.. dead forks can be caused by alot of things

[peco250sx]

the thing is its not stiff enough wouldnt that be the springs cause they bounce right back up when im off them its just that they dont seem to have the muscle to support anything other than there own weight

[peco250sx]

and before i changed the oil one was super soft and one was crazy stiff with lots of pressure in it after i worked on them they were both to soft

[atctim]

the book says you can add up to 10 psi

What book it is that says this??? I have never ever heard of this.

[Dammit!]

The forks are air adjustable per Honda themselves. BUT, it's a terrible way to adjust them. Even if you technically can do it, that doesn't make it a good thing to do. The action gets funky with air in them and the seals are far more prone to leaking. I don't run any air in mine.

The original posters forks are too soft because 1) a 250sx weighs a lot more than a 200x and 2) the springs are 20 years old. The cure is either new springs (you can get progressives on ebay for fifty bucks plus shipping) and/or adding some preload by placing spacers on top of the springs. They can be made from PVC if you can find the right diameter or even by putting one or two sockets in there. Just make sure if you use PVC that you sand the edges smooth so no particles are floating around in your forks.

Changing your fork oil levels or weight will have a more pronounced effect on the rebound dampening than anything. You need preload to stiffen them up. If they're springing back up too quickly you can use a heavier weight fork oil to slow down the rebound rate.

[oscarmayer]

^ i agree with this dude!

[the great gazoo]

I agree w/ Doug about the springs. I had an '86 200X, & the front end was real soft- I added 2 one inch pieces of PVC & the bike handled soooo much better.
How's about some pics of your machine?

[2hundredx]

What book it is that says this??? I have never ever heard of this.

oh sorry i guess i was looking at 86-87 200x. give it a look see- http://www.files.3wheelerworld.com/pdfs/atcspecsreference.pdf

[peco250sx]

here are some pics of my trike.