250 front fork questions

irideyamaha94

irideyamaha94

hey everybody, i ran into a problem and what better place to come than dirtbike addicts, you guys and gals never let me down. anyways my problem is, i have a 1994 yz250 and i rebuilt the forks in february. the bike ran good and all but no matter what adjustments i made the forks would not go stiffer. i bottom out alot when i free ride or try triples at the track. i have 7.5 weight fluid in the forks right now and was wondering if 15 weight would make it stiffer and slow down the stroke. i take my bike off the stand and it sags about 1 inch. stock springs and all and im on a budget. also i do not have a manual but i read 500ml per fork... does that sound right? last time i kept measuring 110mm from the top of the fork to the level of oil and i wanna make sure i wont hurt the forks doing it the second time. thanks in advance!
 
Y

yamadogyz

The best thing you can do on a budget is get new springs up front, it sounds like your forks are way under sprung.
I assume you already tried clickers, and the oil level sounds right. If I'm not mistaken when FCR rebuilt mine I they race anti friction 5w, oil can only do so much. If you want the best benefits send your suspension out to be serviced, it makes all the difference, if you run by the cash.
 
CDA

CDA

Sounds like your adjustments or something internal may have gone south on you. Even if your springs are tired, you would still get some type of change when adjusting the settings. 7.5 is not bad weight and I would be taking the forks apart and checking your adjusters for being worn or bad.
 
Y

yamadogyz

CDA:
Sounds like your adjustments or something internal may have gone south on you. Even if your springs are tired, you would still get some type of change when adjusting the settings. 7.5 is not bad weight and I would be taking the forks apart and checking your adjusters for being worn or bad.
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This was an after thought I came up with too. When you tear them down clean all the parts and check for damage or wear.
 
Y

yamadogyz

irideyamaha94:
i weigh 162 at 6'3" think .45kg/mm would be fine for me?
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I think it should be safe bet since thats what stock YZ250F is sprung at. Maybe .46. If you can get an idea of what you have first I can tell you for sure. Like I added, defiantly check for wear parts too, bushings, clickers are slipping, ect.. before you drop 110$ on springs :thumb: Believe me, you defiantly wanna get this straighten out, bad suspension is dangerous
 
irideyamaha94

irideyamaha94

yamadogyz:
I think it should be safe bet since thats what stock YZ250F is sprung at. Maybe .46. If you can get an idea of what you have first I can tell you for sure. Like I added, defiantly check for wear parts too, bushings, clickers are slipping, ect.. before you drop 110$ on springs :thumb: Believe me, you defiantly wanna get this straighten out, bad suspension is dangerous
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well the springs are stock... the bike is as old as me. according to race tech... my stock spring rate is 0.392. and believe me, my back hurts alot after i ride the tracks and i stay away from downtown ocotillo on that bike:crash:
 
Y

yamadogyz

irideyamaha94:
well the springs are stock... the bike is as old as me. according to race tech... my stock spring rate is 0.392. and believe me, my back hurts alot after i ride the tracks and i stay away from downtown ocotillo on that bike:crash:
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Well there you go! haha, I would run a .45 or .46 kg/mm, all your choice but I'd get those bitches out of there :lol: Typically when my forks are serviced I go new bushings and seals, if you have the money, but I wouldn't be caught dead with those springs!
 
James

James

Staff member
irideyamaha94:
well the springs are stock... the bike is as old as me. according to race tech... my stock spring rate is 0.392. and believe me, my back hurts alot after i ride the tracks and i stay away from downtown ocotillo on that bike:crash:
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Why does your back hurt, is your suspension bottoming out? Going from 0.392 to .46 is a pretty decent jump to the stiffer side. According to Race Tech a .392 is meant for a 110 lbs person. :shocked:

Don't know what your skill level is but once you get into the B (or higher) level you'll typically want a harder suspension. If my choices were .45 or .46 I'd go with .46

Unless your race/static sag is within spec I'd also replace the rear shock. Race Tech is actually saying that you need to go 0.1 softer on the rear shock.

One last thing, call up your local suspension guys and ask if they have those springs used. Around here they sell the used ones for $50.

Just remembered one other thing, make sure that you bleed the forks before every ride. I also do it again when I have it back on the stand in the garage.
 
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