'97 RM125 forks picked up today...what am I in for?

Questions and comments about converting to beefier forks..
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Gotanubike
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'97 RM125 forks picked up today...what am I in for?

Post by Gotanubike »

Honestly wish I could remember some of the details with the axle spacers and stuff. But I sold the kdx last month to pay the bill for the kx250 build unfortunately :(
I basically just swapped the whole front end of a rm125 on the kdx. Only mods done were to the lower triple, talked about earlier on last page. KDX stem bearings used
kx200 wrote:How did you get the Kawasaki front fender to fit the Suzuki triple clamps?
I just measured out the spacing and drilled some holes, and used the + size washers
1990 KDX200
Bike Profile -> http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 61#p136315
Suspension Overhaul(Shock+89-92 conventional forks) -> http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 15&t=15255
96'-98' RM125 Showa 49mm fork swap -> http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 04&t=16994
KDXrider world map! -> https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=186158
Friedom
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Re: '97 RM125 forks picked up today...what am I in for?

Post by Friedom »

I'm on my way to a shop now. They were really uncertain about pressing out the stems, and want me to be there for planning each successive step.
Of course the stems came out fine. But they were like, "are you sure this will work? "
All I could think was that it works for the people that I got the idea from.
They want to bore out the upper triple and put a proper sized sleeve in. They didn't seem impressed with the tin can shim idea..

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negativenoel
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'97 RM125 forks picked up today...what am I in for?

Post by negativenoel »

Gotanubike wrote:$140 Cad

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But thes are 98 forks! externally 2 faint grooves machined around the outside lower forkleg just below the seal,a 97 doesnt have this.
Top cap has a raised slot on an octaganal cap,the 97 has only an octagon.
The fork seals are the same but the upper bush in the aluminum half just below the seal is a thinner wall bush than a 97.A 97 bush wont fit in a 98 leg and a 98 will fall into a 97.
The chrome dampening rod is 10 mm in diameter on a 98 and 12mm diameter on a 97'
The spring collar{what the sping sits on } is plastic with aluminium sleeve at the the 97 has thin walled alluminium {which can crush/ collapse under heavy bottoming}
The lower rebound adjuster base nut is a smaller diameter than a 97.
98's work just that little bit better and have a quick change high speed valve, to access hold the octaganal nut with a big shifter and use a smaller shifter to unscrew that raised slot,pull hard as suction holds it in and you can put a racetech gold vavle on but you dont have to bother pulling the mid valve apart and do not use the mid checkvalve supplied by racetech.I suggest single stage valving as its more predictable through the entire stroke.
Ive used 97 lower legs on 98 internals on a 2015 wr 250
Best advice ever low stiction skf seals on these forks]
will post some pics if i can work it out.lol
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