Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Questions and comments about converting to beefier forks..
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dimebag828
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Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by dimebag828 »

First off i traded a 1994 mojave 250 atv for a 1994 kdx 200 with built engine but the suspension is ruined. Started to take apart the forks last night thinking it just needed fork seals, but i went to pour out the fork oil and pieces of PVC started falling out. Appartenly the last owner stiffened the forks by making a PVC preload spacer that failed haha. Currently looking for klx 300 forks and triple clamp I weigh 170 pounds so i think the stock springs will be good for me. I do not plan on spending a lot on them either but whenever I see a nice set of klx 300 forks I am going to buy them I currently can not find any.
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KDXGarage
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by KDXGarage »

Welcome to the forums.

Are you sure they are trash?
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sarrant
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Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by sarrant »

I'm with Jason, is there really any internal damage, or just a bunch of PVC shrapnel -- because it seems the latter can be cleaned out.

These forks are a relatively simple design; there's not that much there to tear up.
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bufftester
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by bufftester »

+2, PVC will not harm anything beyond maybe plugging up. Take them apart, clean them up and you should be fine. The PVC preload is pretty common, but you need to make sure you're using heavy PVC (Sch 40) and not that crappy landscaping stuff.
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Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by sarrant »

Even the much more complicated dual chamber KYB forks have a plastic free piston that have been known for breaking apart. But I haven't heard of one internally damaging the forks. Just cleanup/replacement.
dimebag828
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Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by dimebag828 »

they werent ruined I cleaned them out and replaced fork oil. Now they feel like they arent hooked right in the front. I tried to jump it and it threw me way off the seat hahaha. going to have MVR work on them, they still leak because of fork seals I didnt have an allen head big enough to take forks all the way apart.
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by bufftester »

You don't need an allen to change the fork seals, only to remove the valve assembly. Seals/wipers can be done from the top end
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by KDXGarage »

on USD forks?? :oops:
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by bufftester »

Yes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSfodbI9EAU shows the process well enough. Though I disagree with the whole DIY seal tools. For the utility a set of seal bullets and a motion pro seal driver are worth the cost IMO. Now if you want to mess with the shim stacks and valving then you will need the right size allen (4 or 6 mm IIRC)
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by KDXGarage »

14 mm
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dimebag828
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Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by dimebag828 »

I know my thread is old but I am back with an update. The forks were indeed ruined, the guy i bought this kdx 200 from had forgotten to screw the damping rod into the fork cap like you were supposed to. The damping rod was not connected to the fork cap so when you jumped, the forks were completely maxed out lol i bought another set of stock 1994 kdx 200 forks off ebay for $100 and changing the fork oil and seals.
It has been 2 years since I had work done on the new forks and I am currently considering changing the rear shock to a rm 125 shock if I can get it to work.
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Re: Stock 94 forks ruined... swap time

Post by KDXGarage »

Thanks for the update.
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