The upper seat is probably adhered to the tube I.D. by its O-ring (be careful, it's got substantial spring pressure on it as mentioned earlier). What's worked for me is to take the weight off the front wheel and then spray a penetrant like PB Blaster or similar around the seat, then press it down hard & repeatedly against the spring to try and break the O-ring bond. If it's not rusted to the tube it should come out fairly easily: if not, try tapping it with a hammer & wooden dowel to free it up, while always keeping downward pressure against the spring. You'll probably want to replace the O-rings afterwards.
The '74-'75 CR125M and all years of MR175 use 31mm stanchion tubes, while the '76-'78 CR125M used the larger 35mm units - so it sounds like you may be out of luck with your Pro-Tecs, sorry. I used air forks (Goki single-fill adaptor, no springs) for years in my '74 CR, they worked great. And FWIW, the '79 XR185 forks make excellent drop-in 31mm replacements, 8" travel with more tube engagement & less flex.
Ray
_________________ '74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric
|