Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

I have a 79 cr250. I was wanting some opinions about suspension. My forks are blown and my shocks have lost their will to live. The bike is a pogo stick. I was considering a set of vintage rebuilt Fox Air Shocks, set of Ohlins or a set of Works Performance. I have a 1980 model swingarm which I could use but I have also been locking at the VMX arm and an arm from Novation Racing. The Novation Racing arm does not have the bend in it like the VMX arm. I would like to get the best components. I also need to have the front forks redone. There is local shop that says they can do them but any suggestions would be helpful. The springs in the forks may be tired also. I also looked into the possibility of use a new set of Fox atv Float X Evol shocks. They said they could be mounted upside down because of the reservoir and a compatible length should not be a problem. All of them use a 10mm mounting bolt. They said to send them the leverage ratio, length open and exposed rod length. The shocks have adj compression and rebound. But they could not provide any guarantee of results and at a retail price of $1495.00 it could be an expensive mistake. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jonathan

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1979 CR 250
1983 CR 480
1987 CR 500
1994 KX 500
1992 YFZ 350

Forks If you stay stock, check the springs to see if they have sacked out. If you do not have a manual then PM me for the service limit measurement. Consider the fork damper rod mod published in the Reference section. Or run super-lightweight oil. A set of air fork caps with pressure set at 5lbs will give you a little bottoming resistance now the compression damping has been reduced. An alternative is to install the complete front-end of a 1981-1983 CR. This gives you larger more adjustable forks for which after-market springs and valving are available. I run '83 43mm Showas equipped with Eibach springs and Race Tech emulators. Race Tech did the re-build. All-in you're probably looking at $600. There is a set of these forks and triple clamps on eBay right now. (Get a '83 wheel, hub and front brake if you can.) Got $2,000-3,000 spare, then you can get a set of 44mm Fox Forx.

Swing arm You need to pick your swing arm before the shocks, because it will have a profound effect on geometry and therefore shock set-up. The Novation arm is rising rate, but needs a shorter than stock shock. No problem for you, because you are starting out anew. A Fox replica arm from VMX is around $500 and introduces a rising rate, but uses stock 17.5" shocks. The other after-market straight arms - DG, Thor etc. - use stock shocks, but the persist the falling rate geometry but introduce a 1" longer length a la stock 1980 arm. Anyone who valves your shocks needs to know which arm you picked. I am running a DG replica arm, but going to a Fox replica arm.

Shocks Works Performance, cheap but effective. They do know the vintage space which is a big plus. Fox Shox are very easy to adjust and there are good sources who can rebuild/re-valve them for you. I have both Works and Fox Shox. Creme de la creme is Ohlins piggy-back shocks. The critical point is to get them set up for you specifically, bike, weight, riding style. IMHO, I would not try an un-proven shock from a vendor without experience in vintage motocross.

Bottom line Your priorities are; replacement shocks, stock fork re-fresh, fork upgrade, upgrade swing arm....

Have fun.

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF

Thank you very much. I have a front wheel, forks and triple clamp from an 82 cr480. I was planing on using them on my 83 cr480 but the stuff on it is in better shape. Some one who owned the 83 has either painted or powder coated the fork legs. Do you have any idea how to get this off without damage to the factory finish below. I was working with Thor on a set of Fox Air Shocks but if the Ohlins are the best choice I would want to go with them. VMX sells the Ohlins but I have not talked with them yet. Until now I only knew about Vintage Iron. Who has the best plastics. Will VMX have the Ohlins shocks set up for my bike and I when I purchase or will they just sell me off the shelf units.

Thanks,

Jonathan

_________________
1979 CR 250
1983 CR 480
1987 CR 500
1994 KX 500
1992 YFZ 350

Have the fork legs chemically stripped. This will take off any paint and any of the stock lacquer underneath. You can them have them polished and if you want clear powder-coated.

I would go with the Fox Shox route if you can get a pair for around $250. That factors in another $150 for a top to bottom rebuild and you will have a great set of shocks for half the price of the Ohlins. And then they're effectively free to change the spring rate, and with a manual in-hand you can rebuild them and change the damping if you wish. If you spring for the Ohlins absolutely get a reference from someone who has had them set up for the '79 CR250R or pick someone who will re-valve them if they don't get it right first time.

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF

Thanks again. Thor Lawson wants $950 for his completely rebuilt, re-anodized and what ever else he does. Is this a long way out of the ball park for Vintage Fox air shocks.

Thanks,

Jonathan

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1979 CR 250
1983 CR 480
1987 CR 500
1994 KX 500
1992 YFZ 350

Firstly if there is no ball-park, or if there is, it moves the boundary on a whim. In my personal experience prices of second-hand parts fluctuate widely driven by supply, demand and a willingness to pay at a specific point in time. I have tried to sell unobtainable NOS items and had no takers, yet seen easy to get items go for inflated prices. Go figure. I do sense that in general terms prices have been ratcheting upwards...

All that being said, I would not be paying $950 for a set of Fox Shox without some serious consideration. I would have to feel that the combination of the inherent Fox design (air spring), adjustment (very good), initial set-up and my ability to use that edge warranted a premium over buying more proven Ohlins shocks. That argument doesn't work for me.

Now my view is prejudiced by having bought several sets of Fox Shox for around $200-$250 and then having them re-worked by a friend for around $150. This includes re-jetting, oil change, one shaft being replaced or re-chromed etc. What I ended up with was a shock that looked great, but I wasn't going to worry about the inevitable scuffs that come with racing, and worked perfectly for my limited riding ability.

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF