Trip McNeely

Member
Jun 3, 2003
1
0
hello all,
a couple of days ago i replaced my stock 02 cr250 showa fork springs (and oil) with new springs more suited for my weight...220 lbs.
after doing so, every time i compress and release the forks, i hear what sounds like the springs rubbing against the outer wall of the fork. is this normal...or did i miss a step? i don't remember them making this sound when i first bought the bike.
the forks were re-assembled horizontally on a work bench...so maybe i was supposed to set them vertically to allow the spring to center itself. the manual didn't mention doing it that way, and i didn't think of it until after.
or is there a chance that once i get to ride this weekend, the springs will work their way to where they need to be?

thanks
trip
 

marcusgunby

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 9, 2000
6,450
2
You may find they are too tight-its not easy to get springs as good as the std ones for fit, i would measure the i/d's, they do tend to have a slight rubbing noise as they will contact the guide if they are not vertical, even when vertical they may still rub slightly, alot of oil contamination is IMO from the springs rubbing, you see some that are actually worn half way through the coils.
 

jruggery

Member
Apr 6, 2003
54
0
I had the same problem when I put stiffer springs in my last bike, an '02 KDX200. I did a search and found that a lot of other people have experienced the same noises - kind of like bouncing up and down on a squeaky bed. I installed the spings with the bike upright on a stand and still got the noise, so I don't think that's an issue.

I took the top caps back off, made sure that everything was assembled correctly and tried to keep the fork springs aligned with their collars and centered when I put it all back together. Then I rode the bike and the noise seemed to go away. So, I'm not sure if I fixed it by re-aligning everything or if they seated just by riding.

Something else to consider is the spring preload. Often times springs that are stiffer or lighter than stock are of slightly different lengths. I would measure both springs with the stock preload spacer. If the new springs are a good bit longer, that may be contributing to your problem and you could have to trim the preload spacer accordingly.
 
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