[stevestevesteve]

Hi All,

I bought some new fork tops. I thought it would simply be unscrew the old, screw on the new, but I hit a few issues.

When the fork top came loose, it shot out, along with an o-ring and a metal tube. I'm having trouble getting all back in (photo below). Questions:

1. How do I get it back on? I'm finding it hard to push it down and keep enough control to then screw the fork top back on. Is there a technique? A tool?

2. What will happen (if anything) if I ride without the metal tube in there? Will the suspension just be looser?

2. Does the o-ring go below the metal tube, or above it between the tube and the fork top?

3. The other fork top is really hard to get off. I've already shaved off some of the corners of the nut trying to get it off. Is there any way to get it off besides a monkey wrench?

 

[bods]

USE A FRONT STAND!!

seriously, you need to support the front end of the bike, if you are having a hard time getting it back in you will have no hope if you pull the other one out. if you somehow manage to get the other one out the whole front end will drop, you won't be able to use the side stand to hold the bike up either. that's all that holds the front end of the bike up.

and no, you can't ride it without that tube in, that is the preload tube, it will be so soft it will be unridable

to remove the other one you need to support the weight of the bike and use a socket not a spanner

 

[XG4]

Hey man I got the same color caps installed, did the same thing with mine haha. Here's what I did to install mine:

1. Unscrew and install one at a time. As Bods mentioned above, if you take both out together, the front of the bike will drop.

2. For the one you already have taken out: put the side stand down and turn the handlebars all the way to the left. Pull the bike to the left till it sinks the preload tube back down enough to screw in the fork cap. CAUTION: Use a rag or something to cover the caps if you use tools to screw in the cap or you will scratch that red paint right off the sides.

3. Once it's reinstalled, turn the bike to the right and unscrew the other one. The more you turn the bike, the less it's going to shoot out at you in the end. Repeat install from step 3.

Alternate method:
Have a buddy gently lift the front end of the bike around the headlight assembly and quickly install, that way he/she takes the load off the forks.

Hope this helps, let me know if I can help you further.

 

[Street Sniper]

Alternate method:
Have a buddy gently lift the front end of the bike around the headlight assembly and quickly install, that way he/she takes the load off the forks.

oh yeah the pre-loads...what a little mission that was

not all stand will work .... the one i have lifts the bike by the bottom of the fork

pit-bull stands will work because they lift the bike by the triple tree

didn't have a pit-bull or someone to lift the bike by the front (not recommended ...crack,crack)

myself...had to hoist the bike by the triple with my tie-down straps.....wished i had an extra set of hands...would have made the job easier

 

[MotoMike]

2. Does the o-ring go below the metal tube, or above it between the tube and the fork top?

3. The other fork top is really hard to get off. I've already shaved off some of the corners of the nut trying to get it off. Is there any way to get it off besides a monkey wrench?

The o-ring sits in the groove of the cap, just as it is in your photo. The washer is installed between the top of the spring and the metal tube.

If you use a good quality six point socket when tightening the cap, you shouldn't do any damage to the anodizing. If your socket is a little loose on the cap, try one wrap of masking tape on the cap hex. Torque the caps to 16 ft.lbs.


For doing front end work, I have two heavy duty eye bolts mounted securely to the 2x10's up in the ceiling, and use soft hooks on the handlebars & heavy duty tie-downs to get the front wheel off the floor.

 

[Upshift]

Use a hoist or come-along to lift the front end at the triple tree. Attach the other end to the garage joists or rafters.

Rod

 

[jsonder]

Isn't this a fair amount of trouble for a bit of bling?

 

[BBRMotosports]

What did you think was going to happen? the cap holds the spring and preload spacer in place. Simply lift the front of the bike up and it will make you'r life alot easier

 

[stevestevesteve]

I thought nothing was going to happen, because it's my first bike, and I don't know the first thing about them.

To me, the tops looked decorative. I expected something else to be sealing the mechanism underneath, not for tubes to come flying out at me! Lesson learned though - all good fun.

 

[johnny ro]

Be thankful you didn't do this on a ninja 250 and post your question over there.

Enjoy putting it together - its easy. Cheers!

 

[Ramza21]

Hi All,

I bought some new fork tops. I thought it would simply be unscrew the old, screw on the new, but I hit a few issues.

When the fork top came loose, it shot out, along with an o-ring and a metal tube. I'm having trouble getting all back in (photo below). Questions:

1. How do I get it back on? I'm finding it hard to push it down and keep enough control to then screw the fork top back on. Is there a technique? A tool?

2. What will happen (if anything) if I ride without the metal tube in there? Will the suspension just be looser?

2. Does the o-ring go below the metal tube, or above it between the tube and the fork top?

3. The other fork top is really hard to get off. I've already shaved off some of the corners of the nut trying to get it off. Is there any way to get it off besides a monkey wrench?

Where did you buy those at, Tyga?

 

[Aufitt]

What do they do?

 

[bods]

What do they do?

make a f--n mess and damage cars when you take them both off together, lol.

not me, but someone i know, lmao

 

[stevestevesteve]

I got them off eBay.

No functional purpose for replacing them, I just like the black and read colour scheme.

I've since got a socket wrench and someone to hold up the front. Much easier with the right tools!!


Sent from my iPhone using MO Free

 

[vishalxyz]

So this happened to me.

because i was such a noob that i thought the bolt on the forks had to be loosened to adjust the handle bars. anyways I got fixed it all n stuff put everything perfectly in and been riding it for months.

The question i got is that when the bolt shot out with the spring, alot of oil shot out as well. now i wanna know what oil should i put back in to compensate for the lost oil. and also where can i buy new fork tops.

Thank you !

 

[Jme250RA]

you should go to your Honda dealer and get the stock fork oil. as for making up for the lost oil, you could do it the right way and remove the fork from the bike and remove the preload spacer, washer and spring. fully compress the fork tube and fill the fork to 150mm from the top of the tube. reinsert the spring, washer and preload spacer. then tighten the 17mm fork bolt to 16 lbf-f.
OR if you only lost fluid in one tube and didn't mess with the other tube, you could try this.
get a friend to lift the front of the bike up so as to take all the pressure off the front forks. while the front is unloaded, undo the fork bolts. they will have a little tension on them from the spring but not much. after they have been removed set the bike down on the front wheel and keep the bike standing up straight. It is imperative that the bike be standing straight up or this won't work. remove the preload spacers and washers. don't remove the springs because you will lose the fluid that is on them and i don't know how much that will be. with a gauge of some sort. (i.e. a straight piece of wire or a wooden coffee stir stick) slide it into the fork with that hasn't lost fluid until it just touches the fork oil. mark it on the side of the gauge. then fill the low fork with fluid until the oil just touches the bottom of your gauge. if you pour too much in then you will need to remove some with a straw. now both forks should have the same amount of fluid in them. then reinstall the washers and preload spacers. get your friend to lift the front of the bike up and reinstall the 17mm fork bolts and torque to 16 lbf-ft.
if this doesn't make sense or you don't think you can do this easily then take the bike to the dealership and have them work on it.
here are some sites for caps and adjustable caps.
SATO RACING | Honda CBR250R ('11-) Fork Spring Preload Adjusters
CBR250R-EXHAUST
Steps and CNC Machined Parts - Tyga Performance