86 250r fork cap?

[smx211]

One of my shcrader valves broke off the top my fork . I see it has a part # , does anybody know if its discontinued? Or were i might find a replacement cap?im sure another models cap would work but not sure.. i order ajustable spring rate cap but relized it was only for 81-84. Dooooo. #%@%!I should have read more i guess. Would love a nice anodized set if any ones know of aftermarket. :wondering

[RIDE-RED 250r]

While I'm not sure what, if any aftermarket caps there are available.. I can tell you the 3rd gen 250r forks will only take 3rd gen 250r fork caps as far as caps from other Honda ATVs fitting anyway. The 3rd gen R forks are fatter than all of the other Honda 3 wheelers.

Possibly a couple older bike applications might fit??

[smx211]

I was just doing some more searching old threads and found 1 that talked about drilling them out puttingnew valve in. I wondering if u could drill out and then thread in some of those newer style fork bledders, like worx connection or simaliar. Also im not sure what the athur was talking about when installing a new valve

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Personally, I don't pump any air into my forks.

#1- my riding style doesn't require it
#2- In my mind, it's just that much more the fork seals have to hold back and seal, and would seemingly make them more prone to blowing out.

So pardon my ignorant question, but what is the benefit of the aftermarket schrader valves?

[smx211]

Mine are trashed. One is broke right off so fork oil is coming out.i dont put air in thats not what there for. there to release the air build up so you dont get harsh feel in the forks. I figured there was a aftermarket cap , or like i wa saying posible tap in new threads and use newer stlye bledder. Anybody done that?

[Red Rider]

Yes, you can drill out the old valve & put in a new valve stem. Just about any metal valve stem, from a tire shop, should work as long as both the top & bottom surfaces of your fork cap are flat, so it will seal properly. By the way, your 250R forks are "air-adjustable." They were designed to have the option of air added to them to adjust their damping characteristics, thus the shrader valve.

[smx211]

Great. thanks for both bits of info, i figured the forks were like newer bikes and it was just for air build up. Ive never bought a replacment valve steam before , are they threaded and just thread in? After you drill out old 1 , and tap it.

[Red Rider]

Many members here believe the valves are only for letting built up air pressure escape, but the fact is, they were designed that way so you can add air, and therefore make quick adjustments to the front suspension. I've tried many times in the past to use that air-adjustable feature unsuccessfully. Adding air via our bicycle pump, which needed to be screwed onto the stem, wouldn't work because all of the air would escape as you unscrewed the pump-hose. I tried an air-compressor, set to the lowest possible output pressure, but that just made the forks too stiff for my liking. The fact of the matter is, the front forks are such a small chamber, that it doesn't take very much pressure to make them overly stiff. Because of this, I never pressurized the air in the forks. The only pressure in them was the ambient air pressure.

Based on the type of metal valve stem, that I'm picturing, you won't need to do any tapping of threads on the fork cap. I don't have any extra valve stems to take a pic of, but it's a metal valve stem with parallel sides (no taper or reductions in OD from the base to the top), and is threaded on the outside:

1. Drill out the old valve stem with a drill just slightly larger than the valve stem's OD (outside diameter).
2. Make sure the top & bottom surfaces of the fork cap are smooth & straight.
3. The new valve stem should be threaded on the outside, and come with a rubber seal, washer, & nut.
4. Slip the rubber seal over the new valve, slide the stem through the hole, put the washer over the stem, & screw on the nut.
5. Tighten the nut until the rubber seal gets squished out about to the OD of the base of the valve stem.

Item #1516 is the type of valve stem that I'm referring to:
http://customwheelaccessories.com/index.php/all-products/valve-stems/bolt-on-metal-valve-stems.html

This will be a functional fix, but not a pretty one, as the repaired valve stem will most likely protrude further out of the top of the forks than the other side with the unmodified OE cap.

[barnett468]

the first fork caps with air valves i ever saw were in 1975

these particular ones were intended to either be used to fill the forks with air in place if the springs or simply as air bleeders,

i ran them on my 76' cr125 with air only with high perf seals and they never lost air through the seals amazingly enough.

i would not recommend any one use air in place of springs, it is unbelievably dangerous.

all the factory mx race teams i know used them as bleeders only to the best of my knowledge uintil at least 1987 and never added air to them.

they were intended for use as bleeders only on all the Kawi production bikes.

if you add air to your forks the fluid will typically foam which will reduce the damping to some degree.

yes, it might be a necessary to add a little air under some circumstances.

if you run "air" only you should use compressed nitrogen, it causes less foaming.



new old stock caps are available for around $60.00, see item 17 in the oem parts fiche below.

http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-atc250r-1985-usa_model68/partslist/F++07.html#results



Below are three of the biggest discontinued oem parts stocking dealers in the world. Most other oem "suppliers" typically buy from one of these here once orders come in then resell them to the one that ordered them. I thought I posted them much earlier for you but can't remember.

cmsnl.com

partzilla.com

xtremeusa.com


Hope your holidays are safe and fun.



:Bounce

[barnett468]

post addition, i have no edit button

if you ruin the hole you can simply get the hole filled in with weld and start over.

[smx211]

Thanks guys , that was just what i was looking for. Another reason this site rules!!!!!!!!!!:w00t: