Any other shocks for the rear of a 250sx?

[86trizinger]

I am rebuilding my 1985 250sx and I keep running into problems. I go to take off the rear shock and I notice it is sticking. I pull up on the top of it and bottom eyelet comes right off of it. Now I just need some sort of cheap replacement until I can afford a new shock. I just don't have $300 to spend. Is there anything that can be modified to fit. A little better then stock is more then enough for me. I just trail ride.

[86trizinger]

I just went and measured my shock and did some size comparisons. With that I went on eBay and found an almost new rear shock with reservoir that's adjustable. Not sure if it will work but for $30 shipped its worth a shot. I will post the pics up when I get it installed.

[ailll1]

Great, hope it works.
It would be a nice upgrade!

[Thorpe]

What was the shock for? The ES and SX shocks are the same length... I have a SX shock here I will never use if you need it...

[86trizinger]

My new shock came.. I set it in place and so far it fits. The spring is too heavy though. I didn't realize it was set up for a 350lb rider. I am looking for a stock spring now. I will post all the details and pictures once I get it all bolted up. All I had to do is rotate the shock 180 deg so the reservoir hose clears the frame. Maybe some spacers needed for the bolt size difference. It may not be a works shock but if it better then stock its good for me.

Can anyone give me an idea of what spring rate the stock is ?

[aproudcanadian]

i used one from a 250ex. had to grind down the top bushing just a tad but it worked great

[86trizinger]

The shock I am trying out is fully adjustable dampening and rebound with remote reservoir. I am just waiting on my new spring to come to make it a little softer.

[86trizinger]

Alright new spring is here. I wound up selling the original Eibach spring for more then what I bought both for. So I have no out of pocket expense for it.

I test fitted the new shock and spring now. Feels a lot better then stock but I have to get my engine back together so I can really tell. I set the shock adjustments to the softest setting just to get a feel of it.. The engine should be back in by Wednesday night but not running. I plan on having my son tow me around the neighbors farm so I can feel how it is going to be.

I will post the pics when I get it out of my shed.

[Thorpe]

Gotta know... What is this mystery shock????

[86trizinger]

Oh I thought I posted that already.

It is a 2001 Raptor 660r shock. Only 2001 has the remote mounted reservoir. It has preload, compression and rebound adjustments on it. Probably more then I need but I needed a new shock and it was cheap.

Once my engine is back in and running I will post how it actually works. If someone is close to Maryland with a stock 250sx we can meet up and actually compare them side by side.

[TheRealFatShady]

I may look into this. Any issues with the battery or air boxes?

[Thorpe]

Oh man... May have to try this on my ES now... Thanks Zinger!

[86trizinger]

I am going to put the air box back in tonight so I will let you know. If there is any clearance issues they are going to be very minor since the reservoir is remote mounted.

[Thorpe]

Any update? I am real interested to know how this works!

[86trizinger]

Sorry I have the engine setting back together but I needed 2 of the allen bolts to hold the head on. They will be here this week. I will try and get pics up as soon as I can for everyone.

[whyzee]

keep us posted please !

[86trizinger]

Got the engine back in this morning.. Been short on time. Airbox is tight fitting with the fitting on the shock. I think I can squeeze it in without cutting it though. Still have to wire up the engine so I will have an update by the end of the week.

[Thorpe]

Ooh ooh.... I am getting excited! :Bounce

[TheRealFatShady]

I'm also interested.

If the airbox is in the way, snorkel it! Or just cut the needed length removed off the airbox, then solder/plastic weld it together once it's smaller and out of the way. Unless it's a different issue with the airbox getting in the way.

[86trizinger]

Shock is all bolted up. Air box flexed about a 1/4 of an inch around the shock with no problem.

There were only 2 issues with bolting up the shock. One is the bolt size being about 2mm larger. I made a bushing out of a piece of tubing to get this to work. The other issue is where the top shock mount is I had to grind some metal off of the bottom so the shock could clear fully compressed. Other then that the shock is the exact same length as stock.

I test fired the engine just now and it seems to be idling great. Now I have to do is mount the shock reservoir, battery box back and foot pegs back on for a test ride.

[Thorpe]

Oh man... We need some :pics::pics::pics:! Liking this thread! Be needing to get a new shock for my BR now!

[TheRealFatShady]

Did you use the wishbone/linkage on it? Or just the shock itself?

[Thorpe]

Alright Zinger... We need an update!

[Dirtcrasher]

Did you use the wishbone/linkage on it? Or just the shock itself?

Probably not which made the spring so tough to compress.

Lets hope it works well and clears the battery box.

Years ago I mounted a different shock on my SX and ground that top mount a bit, it cracked the frame in time.......

Better shock means bigger jumps and bigger jumps mean bent rear swinger/axle.

I hope it works out for the less aggressive riders though.....

[TheRealFatShady]

Probably not which made the spring so tough to compress.
Lets hope it works well and clears the battery box.
Years ago I mounted a different shock on my SX and ground that top mount a bit, it cracked the frame in time.......

Better shock means bigger jumps and bigger jumps mean bent rear swinger/axle.
I hope it works out for the less aggressive riders though.....

I think I actually saw those pictures :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Rear-Shock-Yamaha-Raptor-660-2001-B37-61-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem415225bc99QQitemZ28055 1079065QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Kind of dirty, but shows they can be had cheap. Maybe if I ever get around to extending and/or lifting the big red, I can use the full setup. A lift means more shock options as far as length, meaning no lift + longer/taller shock for the height I want, or more lift for a shorter shock.

By the way, I snagged another X frame that's decent, and my heel guards came in. Interested?

[86trizinger]

Sorry for no response yet. I am loosing spark for some reason and I have to narrow that down.

So far I have put about 15 minutes on the shock is all. Jumped it a 2 or 3 times. As of right now it's a little stiff on flat ground but jumping about 2ft - 3 ft it felt great. I have another softer spring coming in 2 weeks once I verify the spring dimensions.

That eBay link shows the shock with the reservoir attached.. You actually want a 2001 model where the reservoir is remote mounted. I will pull it out of the shed this weekend to take a few pics of it. It fit with both the air box and battery with no problem. The only thing is had to do was make spacers for the bolts.

I don't do jumps that are big but I can already tell a difference.

[Thorpe]

Thats awesome Zinger!... Where are you buying the softer springs from?

[86trizinger]

I am looking into some other atv's that have a same spring size but a softer rate so I can keep the cost down.. If not Eibach said I can get one for $100..

I am in the middle of two 4 page pagers due Monday plus a few other projects due on Tuesday. May be until next weekend before I can update anything

[Thorpe]

Hows progress?

[86trizinger]

I was waiting for my clutch parts to come so I could get it done. It's definitely gonna need a softer spring but someone tried to break into my garage last night and this morning so I have to figure out how to make it safer.

[Thorpe]

May I suggest S&W....

[86trizinger]

lol I already pulled the Mossberg out yesterday.

[86trizinger]

Got the clutch back together finally.. I rode it for about 20 minutes over some small jumps today.
Its not as soft as it was stock but I like it. Jumped about 10 times about 3 ft off the ground and it felt real nice on the landing no matter how hard I hit. On flat ground I guess I would like it a little softer but it works for winter for now. I will get some pics this week.