185 fork swap

[AngusJustice]

What year forks can I put on my 1980 185 for suspension?

[Vealmonkey]

83 and later 185s and 200s.

[AngusJustice]

the neck and bearings are the same size?

[Vealmonkey]

Direct bolt in.

[McDerry]

Actual, your going to want a 200m forks or big red forks to keep the 25 inch tire on your 185.

[SCRAMCHARGER318]

Actual, your going to want a 200m forks or big red forks to keep the 25 inch tire on your 185.

actually you can pretty much run any 185/200 fork and keep your 25 inch tires,
i swapped the front end off a 1983 atc 200 onto my 1982 185s, 1983 is the year they switched from rigid front to front suspension on all 185/200 honda models,
the atc 200 has a 25 inch tire as well but my 22inch looked perfect under there.
you can use the front forks off the following models.
1980 atc 185
1981-83 atc 185s
1981-83 atc 200
1982-4 200e or es big red
1984-1986 200s
1984-85 atc 200m
but if you want some serious suspension out front put a 200x, 250sx, 250r, or 350x suspension out front you might have to mod the steering stops, but you could make it work, they all use the same steering stem bearings,
if you want to keep the rigid front look for 1980-82 honda front forks, but i strongly recommend u go with suspension, it helps a ton.

[McDerry]

actually you can pretty much run any 185/200 fork and keep your 25 inch tires,
i swapped the front end off a 1983 atc 200 onto my 1982 185s, 1983 is the year they switched from rigid front to front suspension on all 185/200 honda models,
the atc 200 has a 25 inch tire as well but my 22inch looked perfect under there.
you can use the front forks off the following models.
1980 atc 185
1981-83 atc 185s
1981-83 atc 200
1982-4 200e or es big red
1984-1986 200s
1984-85 atc 200m
but if you want some serious suspension out front put a 200x, 250sx, 250r, or 350x suspension out front you might have to mod the steering stops, but you could make it work, they all use the same steering stem bearings,
if you want to keep the rigid front look for 1980-82 honda front forks, but i strongly recommend u go with suspension, it helps a ton.


200s and 185s forks don't fit a 25" tire. No question about it. Theres no logical reason to go to a smaller forks.

[SCRAMCHARGER318]

200s and 185s forks don't fit a 25" tire. No question about it. Theres no logical reason to go to a smaller forks.

trust me they do work, my buddys got a 85 200s he runs with 25" tires, he used the rims and tires off a 83 atc 200, and has no clearance issues, i was just pointing parts availibility and universalibility. dont know if thats a word but if it ain't, it is now

[McDerry]

trust me they do work, my buddys got a 85 200s he runs with 25" tires, he used the rims and tires off a 83 atc 200, and has no clearance issues, i was just pointing parts availibility and universalibility. dont know if thats a word but if it ain't, it is now



Your friends blowing some smoke, they don't fit. Theres a 2" differance in fork width. I already tried putting a 25" on a 200s. The only way your getting a 25 on a 200s is with a custom rim and a front tire off a newer quad, as in 10" wide tire. But at the moment your not going to find anything in the a centered offset 4/130 pattern in a 10" rim, and last I heard you need to order a batch of rims to get a custom one from douglas. About the only way you could pull it off with ATC parts is to take a 4/150 atc front hub and cut it down shorter to fit the 200s axle and then run a goodyear 911 tire wich is only 11" wide and be locked into that tire choise for the life of the machine as its a very uncommon size.

What he's wanting for a front suspension is a 83 200 std, 84 and up 200m 85-87 250es or a 82-84 200e/es (which is a poor suspension to begin with).

but of course what do I know, i only own a 81 200 84 200s and a 84 200m for parts for the old 200.

[SCRAMCHARGER318]

Your friends blowing some smoke, they don't fit. Theres a 2" differance in fork width. I already tried putting a 25" on a 200s. The only way your getting a 25 on a 200s is with a custom rim and a front tire off a newer quad, as in 10" wide tire. But at the moment your not going to find anything in the a centered offset 4/130 pattern in a 10" rim, and last I heard you need to order a batch of rims to get a custom one from douglas. About the only way you could pull it off with ATC parts is to take a 4/150 atc front hub and cut it down shorter to fit the 200s axle and then run a goodyear 911 tire wich is only 11" wide and be locked into that tire choise for the life of the machine as its a very uncommon size.

What he's wanting for a front suspension is a 83 200 std, 84 and up 200m 85-87 250es or a 82-84 200e/es (which is a poor suspension to begin with).

but of course what do I know, i only own a 81 200 84 200s and a 84 200m for parts for the old 200.

ok you win, even though i'm the one who put the 25" 's on my buddys 200s, installed them, and have rode the bike, it's impossible. did i say that they were 2 inches wider? no, i said they would work, and they do. it's a tight fit i agree but's works fine.
also i have owned the following trikes

2 1982 honda 185s's
1 1983 honda atc 200
3 1984 honda 200s's
3 1985 honda 200's
2 1984 honda 200m's
1 1984 200es big dead
havent owned them all at the same time, but since this is a competition i believe i win,

also i'm not into arguing nor will i continue on this thread, aparently you are expert and i'm the novice so i guess i should know my place.

[McDerry]

Your right your an idiot.


Angus theres only 10 7/8 of an inch between the sliders on a 185s/200s forks

Theres 12 3/4 on a set of 200 std or 200m forks

The rigid forks are 12 1/2 between them.

a 25x12-9 tire doesn't even fit between the forks from a s model.

[Vealmonkey]

I thought the 1980 185 had 22 inch tires? I see from looking at the homepage that they came with 25" tires. I'd just swap them all to 22" tires anyway.

[sbjones73]

i know this is a very old thread, but will a 83 185s front end directly swap onto my 84 200es ? bearings and all?

i need to know here pretty fast.

thanks!!!!!!!!!

[sbjones73]

anyone? it looks like it will but i need to be for sure. since the 200es is not mine, but i am workingon it for my father in law
thanks

[daniel_250r]

i'm 99% sure it will but you will need to run the 185 axle and hub, and you can't use the 200es front rack

[sbjones73]

they seem to take the same bearings. i think i might have to go for it. but any further information would work. like can i use the front rim and tire from the 200es? or will it hit.

thanks!!!!!!

[daniel_250r]

i havedone some measureing before for a 25 inch front and it won't fit its too wide

[oscarmayer]

but if you want some serious suspension out front put a 200x, 250sx, 250r, or 350x suspension out front you might have to mod the steering stops, but you could make it work, they all use the same steering stem bearings,
if you want to keep the rigid front look for 1980-82 honda front forks, but i strongly recommend u go with suspension, it helps a ton.

correction,
200x, 250sx or 350x doe sNOT use the same stem as the other 200 or 185 models. the 185-200(excluding the 200x) have the same size stem and run a smaller stem. the 200x,350x,250sx,250es run a larger stem. even the steering tube is larger. these do NOT fot the smaller steering stem tubes. you will have to do some cutting and welding to use a 200x one. not worth the trouble.
get a 200s front suspension from an 84 and your set. bolts on and you may jsut need to modift the steering stops (modify them) is all.

I'm tryin to get my 200e to use something better. the angle of the neck will not take a 200s fork., so if I'm going to have to mod it, i'm goign to isntall the 200x steering neck so i can run a 250sx front end.

[Escanabajosh]

i'm planing to do the 200x/ 250sx frontend swap on my '86 250sx and was wondering if i can use my old front end off the sx on my buddys '83 185? they should be they same size tire 22x11x8 right? do ya think that would bring the front end up on the 185 any?

[Escanabajosh]

never mind didn't see there was a 2nd page, just read the post above my first one.

[TheRealFatShady]

Lots of info in here, and some arguing. However, about this:


Actual, your going to want a 200m forks or big red forks to keep the 25 inch tire on your 185.

Will a 200m front end take a 25 or 27" tire and bolt onto a 185s/200s?

[gsw902]

I just bought a 185 that the front has been changed on. everyone tells me it looks like an sx front end and it has a 25 inch tire on it

[Escanabajosh]

it looks like a sx frontend to me. does it look like welding or hacking was done on the steering stem tube? i think my buddies 185 is the same as the one you got so it might just work! is it loose at all?

[gsw902]

I said earlier thatit didnt look like it had been cut or welded, but I went back and looked a little closer and it has been, I can also see the bearing in the bottom. it is tight and rides ok .

[madmass]

Ok...im confused. So in order to run a 250sx front end on my 185s I need to cut the neck off my SX and weld in place of my 185 neck...correct? I have wanted to do this swap for a while and finally came up with a great donor. Will an all balls bearing kit work? I tried them on my 110 and they didn't fit real well.