1985 Honda ATC 250ES Big Red Fork Rebuild

In this video we go in depth on how to rebuild the front forks on the 85' big red. We cover every step from removing the forks from the bike, disassembling, cleaning, installing new oil and dust seals, and putting the forks back on the bike.

[@joshuacovell2020]

Need more videos of this quality for basic maintenance on these machines. Great video...it helped me a ton!

[@whathappened2230]

You made a great video with everything we all need to know so we can do this ourselves... Thank you!

[@RobertJLessard]

Great vidoe I need to find new seals and rebuild mine.

[@mikeshobbiesandrandomstuff]

Looking like an 86 sx with all that blue and a white tank. thanks for the how too, I need to do mine this coming season.

[@nate32185]

Yeah, kinda does look like a SX. I was going for a 350x theme. My goal was to make fork rebuilding seem more manageable.

[@ryanswanson2191]

@@nate32185 it was, well done.

[@porchonetwothreefour]

I know this video’s a few years old, but THANK YOU. I just rebuilt my suspension tonight. Your video was spot on. Thanks for putting this video together.

[@ryanswanson2191]

Very nice video, ty! Rly wish you would make more videos of you working on ur big red.

[@nate32185]

Thank you. I have started a video of more big red maintenance. Hopefully I’ll finish it soon.

[@Taematoe]

Thanks for the trick with the screw driver. I was having a hard time getting the forks out. Job done.

[@phillipkuntze137]

Very good video! The one that I have needs a little love after all these years and the forks are on that list.

[@brandonmartino2186]

Damn man that by was the best video by far nice job really appreciate watching something and learning enough that I can go do the damn job thanks again

[@pinefighter1]

Thanks for the great video! Will help with my 200es ,hope you do more videos on atc work......thanks again.

[@nate32185]

Thanks for watching. I will do more atc videos, I promise. I just picked up 3 more atc’s last week.

[@Razr8733]

Great vid! Going to rebuild mine this weekend.

[@davediebolt1889]

Thank you ! Very good information

[@BobDingleful]

Thanks, just what I was looking for.

[@kevinyoung9558]

Awesome video! Thanks

[@sid479]

Wow! Great job!

[@troytate844]

Thanks dude, I just bought an '85 Big Red, plan to restore it and the front forks are locked up.

[@nate32185]

You’re welcome. Good luck!

[@kollinspencer847]

Did you get them free’d up? We got a 85 big red with seized front shocks stuck in the down position

[@peterzenner2020]

Excellent video. Thanks for the documentation.

[@nate32185]

Your welcome!

[@CM-fv2js]

Great video! Thanks for the info!

[@The1993mustanglx]

Good for another 34 years.

[@jakegeissler2228]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@winstonpoplin]

Really a fantastic video.

[@nate32185]

Thank you!

[@g.simard854]

Great job thank you for the info

[@nickokeefe6338]

Thanks for the help

[@nate32185]

Your welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@davesilvia9711]

nice vid, i will be doing this to an 86 sx.

[@brandonhamilton5760]

good video i was able to redo my shocks

[@nate32185]

Awesome! Glad I could help.

[@joesbigbucks74]

Where did you get the white tank?

[@vancetuffs2674]

This is a great video. Thank you.

[@nate32185]

You’re welcome. Thanks for commenting.

[@neilcasey5026]

Great video, very helpful

[@ViKiNGSBEAST199]

Thanks, this helped me out a lot!

[@EverythingOffRoadOfficial]

Good video

[@bnorby213]

What the heck!! I thought everyone says these aren’t rebuildable once locked up. Where did you get those oil seals? Awesome video, thank you

[@kollinspencer847]

The 200 big reds front shocks are unrebuildable

[@markalan4026]

👍🏻

[@kevinmcneil3693]

Awesome. I am changing front tire and found all this leakage too. I am going to rebuild the forks while I have the front wheel off. Did the fatter dust boots you used rub the tires? A set of generic dust boots are like 7 bucks....ones especially for BR are MUCH higher. Thanks for the video!!

[@nate32185]

I believe the boots were Daystars. I paid $30 for them. My front tire doesn’t hold air for long. So when the tire starts to deflate, the boots start rubbing. I put holes in both boots on the second ride. 🤦‍♂️ As long as you keep good tire pressure you should be good. I plan on trying out a 10” wide tire on a different rim this spring.

[@jusb9410]

Thanks for the great video. hope to see more! where can i order the parts to rebuild my 1984 200m forks? thanks again,

[@nate32185]

Try eBay first, or your local Honda atv/motorcycle shop should be able to get you the seals you need.

[@user-tn2io1hc5v]

thanks for the video! do you have a link for the seal replacement kit you used?

[@yadix131isback3]

Hey What could I do to get those forks out of there because they are stuck and I can't get them out of there I already tried almost everything because I need help early, thanks

[@nate32185]

Are you saying you can’t get the fork tubes out of the triple tree? If so, you need to pry open the slit in the triple with a large screw driver or pry par. Hammer it right in there. Be careful not to scratch the fork tube itself. Forks should pull out with some wiggling and down force.

[@yadix131isback3]

@@nate32185 Thanks bro im going to try it

[@ajcccjohnson]

Where did you get the parts and what part numbers? Thanks, great video!

[@nate32185]

The boots and seals came from eBay. They are Daystar royal blue. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F333243386748 and the seals are All Balls rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173693202648

[@ajcccjohnson]

Thanks so much!

[@dereklavallee8847]

Any tip to unscrew the long bolt mine is lock very hard

[@adammay3340]

My bike, 1983 185, has 3 springs, not 2. What is the difference? I did not pay attention how I took it apart.

[@genemacazan5389]

Would the fluid amount be the same for a 200s I've heard 3 Oz and 3.8? Thank you

[@nate32185]

I believe the 200s, 200m, and 185s all take 3oz per fork.

[@Blakep7704]

Where did you source the parts?

[@nate32185]

I bought the fork seals and boots on eBay.

[@dannypayne9944]

What was the total time to rebuild the front forks?

[@myyouthsite2682]

I just took my Big Red out today and did some pretty significant riding. She performed flawlessly for the most part, but the front shocks did bottom out quite often. Does that probably mean the springs need to be replaced? Or does that just mean the seals are leaking? And will doing what you did here fix my situation?

[@nate32185]

I’m no expert but I would assume if you are bottoming out the shocks, they are low on oil. The springs help maintain the stance but over time weaken and compress. I noticed that when I was done doing seals that there was still a little suspension droop. As in when you pick all the weight of the front end and set it down, the suspension compresses a little with just the weight of the bike. I would imagine new stiffer springs would fix this problem.

[@myyouthsite2682]

@@nate32185 first of all thank you for getting back to me so soon. Do you by chance know a company or have a link to who sells those springs? Thanks

[@nate32185]

I don’t. Try asking around three wheeler forums. I’m sure you could still get replacement OEM springs from a Honda dealer. They might fix your problem. But if you are a heavy guy (225lbs+) I would look at replacing with a more “heavy duty” one. I think they call them progressive springs. Let me know if you find some that fit. I might try them myself.😉

[@CM-fv2js]

Is it possible to Change the studs on the front fork that hods the axle??

[@nate32185]

I would imagine yes. You might need to make your own studs from bolts by trimming them to the proper length. Use two nuts and jam them against each other to remove the old studs and to put in the replacement ones.

[@user-MotoZhelezki]

I can't unscrew the bottom bolt! in all the videos, people just unscrew with a hex key and that's it! I have it scrolled together with the rod into which it is screwed! I don't understand how it can be disassembled! what is the problem?

[@nate32185]

If you are referring to the 6mm Allen bolt at the bottom. Try soaking the bottom of the forks in PB blaster or diesel fuel. Mine came out real hard!

[@user-MotoZhelezki]

@@nate32185 thanks! how did you fix the stock inside?

[@aaronvest6824]

What clear fluid did you use to clean the parts with?

[@nate32185]

Mineral spirits

[@roberthaas6872]

where our you getting your parts from

[@nate32185]

Mostly from eBay.

[@AlbertoGomez-kh9yq]

Where can I found parts of this honda big red 85? I need parts of the fork

[@nate32185]

eBay. Type in “250es” and the item your looking for. People part out machines all the time so parts are pretty available. The new fork seals and boots where also from eBay.

[@zackarywaldron3115]

What oil do you use to put into the forks?

[@nate32185]

I used automatic transmission fluid. Typically you would use a fork oil but ATF works just as well.

[@servandoperezmtz4389]

Hello men, can You help me find spare parts for that motorcycle? near Houston Texas

[@nate32185]

Try eBay or a Honda/3 wheeler Facebook group.

[@trevorbrown4290]

how much willyou charge to do mine?

[@nate32185]

😂 That’s why I made the video. To teach people to do it themselves.