RD 250 1 A 2 Fork Shot-Swap or Repair?

heres the story:

i just bought a rd 250 and these forks are covered in old dried oil.
so for me its clear that these forks need some love,new seals,new oil,...

so there are 2 possibilities for me:

either repair them:never done that kinda work,do i need special tools to change the oil and the seals,im a total noob to suspension work.putting them in a pro workshop would be a possibility too,but i heard its extremel expensive.

or change the forks to a matching fork from another bike or buy an aftermarket product,my budget is not that high,but if i spend dollars on that possibility i would like to upgrade the ridaability of my turd.

any thoughts?
has anyone done an rd fork swap or fork repair?

Buy a manual and 1 pair of fork seals plus a liter of fork oil and replace the seals. It's not very hard but there are some tricks to it.

teazer said:

Buy a manual and 1 pair of fork seals plus a liter of fork oil and replace the seals. It's not very hard but there are some tricks to it.

Click to expand...

will this repair steps be in the standard rd manual?i heard there are special tools needed...or am i wrong?

Shouldn't be any special tools. Circlip pliers perhaps but you can do it without any in a pinch.

Oh and sell me that gas tank ;D

Here are some tips to rebuilding your forks... Braking down conventional forks is as simple as 1,2,3. They are extremely basic but will require the proper seal drivers to rebuild correctly. Rebuilding the stock forks, if done right, will be much easier and will provide a better ride than changing the geometry and providing custom parts to switch forks from another model.

Read - http://www.racetech.com/page/title/Emulators-How They Work

Step 1) Drain the oil
Step 2) remove Dust seal, compress stanchion, and remove circlip above oil seal
Step 3) Remove nut off Damping rod at the bottom of for leg
Step 4) Separate Stanchion and Lower fork leg
Step 5) Remove damping rod
These step should be in your manual.

Do some research on this bike as if you were going to modify the suspension to your liking: Spring, Valves, oil etc. The springs are step one to increasing handling and braking ability. Step two would be to modify the damping if you choose...It makes a world of difference...Then replace oil, seals, bushings, and find out what the recommended air gap is for these forks... 150mm per Race Tech's recommendation http://racetech.com/ProductSearch/2/Yamaha/RD250/1973-75
Dont be afraid to make a a call to get professional advice on this matter...Its free.

thanks guys...im currently looking for a reasonable workshop manual for the 1 a2...rlly difficiult..so many diferrent ones on ebay.
any suggestions?

it seems like there are only manuals for the earliert models (1973,...) but not for the 1979 build.

Clymer manuals are the generic aftermarket manuals that are affordable and easy to find. The OE manual is better, but dont let the lack of guidance stop you in your tracks. Tear into this this, at a conservative pace of course, and ask questions as you go. My prior post was the 1's & 2's on how to disassemble the forks, with a internal schematic on how they worked. Try it out, and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish, and proud of the knowledge you've gained while doing it. Now its time to lift ur skirt, grab ur set, and dig in. Good Luck!

Forks are basically the same on R5, RD250/350/400, LC, RZ. There are minor differences in design but any manual should point you in teh right direction. Also grab a parts diagram for your forks or for a 1A1 400 for details of what to expect.

thanks!enjoy guys!