[Rancher1977]

I ordered the rear BBR spring today since I can not afford to upgrade to a new rear shock, and I was curious about when I take the lock rings off the top of the shock, is the spring going to fly off at me doing 90mph? Just wanting to know how hard it is going to be to swap out the spring on the shock. Thanks.

[VortecCPI]

Loosen the jam collar and then use the spring to loosen the shock collar. Unwind it until you have enough clearance to remove the spring retainer. Simple as that - Nothing will fly off becuase the spring is unloaded.

A word of caution - Using a BBR shock spring WITHOUT a revalve is DANGEROUS!!! There have been many posts about this so please do a search here and on TT to get some valueable opinions befor you go this route. The stock shock does have too much low-speed damping but it does not have enough to resist the rebound from the BBR spring. Chances are quite good you'll end up on your head!

This article is CRF150-specific but it applies to the CRF230 too: http://toneconsultant.tripod.com/id4.html

I suggest you send the shock to Hlebo Bros in San Jose to get it done right.

Do you weigh over 200 pounds? If not there is no reason to use the BBR spring.

[Rancher1977]

Yes I weigh around 210. Good to know I have wasted yet another 90 bucks on this bike.

[VortecCPI]

It's not a waste - just a bit premature.

With a revalve you'll be in great shape. John Hlebo will revalve it to work with the BBR spring for $200 and it will be worth every penny. It may sound like quite a few bucks but the difference will be nothing short of amazing. There is a brand new post (http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=9d2570410b2a37761878ec7409ce6224&t=918198) up on TT regarding this very subject. John turned the shock around in a week and the buyer was blown away.

If I were you I would not hesitate to go this route. I bought the Fox Podium X for mine because I got it for $50 off. If not for that deal I would have sent mine to Hlebo in an instant. I've spoken with John on quite a few occasions and he is always very helpful and very knowledgeable.

Honda cut a lot of corners on this bike to get the price way below that of the CRF250X. I fully expected to invest a few more bucks in mine to get it really right. So far I'm blown away by the bike and I consistently leave my buddys on their XR250s in the dust. I've also outrun a WR250F in the woods. This can be a really good bike but it does take a little work and some money.[/url]

[Asmith]

What kind of riding do you do Rancher???

If you are hitting jumps, then maybe the advice should be heeded. If you are just trail riding then I think you are worrying for nothing...

[Rancher1977]

I pretty much ride in the woods. A lot of roots, rocks and hill climbs. I never do any type of mx riding since this bike was never made for a mx track to begin with. Maybe a jump here and there on a water break in the trail system. I did the BBR fork springs with 15w fork oil and it helped me out a lot in the woods when crossing downed tree limbs and such. I am very pleased with how the front end works. I was just lead to believe that if I had done the front springs that I should do the rear as well in order to balance it out. What sucks is that I haven't been able to ride this bike in about 2 months because it is setting up on the stand with no rear shock. Needless to say money has been really tight hear in my neck of the woods in east TN. I am sure it would be a well spent 200 bucks but when you don't have it. well....... I guess I can always let it set a few more months until I can round up 200 bucks. How do I get in touch with Hlebo Bros in San Jose?

[VortecCPI]

You can reach John at (408) 623-3121. He recently relocated so be sure to call him to get his new dropoff address.

~ may be correct with regard to trail riding but a reworked shock will reward you within that realm as well. My new Fox shock completely changed the way the bike goes through the woods. Besides the overall crappy and jarring ride, the bike was downright dangerous. It could not get traction on uneven uphill climbs and it could not get traction for braking on uneven downhills. The back end used to swap sides and would buck to the point my feet were coming off the pegs. The new bike only had 250 miles on it so I know the shock was okay.

The new Fox shock is awesome - Just turn the throttle and the bike will stay straight. It is now a real pleasure to ride.

Besides, you already have the shock off the bike. Now is the perfect time to ship the parts to John.

[Rancher1977]

I assume he is in California right?

[VortecCPI]

Correct - John is in San Jose, CA.

He used to be right next-door to Frank Nye at Engines Only.

[Rancher1977]

I will be calling him later and talking with him. Do I need to mention a name when I call VortecCPI?

[VortecCPI]

I doubt John would remember me by name. I got hooked up with John after speaking with ToneConsultant on TT. Tone did a very nice review of John's work and has helped steer others to John with excellent results.

So...You might want to mention you heard about his work from Tone's site and on this site as well as TT.

He's an easy going guy. Just be sure to tell him how and where you ride, any problems or dislikes you have now, and your body weight with gear. He's done a lot of these bikes so he's very familiar with the problems and fixes.

Ask him about your forks too. He typically cuts the stock springs and welds spacer tubes to them along with a re-valve to get the front fixed. Since you already have BBR springs you'll want to get some feedback from him about that too. Generally, these bike forks have way too little rebound damping. The heavier springs only aggravate the problem. The 15W oil helps a lot and you may be pretty good as is.

He spends quite a bit of time at tracks so be sure to ask him about his schedule before you send the shock so you'll have a good idea of when you'll get it back.

Good luck and keep us informed...

[Rancher1977]

Does anyone know what size the jam collar is? I ordered a spanner wrench for it and as usual it's the wrong freaking size! The wrench works on 68mm and 87mm lock rings. I have tried to get it loosen and it has started to damage the tabs on the collar. Having a very hard time trying to get them loose so that I can adjust the sag.

[Robster]

Hammer and a drift pin will loosnen that nut right up

[K D]

Ask him about your forks too. He typically cuts the stock springs and welds spacer tubes to them along with a re-valve to get the front fixed.

There are NO VALVES in the stock forks of a 150/230.

[Rancher1977]

Hmmmm... That is some useful info KD. Thanks.