Swapping out my air fork.

JakeM250R
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JakeM250R
Edited Date/Time 3/3/2021 2:46pm
I have a 2015 CRF250R that came with the SFF air fork. Im thinking about changing them to a spring fork setup.

Is it worth the $$ to do the swap.

I need recommendations on what to do.
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soggy
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soggy 2/17/2021 1:12pm
2/17/2021 1:12pm
if you are keeping the bike for a few years absolutely. Lots of options, MX Tech, Race Tech, Lainer, enzo etc..
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CKNY
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CKNY 2/21/2021 6:07am
2/21/2021 6:07am
Dauntless wrote:
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2021/02/21/479662/s1200_20210216_181938.jpg[/img]
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine.


CKNY
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CKNY 2/21/2021 6:11am
2/21/2021 6:11am
Dauntless wrote:
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2021/02/21/479662/s1200_20210216_181938.jpg[/img]
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine.

How was your install? I didn’t drop mine In yet on my 21 forks.

The Shop

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Tuplavee
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Tuplavee 2/21/2021 11:22am
2/21/2021 11:22am Edited Date/Time 2/21/2021 11:24am
Had Andreani spring cartridge kit in my 2015 CRF250 when I bought it.
Quite harsh ride specially in low speeds

Went for KYB factory forks by Technical Touch. Not looking backwards... 1000eur used
1
Dauntless
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Dauntless 2/21/2021 12:53pm
2/21/2021 12:53pm
Dauntless wrote:
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2021/02/21/479662/s1200_20210216_181938.jpg[/img]
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine.

CKNY wrote:
How was your install? I didn’t drop mine In yet on my 21 forks.
It was easy after I ordered the 48mm block clamp tool. Prior to ordering it I couldn't get the fork lugs off. You will need to use a propane torch to heat the lugs and soften the loctite. The MX Tech youtube channel has a decent install and bleed video.

2
CKNY
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CKNY 2/21/2021 1:34pm
2/21/2021 1:34pm
Dauntless wrote:
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2021/02/21/479662/s1200_20210216_181938.jpg[/img]
Just dropped the MX Tech Lucky's in mine.

CKNY wrote:
How was your install? I didn’t drop mine In yet on my 21 forks.
Dauntless wrote:
It was easy after I ordered the 48mm block clamp tool. Prior to ordering it I couldn't get the fork lugs off. You will need to...
It was easy after I ordered the 48mm block clamp tool. Prior to ordering it I couldn't get the fork lugs off. You will need to use a propane torch to heat the lugs and soften the loctite. The MX Tech youtube channel has a decent install and bleed video.

I have a 21, no need to remove the lugs. Makes it much easier I would imagine.
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Dauntless
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Dauntless 2/21/2021 2:46pm
2/21/2021 2:46pm Edited Date/Time 2/21/2021 2:47pm
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
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CKNY
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CKNY 2/21/2021 2:59pm
2/21/2021 2:59pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
😂You wanna walk me through it?
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Brent_KS
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Brent_KS 2/25/2021 4:51pm
2/25/2021 4:51pm Edited Date/Time 2/25/2021 4:51pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
What did you use to tighten down the MX Tech fork caps? I see they don't take a typical fork cap wrench.
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Dauntless
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Dauntless 2/25/2021 6:14pm
2/25/2021 6:14pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
Brent_KS wrote:
What did you use to tighten down the MX Tech fork caps? I see they don't take a typical fork cap wrench.
You are correct, the require there own special cap tool. You can buy it from Slavens Racing or MX Tech.

https://slavensracing.com/shop/hdr-mx-tech-lucky-fork-cap-socket/
CKNY
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CKNY 3/1/2021 1:07pm
3/1/2021 1:07pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
CKNY wrote:
😂You wanna walk me through it?
Let me know when you wanna give me some tips. Putting them in next week😉
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CKNY
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CKNY 3/1/2021 1:09pm
3/1/2021 1:09pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
Brent_KS wrote:
What did you use to tighten down the MX Tech fork caps? I see they don't take a typical fork cap wrench.
Dauntless wrote:
You are correct, the require there own special cap tool. You can buy it from Slavens Racing or MX Tech.

https://slavensracing.com/shop/hdr-mx-tech-lucky-fork-cap-socket/
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like $10.
1
Brent_KS
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Brent_KS 3/1/2021 3:17pm
3/1/2021 3:17pm
Brent_KS wrote:
What did you use to tighten down the MX Tech fork caps? I see they don't take a typical fork cap wrench.
Dauntless wrote:
You are correct, the require there own special cap tool. You can buy it from Slavens Racing or MX Tech.

https://slavensracing.com/shop/hdr-mx-tech-lucky-fork-cap-socket/
CKNY wrote:
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like...
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like $10.
Yeah I actually just read that you can use those which are sweet, Thank you!
Dauntless
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Dauntless 3/1/2021 3:21pm
3/1/2021 3:21pm
Dauntless wrote:
That will make it stupid easy then. Cool You shouldn't have any problems at all.
CKNY wrote:
😂You wanna walk me through it?
CKNY wrote:
Let me know when you wanna give me some tips. Putting them in next week😉
Apologies, I thought you were messing with me. I will get back to you shortly.
1
Dauntless
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Dauntless 3/1/2021 3:29pm
3/1/2021 3:29pm
Brent_KS wrote:
What did you use to tighten down the MX Tech fork caps? I see they don't take a typical fork cap wrench.
Dauntless wrote:
You are correct, the require there own special cap tool. You can buy it from Slavens Racing or MX Tech.

https://slavensracing.com/shop/hdr-mx-tech-lucky-fork-cap-socket/
CKNY wrote:
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like...
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like $10.
Have you rebuilt your AER forks in the past? New seals and oil? Removed the cartridges etc?

Just wondering how much instruction you need without being insulting.
CKNY
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CKNY 3/1/2021 4:19pm
3/1/2021 4:19pm
Dauntless wrote:
You are correct, the require there own special cap tool. You can buy it from Slavens Racing or MX Tech.

https://slavensracing.com/shop/hdr-mx-tech-lucky-fork-cap-socket/
CKNY wrote:
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like...
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like $10.
Dauntless wrote:
Have you rebuilt your AER forks in the past? New seals and oil? Removed the cartridges etc? Just wondering how much instruction you need without being...
Have you rebuilt your AER forks in the past? New seals and oil? Removed the cartridges etc?

Just wondering how much instruction you need without being insulting.
I’m used to KYB. Never had mine apart yet other than at the dealer to fix a leaky air seal. It still leaks.
My buddy is helping me with it next week. He has better suspension tools than me. All my stuff is at another buddies that I can’t travel to because of Covid restrictions. We’ll get her done. Corey at Protune told me to buy a pin spanner, I never even thought about using the cap socket they make.
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Dauntless
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Dauntless 3/1/2021 6:55pm
3/1/2021 6:55pm
CKNY wrote:
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like...
If you don’t want to spend the $55 you can use a pin spanner wrench. Needs to be 35mm or adjust to 35mm. They are like $10.
Dauntless wrote:
Have you rebuilt your AER forks in the past? New seals and oil? Removed the cartridges etc? Just wondering how much instruction you need without being...
Have you rebuilt your AER forks in the past? New seals and oil? Removed the cartridges etc?

Just wondering how much instruction you need without being insulting.
CKNY wrote:
I’m used to KYB. Never had mine apart yet other than at the dealer to fix a leaky air seal. It still leaks. My buddy is...
I’m used to KYB. Never had mine apart yet other than at the dealer to fix a leaky air seal. It still leaks.
My buddy is helping me with it next week. He has better suspension tools than me. All my stuff is at another buddies that I can’t travel to because of Covid restrictions. We’ll get her done. Corey at Protune told me to buy a pin spanner, I never even thought about using the cap socket they make.
I had that exact same problem, air leaking out into outer chamber. The problem persisted after I "fixed it". It's why I went to a spring.
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Dauntless
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Dauntless 3/1/2021 7:10pm
3/1/2021 7:10pm
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just used a set of dial calipers and measured different shim set ups with the spring lying next to the insert (sorry, no pictures). After that, all you'll have to do is remove the old cartridges and inset the new ones(The cap is 50mm's i believe and the bottom uses a 19mm socket). I might be a trick to pull the old nuts out of the axle lugs, mine required a small amount of force to remove but they will slide out. It sounds like you have the new redesigned AER so you may not have any problem with that at all. After releasing the old cartridge and removing lug nuts, all you'll need to do is put the new ones in, screw in the new bottom lug nut, bleed the cartridge (it takes a few mins to bleed, be patient with it), slide on the spring, put the spring cap on and crew cap onto the top of the fork. The provided instructions were really good. The hardest part for me was removing the lugs but you don't need to do that.
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CKNY
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CKNY 3/2/2021 3:31am
3/2/2021 3:31am
Dauntless wrote:
Thanks man. I saw the two videos already and shared them with my friend.
I will let you know how I make out, thanks for the tips.
My dealer is sending my air carts to the top WP tech on the WestCoast to trouble shoot.
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YZed250
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YZed250 3/2/2021 11:36am
3/2/2021 11:36am
Dauntless wrote:
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just...
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just used a set of dial calipers and measured different shim set ups with the spring lying next to the insert (sorry, no pictures). After that, all you'll have to do is remove the old cartridges and inset the new ones(The cap is 50mm's i believe and the bottom uses a 19mm socket). I might be a trick to pull the old nuts out of the axle lugs, mine required a small amount of force to remove but they will slide out. It sounds like you have the new redesigned AER so you may not have any problem with that at all. After releasing the old cartridge and removing lug nuts, all you'll need to do is put the new ones in, screw in the new bottom lug nut, bleed the cartridge (it takes a few mins to bleed, be patient with it), slide on the spring, put the spring cap on and crew cap onto the top of the fork. The provided instructions were really good. The hardest part for me was removing the lugs but you don't need to do that.
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via email/mail.

I've also watched the videos and have most of the tools. I was also thinking about a pin wrench or possibly cutting some notches in a short section of PVC pipe as a cap tool. Haven't done that part yet.
Dauntless
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Dauntless 3/2/2021 2:34pm
3/2/2021 2:34pm
Dauntless wrote:
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just...
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just used a set of dial calipers and measured different shim set ups with the spring lying next to the insert (sorry, no pictures). After that, all you'll have to do is remove the old cartridges and inset the new ones(The cap is 50mm's i believe and the bottom uses a 19mm socket). I might be a trick to pull the old nuts out of the axle lugs, mine required a small amount of force to remove but they will slide out. It sounds like you have the new redesigned AER so you may not have any problem with that at all. After releasing the old cartridge and removing lug nuts, all you'll need to do is put the new ones in, screw in the new bottom lug nut, bleed the cartridge (it takes a few mins to bleed, be patient with it), slide on the spring, put the spring cap on and crew cap onto the top of the fork. The provided instructions were really good. The hardest part for me was removing the lugs but you don't need to do that.
YZed250 wrote:
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via...
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via email/mail.

I've also watched the videos and have most of the tools. I was also thinking about a pin wrench or possibly cutting some notches in a short section of PVC pipe as a cap tool. Haven't done that part yet.
I'll take a picture of mine and post it on here. I bought mine from Slavens Racing in CO. You might need to buy a spring for your weight. They are $109.
2
CKNY
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CKNY 3/2/2021 4:09pm
3/2/2021 4:09pm Edited Date/Time 3/2/2021 4:10pm
Dauntless wrote:
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just...
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just used a set of dial calipers and measured different shim set ups with the spring lying next to the insert (sorry, no pictures). After that, all you'll have to do is remove the old cartridges and inset the new ones(The cap is 50mm's i believe and the bottom uses a 19mm socket). I might be a trick to pull the old nuts out of the axle lugs, mine required a small amount of force to remove but they will slide out. It sounds like you have the new redesigned AER so you may not have any problem with that at all. After releasing the old cartridge and removing lug nuts, all you'll need to do is put the new ones in, screw in the new bottom lug nut, bleed the cartridge (it takes a few mins to bleed, be patient with it), slide on the spring, put the spring cap on and crew cap onto the top of the fork. The provided instructions were really good. The hardest part for me was removing the lugs but you don't need to do that.
YZed250 wrote:
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via...
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via email/mail.

I've also watched the videos and have most of the tools. I was also thinking about a pin wrench or possibly cutting some notches in a short section of PVC pipe as a cap tool. Haven't done that part yet.


Keep in mind this is for the 21 Xact where you don’t have to remove the lugs. If you have the earlier model Dauntless will no doubt hook you up.
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YZed250
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YZed250 3/3/2021 2:37pm
3/3/2021 2:37pm
Dauntless wrote:
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just...
So anyways, you'll need to set the spring preload on your lucky's prior to installation. You'll need to figure out what shims to use. I just used a set of dial calipers and measured different shim set ups with the spring lying next to the insert (sorry, no pictures). After that, all you'll have to do is remove the old cartridges and inset the new ones(The cap is 50mm's i believe and the bottom uses a 19mm socket). I might be a trick to pull the old nuts out of the axle lugs, mine required a small amount of force to remove but they will slide out. It sounds like you have the new redesigned AER so you may not have any problem with that at all. After releasing the old cartridge and removing lug nuts, all you'll need to do is put the new ones in, screw in the new bottom lug nut, bleed the cartridge (it takes a few mins to bleed, be patient with it), slide on the spring, put the spring cap on and crew cap onto the top of the fork. The provided instructions were really good. The hardest part for me was removing the lugs but you don't need to do that.
YZed250 wrote:
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via...
Can somebody email me the instructions? I bought a used set of lucky carts that didn't come with instructions and MX-tech wouldn't send me any via email/mail.

I've also watched the videos and have most of the tools. I was also thinking about a pin wrench or possibly cutting some notches in a short section of PVC pipe as a cap tool. Haven't done that part yet.
Dauntless wrote:
I'll take a picture of mine and post it on here. I bought mine from Slavens Racing in CO. You might need to buy a spring...
I'll take a picture of mine and post it on here. I bought mine from Slavens Racing in CO. You might need to buy a spring for your weight. They are $109.
Yes, please. I have the 2017.5 AER fork that needs to have the lugs removed.
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