Dirt Bike Fork Maintenance Tips 

From 2018 only TPI 2-strokes are available in Japan (250 EXC TPI). So probably my next bike will be a TPI...

Yes, that a good idea if you do a lot of mud riding.

The carbon fork guards are made by Eline. I used black electrical tape to stop dirt getting between the guard and the fork tube.

TRX250r08 - This style of control button cluster has been fitted standard on KTM EXC bikes sold in Japan starting from 2015 year model.

Jerry Mangan - Do you mean the carbon fork tube guards? They are made by ELine

aaron rayz - I fitted Dal Soggio Sphere cartridges to my XPLOR fork tubes. This video shows the install: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-huiSdw2rfcE.html

With the stock settings I found the Sphere cartridges a little stiff for my weight and the riding I do (off-road trail riding). I revalved the compression stack and really like them. They work in all types of terrain, from low speed rock sections to drop offs with flat landings to high speed whoops. Love them. The XPLOR forks worked well at low speed, but I found they blow through the stroke too easily and felt unstable at speed. The Dal Soggio Sphere cartridges aren't a cheap upgrade, but I think are well worth it if you ride regularly and aren't happy with the the XPLOR forks.

Thanks, I actually have the 4CS forks which I feel are very unpredictable. I've been on the fence about whether to go with the lower priced Ray kit or the full blown Sphere's. Do you have any experience with the Ray kit?

I have the Ray kit and Sphere. Ray kit makes 4CS working well in most condition but Sphere is another level.

Chieh-Nan Wang I was afraid of that! I probably won’t be content until I get them also. Thanks

My handlebar is a Renthal RC High Fatbar 609-01

R G - They are carbon fiber fork guards. I tape the top, bottom and rear slit to stop dirt getting between the carbon guard and fork tube.

I use and general purpose brake and parts cleaner aerosol spray (Monotaro Brake and Parts Cleaner 2000). It's cheap and readily available in Japan and does a good job at cleaning oil and grease, without damaging parts.

mobgma - They are Tokyo Offroad wheel spike weights made from brass. They are used to balance the wheel: www.tokyooffroad.com/product/wheel-spoke-weights/

Enduro Engineering Moto Roost handguards: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dEbjjkquDQM.html

I presume you're talking about pulling down the dust seals. If you're riding in a lot of mud, it's best to do it after each ride. If however conditions are dry and you don't see any issues, once every 10 rides or so should be fine. When you wash the bike always inspect the tubes for scratches and oil leaks.

ok thank you, i just ordered that rhino 360 fork seal cleaner thing because i spent 200 bucks rebuilding my forks because they were leaking

If you are mechanically minded it's not that difficult to overhaul the forks yourself and save a lot of money. I made a separate video regarding how to replace the oil seals on XPLOR forks if you're interested. You do need a few tools though.

I don’t have swingarm covers. But KTM make them (PowerParts) and you can order them from your KTM dealer