CR500 Snowbike Question Front Spindle

[Dan South]

I am trying to put a new 2017 Timbersled 120 Raw kit on my 1992 CR500 and have stumped dealer who ordered me the fit kit, which is all right to fitment table, but front spindle pieces fit only on smaller part of front axle and it seems the throttle side needs to be a larger ID. for approx. an inch to center up spindle, due to without spacer designed as so, when axle is all the way in for axle nut to fit on axle properly it slammes spindle hard into clutch side of fork leg giving no room for spindle clamps and when trying to rotate spindle to drill clamp holes, they are dead center interior spindle welds, which means i would have to raise them taking up fork leg travel length which concerns me on bottoming out fork tubes???? Also when pinch clamps are on with plastic spacers there is about an 1/8 slop, not tight at all is this normal? As I have read clamp kit fits all bikes, my fork legs are only 43mm clamps say 46mm? ANY HELP OUT THERE, ALL I'VE READ ON CR500 RIDERS, FOUND NOTHING ON THIS PROB. Seems like Polaris buying out Timbersled should have paid some money to bring over all the people who new something about the product and provide a number to someone with some knowledge on them, and not just well? call your local Polaris dealer who don't know **** about anything Timbersled related (will get back to you with nothing) the snows melting and the thing is sitting in my garage, $300.00 fit kit 9 extra pieces for other bikes in kit and not the right ones at all for the front of mine what a bunch of aholes! Waited so long to set up a snowbike and now think i made a big mistake on brand i went with. I would have never bought it if a fit kit was not available in my behalf, I thought kit fit my specific bike for $300.00 dollars did not mean hears a box of **** so try to see what will fit ?????????

 

[highflyernick]

There were never any clamps that fit 43mm forks — I custom made spacers that are similar to the plastic piece but are aluminum, to space the clamps out well, they worked awesome for 3 season of riding. I never ordered through timbersled. I just had a machinist make me a whole fit kit for 200 including the solid strut rod, whim joints etc. Usually a better option when using such an old bike that they don’t really produce fit kits for, this was on a 1993 KX500

 

[rhino89523]

Ye3ah they say the fit kit fits all the 500's and it doesn't it basically fits the 1996 up forks and axle...and not really well. You either need to have something made or get a set of 1996 up forks and you will need the tripple clamp as well. If you do get the newer forks be very careful when you tighten down the axle nut. I would hand tighten it then clamp down on the pinch bolts then snug up the axle nut. The spacer has the thinnest wall between the 2 diameters that if you breath heavy on the axle nut it will crack. Also seeing as you wont really have the kit on till spring at this point either get a set of those big ebay radiators or run a tunnel cooler...mine overheated like crazy in spring.

 

[Tmars]

Was thinking maybe a piece of 1/8" uhmw heat-gunned to fit the fork tube might make a good spacer(or PVC pipe cut in half. Might be too brittle?). Wouldn't gar your tubes up at least if it didn't work. Maybe some of the more experienced vets on here will chime in with some better ideas or the flaws in this one. T-sled doesn't even offer a fit kit for my 90cr5(worst cr5 forks anyway) so I put a set of crf450 forks and triples on it(ez swap. Needs one bearing and couple of shims to work. $30 @ allballs). Still had trouble with axle spacers. Finally went to t-sleds online fitment charts, found which pieces(from the pile of pieces they sent) were called for. Some were new numbers, some old, some with none(cross-ref chart and sizes at bottom of page). Knowing which exact pieces( left and right) made a huge dif for me. Always good to see another cr5 guy, they're a pita to get set up but when you stomp your first thumper it's all worth it!

 

[M5-]

My 43mm forks are sitting in my garage. I went straight to a 48mm WP fork setup using modified CRF450 triples. If I were to do it again I'd just get the CRF forks complete, they are 47mm I believe. Nice thing about the WPs is there are lots of 48mm fit kits out there and I already had one available to use. I built my own spacers for the back end as the TS ones didn't actually fit very well on my 92 frame and didn't align the chain properly. The 43mm forks are crap, I may graft them on to my wife's TTR230 which has even crappier forks if that's even possible.

M5

 

[Dan South]

Hey, thanks all of you who replied. I have a feeling I will have to make it all work, as I have come up with a few fixes in my head but for the money I paid and the fact that they are the ones at Timbersled that did offer the kit, I'm going to give them the chance to make it right, before I roll over and fix it myself, and if I have to, believe me mister nice guy is going to let lose the wife on them and Ill bet I be getting some money back, on a bull**** fit kit. As far as changing out the forks and the cooling issues I've got to get the thing out to see it fail. I'm a toy junky who can never stop trying to have the machines for all the seasons, you could say I'm a 54 year old spoiled kid, but worked hard for it all and as the words I heard in the movie Wild Hogs. ( I GOT A CHEAP *** WIFE ) who has a big problem with someone taking that hard earned money out of the account and not giving you what you paid for !!!!! Dahm i love that women.

 

[wwillf01]

Hey, thanks all of you who replied. I have a feeling I will have to make it all work, as I have come up with a few fixes in my head but for the money I paid and the fact that they are the ones at Timbersled that did offer the kit, I'm going to give them the chance to make it right, before I roll over and fix it myself, and if I have to, believe me mister nice guy is going to let lose the wife on them and Ill bet I be getting some money back, on a bull**** fit kit. As far as changing out the forks and the cooling issues I've got to get the thing out to see it fail. I'm a toy junky who can never stop trying to have the machines for all the seasons, you could say I'm a 54 year old spoiled kid, but worked hard for it all and as the words I heard in the movie Wild Hogs. ( I GOT A CHEAP *** WIFE ) who has a big problem with someone taking that hard earned money out of the account and not giving you what you paid for !!!!! Dahm i love that women.

At least run Evans... They get hot.. I ran one for 3 seasons. I went with 06 forks and a tunnel cooler..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[M5-]

I think you may be setting yourself up for a whole world of frustration attempting to get TS parts because they never made them for the 43mm forks. You'd be worlds ahead by sending that back, picking up some CRF450 forks off Ebay maybe $300 with triples, order the All Balls conversion bearings, pick up a used Honda TS fit kit and cut your own spacers. The CR5 is not well supported by anyone so if you go down that route it takes some hands on dicking around.

M5

 

[Dan South]

Thanks, It is currently in the dealership service dept. after making a call to the manager/Owner of the place and he said bring it up and I will have my mechanic install it for free, who has years, of experience with the install of these kits due to this is the town were TS was made and I believe, still has a fab shop and still manufacturing them, they all at the dealership are pretty hush, hush on the whereabouts. So I jumped on it and when I dropped it off they would'nt not let me watch, due to pretty much after meeting the cocky mechanic who said we will have it done in about four hours. So i replied good luck!!!! but i don't think your going to be able to do it and his reply was well if you don't think we can than why don't you just take it home. Fare enough, so after about three hours as I was told you need you leave it with us until next Tuesday, when we our open due to no bike place up here is open on a Monday. They said we are going to get the guys from TS over here to make them fix it so its on there shoulders and not ours by doing any alterations we would have to take on the liability and we are not the ones who made the bad kit. So as I walked out looking at the cocky mechanic with his plate of humble pie as he was saying nothing and pouting in the corner, I couldn't say anything but shake my head, as I headed down the hour drive home. After I get it back I will let you all know the income.