Z50R project

The fork internals were in really bad shape.


The bushings had worn so much that the snap rings had grooved the fork tubes.


You can still get complete fork legs from Honda, but they are a bit pricey. For a less expensive alternative I bought a complete new Chinese knock-off XR/CRF50 fork to use the internals from. These are about $50 shipped on ebay, so way less expensive than the OEM forks would be. The XR/CRF50 uppers are too narrow for the Z50R's fat tire. If you are converting to the taller and narrower XR/CRF50 wheels, the entire fork can be used. The Z50R has the brake on the right and the XR/CRF50 on the left. If you want to use the XR/CRF50 fork guards you can flip the wheel around. Since we won't be using the fork guards, I switched the fork legs from side to side.


They were almost a direct fit to the Z50R fork uppers. At the bottom of the white bushings is a lip that seats in the fork uppers. The original forks used a washer underneath, and the new forks use a seal. The seal is too thick to allow the snap ring to fit in the groove. I just swapped the washer to the new forks in place of the seal and they fit just like the originals.


Here is the original Z50R fork upper with the new internals.


Here is the fork on the bike. Hopefully won't be too much longer and it'll be ready to tear up the lawn.