Frist of i am a certified welder do it for aliving so my abiltys aren't in question what is , is can one make an aluminum swing arm? I would be using thick walled tubing for sure and I would me extend by 3 Inchs so can it be done
Aluminum swing arm
- Thread starter Backwoodsblast
- Start date
Anything can be done if you're inventive and pursue it long enough.... the real question isn't CAN it be done but IS IT WORTH doing?
The welding in aluminum suspension parts isn't necessarily the question as is the engineering involved.
The advantage of aluminum swingarms is a significant reduction in unsprung weight, however the advantage of reducing unspring weight is truly only realized in a racing type environment which is exactly the environment that will take its greatest toll on the material in question.
If you're a certified welder then certainly you know well about stress fatigue in aluminum and the necessary engineering involved to relieve those strains and brace against it. This would probably take 3 tries (in the form of three different swingarms) to truly realize.
If you are not planning on using this in a racing environment, then why bother? The advantages in a trail machine aren't nearly as significant and the amount of work involved for a little gain is significant.
The exception to this advice would be if you were able to get your material and welding bench time for free (or better, paid for it!) in which case, building, building, and then overbuilding aren't a problem at all.
The welding in aluminum suspension parts isn't necessarily the question as is the engineering involved.
The advantage of aluminum swingarms is a significant reduction in unsprung weight, however the advantage of reducing unspring weight is truly only realized in a racing type environment which is exactly the environment that will take its greatest toll on the material in question.
If you're a certified welder then certainly you know well about stress fatigue in aluminum and the necessary engineering involved to relieve those strains and brace against it. This would probably take 3 tries (in the form of three different swingarms) to truly realize.
If you are not planning on using this in a racing environment, then why bother? The advantages in a trail machine aren't nearly as significant and the amount of work involved for a little gain is significant.
The exception to this advice would be if you were able to get your material and welding bench time for free (or better, paid for it!) in which case, building, building, and then overbuilding aren't a problem at all.
There is many OEM aluminum swing arms but all are cast. There is or was a company that made aluminum swing arms called Cal-Fab the ones I have seen were all aluminum. There shouldn't be any problem with the material if the design is sound. You can Google Cal-Fab swingarm, I'm sure you would get some hits. The Tecate A1/A2 T3's had a swing arm like the Blaster and I've seen Cal Fab swing arms for them, so it has basically been done. The hardest part would be getting it strong enough at the pivot, I'm not sure if clearance would be an issue or not. Instead of tubes I'm thinking they used machined bar stock bored for bearings. If I could TIG weld I would have several things made from a aluminum instead of steel.
Here's a Cal fab for an R on ebay right now http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-86-ATC-2...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f182b9374&vxp=mtr . I would never pay what originals bring buy I would pay a fair price for a well built reproduction.
Here's a Cal fab for an R on ebay right now http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-86-ATC-2...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f182b9374&vxp=mtr . I would never pay what originals bring buy I would pay a fair price for a well built reproduction.
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The frist plan for the bike was simple stock back yard blaster but here I stand with work shocks DMc exhaust hole shots rejeted carb and riding gear lol you can't not go all out with a blaster, so I might as well race with my buddy's sense my riding time has went from trail to track and has anyone ever looked in to an all aluminum frame ? Not on my list to do but would be awesome to see
I have priced Titanium 3AL-2.5V alloy tubing before but it's just not realistic to do...
If you want to do an aluminum swingarm, I suggest milling the pivot points out of solid blocks that are parabolic around the bearing areas and stubbed out to slide inside the tubing. You'll need that strength around the pivot point.
I don't feel that as much of a problem as making sure the cross bracing is right sense like we stated before a race bike that takes some hard landings
Are you talking about the pivots? I think that would be the most probable area for failure.
The bearing area, shock mount area, and carrier mount are the loaded areas sharing approximately the same amount of loads.
The shock mounting area and carrier bearing area are relatively easily "beefed up" for strength however the pivot area is thin and cannot be "reinforced" easily without starting from scratch with a properly strong design.
The shock mounting area and carrier bearing area are relatively easily "beefed up" for strength however the pivot area is thin and cannot be "reinforced" easily without starting from scratch with a properly strong design.
You explain stuff much better than I do but that's what I'm trying to say. The pivot area is the tightest area to beef up.
Just to be sure your talking about the front of the swing arm where it mounts to the motor correct
Yes, where the pivot bolt goes through the frame, engine and swing arm. I looked earlier and there is more room for beefier pivot block on the left side but the right side it closer to the cases. Did you look at any of the pictures of a Cal Fab swing arm and the way split the rectangle tubing and bend it around the pivot block to give more area for the joint?
what you need is a beast of a motor . Build a 240 stroker and run quality aftermarket parts . Lighter aluminum wheels will reduce rotational drag . I just don't think there is enough room for material around the pivot area to make it from aluminum . If you wanna get exotic , Titanium would be the choice . Motor , Suspension , Brakes and rev it like you stole it . and Get yourself a case saver , nothing worse than breaking a chain and punching a hole in your case , avoid it if you can.
ok with the help of currently having the rear shock off while the works shocks are off and with the help of a floor jack, I have three photos first of which is complete unsprung wheel travel. The 2ed is close to standard ride height and 3rd max compression aka on the ground no shock. I will say its a tighter fit then i thought, but with that said, I have half inch of play in all three postions leaving me feeling safe to say there is more then enough room to brace. I also took a few moments to rough sketch out ideas to brace pivots. now to address other items the motor upgrades are in the works I:I. like mentioned before titanium is not cost effective and i still feel aluminum is not out of the question, and i feel like if this could be made it might be something you all are interested in and could be sold and it is the heaviest part other then the motor and the frame its self so there is a lot of weight to be lost
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Would you want to partner up and make 2 swingers? I just got finished with my part of a CR500AF build I was helping on. If you need anything machined, send me some drawings and I'll do that part and send them to you. I have plenty of 6061 bar stock and a few sizes of round tubing. I might also have some 5052 sheet (.125") that bends pretty good in a break press it you'd want to try to use it for some gusseting. I know I have .375"-.500" 6061 plate as well, to make the carrier hanger out of. A friend of mine has an EDM, I bet I could trade out some labor and get him to EDM the flat stuff to size and shape.
I'm not going to turn it down due to the fact that I would rather have two or three made so they could be tested to see if they will hold up
I was told the older 1989 through 90's lt250 full floater swingarms, with the round house axle carrier can be fitted on the yamaha blaster for a good +2 inch longer aluminum swingarm. And that is all i know!!!:-/
This is a 1985>>>1985 85 Suzuki LT250R LT 250R LT250 250 Swingarm Swing Arm & Axle & Linkage | eBay
This is a 87-90>>> Suzuki lt250r lt 250r quadracer swingarm | eBay
This is a 1985>>>1985 85 Suzuki LT250R LT 250R LT250 250 Swingarm Swing Arm & Axle & Linkage | eBay
This is a 87-90>>> Suzuki lt250r lt 250r quadracer swingarm | eBay
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That's a little high for my to buy just to see how it fit but it would be a great deal if it wasn't a huge job to modify to fit. A friend of mine has a bunch of Zillia parts but it looks like the 500R used the later design. Do you have any idea where I can find any info on the swap? Does anyone here an LT250R swinger they could measure? Looking on E2S, I've found the the swinger from 90 and earlier will change out in the frames, of course everything else is different.
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