Swing Arm Questions?

[Longview]

I want a +3 Swing Arm for the build i'm doing but i don't have professional kind of money. I know i can weld the extension and yes i know most of you guys hate work like that, but i am a confident welder and I don't jump my bikes, just trail riding, i know the welds can crack and i would have to keep my eye one it.

Putting that aside my question is for the suspension aspect. I believe the mount of the shock has to be moved correct? How do i figure out where i need to move it too?

PS: I want to gusset my frame as well does anyone have a picture or thread showing where to put the gussets?

 

[blaster7]

As long as your confident and only trail ride it there should be no problem but as far as extending it why? how much power are you putting down? does it willy alot.also if it was me I would keep the shock at the factory location because moving it back or forward can lower or raise the seat height.now if your talking the top of the shock no you do not want to move that just leave that alone another thing you will have to account for is chain length and brake cable or if its a 03 up hydrolytic hose lengths.I really do not understand what you mean about extenders? so I can't really comment on how reliable they are but to be honest when it comes to safety I would not risk it if its cheap its cheap for a reason bud.as for frame gussets I would gusset the following areas-behind the upper steering stem bracket #2 on the left and right side of the frame on the lower area neer the foot pegs I made these boot shape gussets also remember that the shifter rod come through the left side and that on the right side the foot peg has a rod the holds the rear brake lever on as I remember that could hit the gusset on that side so make sure to mock them up with the pegs and engine on the frame and mark with a sharpie after grinding all of the paint off lol.I will get you some pics today buddy so that you have something to go by.

 

[blaster7]

here are some pic's of the key areas bud.I hope this helps you out,BTW even with the not so good welds it has held up to three years of hard abuse and I credit a lot of it to the gussets.If you need anymore help just pm me and I'll be glad to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

 

[bansheedave]

moving the lower shock mount changes the geometry. that will cause the shock not to work to its full potential. it will become extremely stiff and not compress all the way and bind. you can keep it in the stock location and just extend the arm. the extension will, however, put more leverage on the shock. with that extra leverage, you will want to compensate with a stiffer spring.. adding an aftermaket shock, or oem from another manufacturer that has more adjustability is a must. especially if you want to set up a proper sag.

 

[Awk08]

DIY swingers:
i don't see a DIY that i would trust,
if i were to do it, i'd use 2 swingers, an extra is cheap enuf on ebay.
all cuts to be behind the shock mount so it won't need moved.
everything held c-clamped down to a very flat surface to keep it straight.
mark both swingers at the center point between shock mount and carrier end of tubing
cut the one with best pivot bearings or in best shape, behind that mark 1-1/2"
cut the donor swinger 1-1/2" in front of that mark to give you a total of +3"
find/use the correct size tubing that fits snugly into the stock tubing (3/4" x 1-1/2" i believe)
cut the new tubing to span completely inside both pieces of stockers as far as it will go to allow the seam to meet.
drill 2 3/8" - 1/2" holes on the outside edge of each piece of stock swinger, on both sides, for plug welds
then weld your seam.
all welding to be done in stitch welds.....no more than an inch or so at a time between cool downs to decrease the chance of over heating, which will make the stamped sheet metal of the stockers brittle and prone to cracks.
as for the welds....less is more !
2 tons of birdshit weld will overheat it, and isn't going to hold any better than a nice thin bead


gussets:
http://www.blasterforum.com/threads/gusset-placement-with-diagram.39688/#post-527929

 

[blaster7]

@Awk08 hey bud what exactly does he mean by extenders? I've never seen these things I even type it in and all that pops up is extend swingers.Also I agree with awk08 less weld = more because not only are you saving weight but you don't take the risk of too much heat to make things brittle,I had that frame done 3 years ago by my father and I told him the welds were too thick and that the standard frame was light guage he said to me next time you can do it haaaa ha lol but even at that I give it to him it held up but when I strip it down I will make sure it comes out exactly the way I want it this time around.

 

[Awk08]

@Awk08 hey bud what exactly does he mean by extenders? .

i just re-read this whole thread and don't see mention of "extenders" ? or who you're refering too ?
they used to sale bolt on extenders that moved just the carrier back + inches ?
only extenders i know of

 

[blaster7]

he said he can weld the extension? or does he mean he can cut and weld his own extension because I took it as he wants to weld some sort of swingarm extension that maybe would have been bolted on?
sorry for any confusion.

 

[Awk08]

he said he can weld the extension? or does he mean he can cut and weld his own extension because I took it as he wants to weld some sort of swingarm extension that maybe would have been bolted on?
sorry for any confusion.

he means he can weld and feels confident enuf to "extend" a stock swingarm, but wanted pointers on exactly where, when and how to cut/fab it.

 

[blaster7]

ohh ok I see,well in that case I'd do as awk said and get a used swingarm and go from there.it would also be wise to try and fab a jig to keep everything straight.