• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

built my own swingarm

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
Ed

Ed

Interesting post coming from someone with an aluminum swingarm. Young's modulus for Al is 1/3 that of steel. It's not all about moment of intertia.

Shame on me :mad:; Here I go again, trying to "spoon feed" a technical discussion on a non technical website :(.

BTW, while you were copying the stock swingarm design to cross brace that steel swinger, did you stop to realize that despite the modulus advantage, the engineer still found it nessesary to add all that weight by adding the cross brace on steel swinger?
 
Last edited:
stuff the technical crap, you need one of these!

gussy2.jpg


no flex on this arm!
 
Shame on me :mad:; Here I go again, trying to "spoon feed" a technical discussion on a non technical website :(.

BTW, while you were copying the stock swingarm design to cross brace that steel swinger, did you stop to realize that despite the modulus advantage, the engineer still found it nessesary to add all that weight by adding the cross brace on steel swinger?

Sorry but missing your point.:confused:

Found this link showing some aftermarket swingarms. Not a whole lot of bracing on these... http://www.redlinecycle.com/Swingarms - Hardy.html

Swingarm-HardyFull.jpg



BTW, check this link for some photos of a Kosman swingarm for a KZ1000 (not much bracing). http://www.redlinecycle.com/Kosman.html

And found this link showing some nice bracing ideas... http://www.fastlaneracecars.com/html/logos.htm
 
Last edited:
Sorry but missing your point.:confused:

Found this link showing some aftermarket swingarms. Not a whole lot of bracing on these... http://www.redlinecycle.com/Swingarms - Hardy.html

Swingarm-HardyFull.jpg



BTW, check this link for some photos of a Kosman swingarm for a KZ1000 (not much bracing). http://www.redlinecycle.com/Kosman.html

And found this link showing some nice bracing ideas... http://www.fastlaneracecars.com/html/logos.htm


Your photo brings up a good point that some may be missing. The aftermarket Swingarm has one piece bent tubing. The one in question in this post is cut and stubbed to add to the length. Id like to know, did you add an internal slug tube to regain some of the structural strength lost to the cutting and welding. Its not as true as some may believe, a weld is not always the strongest point in a union of multiple pieces of metal. And the way and area the extension was added, also will increase the width. So did you iensure the extensions were welded back in straight?

You may want to research over and under bracing swingarms. It will answer some of the question you may find yourself asking later as the project goes on. I too would think about adding a cross brace at some point ahead of where the tire will still. This will take a great deal of pressuer off the axle and remove as such a pinch point. Id also be curious about the grade of steel you used. Thats far more important than how think the wall is.
 
That cross brace six inches back probably makes the swingarm about four to six times as rigid against twisting as the same piece without the brace. Just a guess as I'm not a mechanical engineer.
 
That cross brace six inches back probably makes the swingarm about four to six times as rigid against twisting as the same piece without the brace. Just a guess as I'm not a mechanical engineer.

My guess is about 25% more ridged.
 
Wanna bet?

I would but not sure how we would settle it.:p

If the bet was who's closer but not over, you might win. But if the bet was who's closer, 25% or 4-6X, I'd win for sure.
 
Last edited:
Well, I guess I've had time to read all these threads and have come to ;the conclusion, there would be no harm in adding a brace to this swinger. I can have it welded for next to nothing
anyway so I am going to do that. I will also be extremely careful when I take my maiden voyage after it's finished. I realize I'm just a backyard engineer. By the way, I always wear my leathers and helmet.

Nastyjones
 
Is this swingarm for dragracing?
This would be the questions to ask Einsteins :eek:
 
It's for an occasional blast down the strip but most of it's duty will be on the street. Why?
 
Well, I guess I've had time to read all these threads and have come to ;the conclusion, there would be no harm in adding a brace to this swinger. I can have it welded for next to nothing
anyway so I am going to do that. I will also be extremely careful when I take my maiden voyage after it's finished. I realize I'm just a backyard engineer. By the way, I always wear my leathers and helmet.

Nastyjones

Its your life dude, but when something breaks when you are doing 60mph and go into the path of an oncoming car or truck...

i don't think i need to elaborate.
 
Dont be discouraged by the negative Nasty. Your design has a solid base. You just need to follow through. Most of the posters leaving negative replys have nothing more to add to your design because they cant. Continue to research some other swingarms and apply those ideas to yours. The main thing to remember is continue to do what you did with this thread, look for answers to questions you have.
 
Last edited:
Dont be discouraged by the negative Nasty. Your design has a solid base. You just need to follow through. Most of the posters leaving negative replys have nothing more to add to your design because they cant. Continue to research some other swingarms and apply those ideas to yours. The main thing to remember is continue to do what you did with this thread, look for answers to questions you have.


Its not a negative reply, i'm not going to go hey good on you dude pat on the back for doing it yourself...

When i think it is a lethal mistake to be doing this...

Sugarcoat a turd all you like...

We arn't a "negative bunch" around here... good bunch of guys actually...

Just don't want to see somebody get hurt for the sake of saving some money by doing a DIY job...

it's posts of concern for his safety not of put down.

I just wanted to make that clear.

Mark.
 
Welding a swingarm together is certainly no worse than what those bobber/chopper guys do to their bikes.
 
Welding a swingarm together is certainly no worse than what those bobber/chopper guys do to their bikes.
be honest. would you trust that knowing that is keeping your ass from the tarmac?
ok its a start and maybe some more work it may look a bit safer
 
Back
Top