OK, the swing arm came back and it all fits and works like it should :)
But just for fun, lets review that swing-arm plan...
My initial plan was a simple "cut and weld". The picture below was what the swing-arm looked like before the cutting and welding:
And here is what I "imagined" it might look like when done...
But, after consulting with and letting the mechanic/welder guy "do his thing", this is what it actually looks like...
So, it looks a bit different yes, but Its definitely stronger (due to that welded-in spacer tube) and just as functional. The only down side is that I need to remove the exhaust system if I want to take the swing-arm off again... Thats no big deal though because I shouldnt ever need to do that :)
And Im also very happy about the welding quality which is good because there is significantly more welding in the job than I had planned... We effectively extended the swing-arm by about 25mm by adding in pieces of aluminum plate, in order to make the suspension linkage work properly.
So, the swing-arm welding work is done now and all I have to do to it is get the plastic bits for the chain guard etc. back on and aligned with the new chain position. It isnt completely straight forward but it should be no real problem.
Ive also been patching and sanding the plastic body pannels for the bike and they are just about ready for the colour coat. I temporarily put them back on the bike today just to see how it would look when Im done :)
So, here is what the bike looks like now...
Im really liking the look of that new swing-arm!
But to keep it looking good Im going to have to solve the next big challenge which is the exhaust... The standard exhaust system works just fine of course but it hangs along the side of the bike at the back and pretty much obscures that nice new rear section of the bike!
So I will need a custom system, either with the muffler mounted centraly up under the tail section or a very small muffler mounted right down near the foot peg.
But custom exhaust systems are pretty expensive and I cant afford to buy one new, so Im gonna have to hunt around for a used one that I like the look of and think that I can "make work" for this bike...
Lets see what I can come up with ...
... stay tuned for the next update :)))
