| Author | Message | ||
     Mikeyp |
Well, after years (and i do mean years..something in the order of 2 of 'em)I took the day off and swapped my steel swingarm on my 98 S1W for an aluminum jobbie. The conversion was pretty straight foward, thanks to a little help from Al Lighton who told me the ins and outs of the procedure. I also put on a Penske shock...damn i love the look of the exposed spring...brings me back to 1998...  The next thing on my list to do's is: XB rocker swap. (parts are in, pick them up tomorrow.) Racetech Springs (they've been sitting on my bench for a year) And finally, complete my Brembo dual front brake setup. (American Sport Bike found me the neccassary brackets for the conversion.I've had Ducati 998 calipers sitting on my bench for closse to 3 years...damn!) I almost forgot that i have to mount my new tank. (Thanks to Court for getting me one. My tank finally succumbed to the bubbly decal disease.) The above will be this fridays project. Anyway, i'll post up some pics when i can. (Message edited by Mikeyp on March 15, 2006) | ||
| Bubabuell |
Can't wait for the pics!! | ||
| Mikeyp |
Well, here's some pics. Please disregard the dirty bike.   | ||
| Mikeyp |
The Penske  | ||
| Jimincalif |
What year/model is that donor swingarm? Is it a type that holds oil? | ||
| Doughnut |
I think that is a 99 or better swing arm. | ||
| Oldog |
Jiminca. the arm is 99-02 x1 m2 s3 no it does not hold oil it is supprizingly light and strong. | ||
| Blake |
Sweet! Great to see you giving the S1 some attention. Does it still frighten Pennsylvanian church ladies? You ever plan to trim the gearcase cover? | ||
| Mikeyp |
Blake, i'm always scaring people with the KT pipe, not just old ladies! Yeah, trimming the gearcase cover has been in the back of my mind for sometime now. One of these days i'll get around to it. I first want to handle the front end stuff, which will be in the next couple of weeks. Then after that, i do believe that a major wash and detailing job is in order. My bike is friggin filthy. It hasn't been washed since last year! | ||
| Leftcoastal |
Mike - Years (Jeez - almost 35!) of experience have shown me that dirty bikes will run almost as well as clean bikes! Keep those photos coming - your gonna have one awesome bike when done, clean or not! I've been thinking of doing that same swingarm swap on my bike, but I'm concerned that the RS frame and chain drive may present some serious clearance problems. I'm running the stock welded-type unit that was later recalled on the S2 series. I think the aluminum unit would look really good next to the PM wheels, especially if polished. AL | ||
| Seth |
MikeyP, I had an aluminum arc swingarm put on my '98 S-1 and there was a noticeable handling improvement. The aluminum swingarm is 80% stronger so there is less flex, the bike rides like it's on rails now. | ||
| Buellfighter |
I had to change to the aluminum swingarm just to get rid of the SL 70 looking swingarm. | ||
| Seth |
Leftcoastal, I just re-read an article in a 1999 issue of Battle2Win magazine (volume 3, issue 2, page 36) about two guys with S-2s that fit the aluminum arc swingarm into their bikes. The article said that some cutting and relocating of the frame tubes that support the seat/oil tank was needed. If you are at all mechanically inclined (and by the looks of your bike in your profile you are) it is a doable project. | ||
| Aaomy |
hey left,, if you need anything just send me a message.. this is when i did the swap on my s2t,,, http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/47623/113397.html im not exactly sure on how the s2 and rs frames compare.. but on an s2 you will loose some swing arm travel .. view the link above.. hope it will help,, aaomy | ||
| Leftcoastal |
The RS swingarm has a teflon(?) block attached to the top of the unit just above the right isolator to protect it from the chain. I think the aluminum unit would interfere with the chain at that point. The diameters of the chain sprockets as compared to the belt drive ones are a bit smaller, too, so that would reduce the clearance at that point. I also don't know what the differences are between the S2 and RS frames - not sure I'm too enticed about any "cutting and relocating" of frame tubes! The RS bikes are a bit rare these days (always were, actually) and my making rubble out of a perfectly good frame would ruin it's day. I'm really mechanically inclined, especially on the disassembly part of a project! It's that putting it all back together into a working installation that sometimes throws me a curve or 2. AL (Message edited by leftcoastal on March 19, 2006) | ||
| Mikeyp |
Seth, i hear you man...with the addition of the Penske, i'm sure she's gonna handle great. | ||
| Mikeyp |
Left.. I had a friend of mine who swore that once you cleaned a bike, you were just asking for it to breakdown on you..  | ||
| Loki |
Al, Hmmmm. Why not fab a new sub-frame and bolt it on and avoid the thought of molestation. Thats if the interference is with the sub-frame structure. I have been toying with the idea of having an RS / RSS convertible. Kinda like changing an S1 solo to a Twintail and back | ||
| Brentx1 |
Too true. I'm always cleaning my bike and it is always broken.  | ||
| Dave |
Damn Brent good to see ya still on here. Comin' down for Barber's? DAve |
