| Author | Message | ||
     Pkforbes87 |
Are there pros and cons to each design or is it as simple as the most recent design being the best? | ||
| Andymnelson |
Everybody used to put the aluminum one on their S1s because they "look better". I think the steel ones look way more badass, IMO. I don't know if there are strength differences between the 2- and I would guess that both are plenty strong. Everyone I've ever talked to that put the aluminum ones on their S1s said that the looks were the reason for swapping. Some of the early steel ones had recalls and such- a buddy of mine got his dealer to order the swingarm, he picked it up and had it chromed, brought it back to be installed- now that looked sweet! I don't know what was with the recalls tho- I think strength issues? That would mean if you are looking for steel ones, you would have to know which ones are the "good" ones and which are the "bad" ones. | ||
| Phelan |
The later is lighter/stronger. The earlier is easier to lengthen. The later will lower the earlier bikes about an inch just by the swap, even with the same shock. The later looks way cool on S2s when it's polished  . Eventually I want to put a polished one on mine. I think it'll look sick with the polished XB wheels. | ||
| Buellistic |
It would be nice if it had the OIL TANK in it !!! | ||
| Guell |
Prefer the looks of the steeley over the aluminum one myself | ||
| Rick_a |
IIRC the early sand cast swingarms were stiffer yet heavier, and the latter production aluminum arc swingers were lighter. The early steel arms cracked where the tubes met the pivot shaft. The recall arms had some substantial reinforcement and a redesigned caliper perch. Both have their merits, and both have been subject to modification.   A lot of racers converted to aluminum arms as soon as they came onto the scene. Some went back to steel due to the difference in feel. | ||
| Limitedx1 |
i want the shifter from the first bike! i need to grab a gixxer shifter and make something i guess | ||
| Phelan |
You can have the shifter. I want the heads and carbs . It would be all too easy to make a GP shifter like the one in the pic. | ||
| Rick_a |
The best shift set-up I've used is a direct lever off the shift shaft using Buell 'race only' rearsets (which are really higher and forward sets). Anything with a linkage I've used gave that sloppy jalopy feeling. | ||
| Phelan |
I'm sure that shifter has excellent feedback, but I rude my Dad's FXD too much to try and mentally change reflexes from standard to GP (reverse) shifting each time I swap bikes. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I'm a huge fan of the GP shift pattern, but have never seen a shifter mounted directly to the shaft like Rick described. I'm guessing those are pretty hard to come by. I don't think GP shifting would be as natural though on a bike without a somewhat aggressive layout (low bars, pegs to the rear) The stock X1 layout is aggressive enough to make it work, but on a cruiser I would imagine that during hard acceleration, your body is being pulled backwards with enough force that pressing down on the shift lever would feel awkward, and likewise lifting on the lever during decel. | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
Is there any good reason why one should not use the swingarm as an oil tank, aside from an increase in unsprung weight? Seems like a simple way to increase oil capacity and cooling. | ||
| Limitedx1 |
Um they switched to them on the xb's, im sure it wasnt just something cool to do. actually i believe they did it that way so they could keep them so compact and use a conventional rear shock. | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
That is why I am wondering if anyone has done so on a tube-frame Buell with an aluminum swingarm. It looks like an easy modification but I have never seen it done and I don't know if there are any caveats to consider. | ||
| Spiderman |
the alumninium swing are is something like 200% more rigid than the steel one. I am not sure on exact numbers but it is something really high over 100%... as for oil in a tuber swing arm. It would increase unsprung weight. As the XB swing arm keeps the oil towrds the pivot point as opposed to all over like you would have to with the tuber arm just to make enough oil... | ||
| Phelan |
Not to mention that the S2s already have a beautiful aluminum oil tank from the fractory ... | ||
| Phelan |
@PK- pretty hardto come by? Maybe, but it would only take about an hour's worth of creativity and a couple spacers to make one out of the stock setup. | ||
| Rick_a |
This is what I used at first (not my pic)  Very simple and elegant, but has a couple issues. In a crash the shift shaft ends up bent and twisted, locking the shifter in place. It always seemed to be either too high or too low, as the splines don't allow for fine adjustment. This was my solution. It is part Blast and part X1 shifter. I apologize for the grit and road rash. The bike was crashed and has been un-repaired for a year...and hasn't been washed since around that time.  | ||
| Drhacknstine |
Mmmm. Since the oil tank is next to the pivot and ahead of the axle and shock pivot(xb), I think a percentage is figured as sprung weight? Ehhh, dosen't matter 2.1 quarts isn't a huge amount of weight, when you take fat me in to account. | ||
| Blake |
Not much as it isn't moving with the wheel, just slightly at the pivot. It's negligible. Plus the mass is a fluid so not rigidly connected to the suspension system per se. |
