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17" wheels, aluminum swingarm with monoshock upgrade

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by LarryMc, Jul 19, 2018.

  1. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Your set up looks sweet and bolt on is cool also! Nice work. It's reassuring to know that this modification has been successful for others. Thanks for the pictures...
    I agree with you about the lower mount needing to distribute the force of the suspension movement evenly. The 550 frame is a waif of a frame so I'm going to give it all the help I can with some beef.
    My lower mount will use triangulated 3/16th gussets to distribute the force equally.
    The top mount is going to be an X DOM tubing configuration that will be slightly angled towards the rear of the bike. I'll come off vertical part of the frame that runs in the middle of the air box and back to the angle frame member that runs up to the existing shock mount. The top of the shock will mount slightly behind the center of the X. All that beef will be stuffed under the air box and battery so a 11" shock is the maximum length to make it all jive. Ducati fortunately runs shorter adjustable rear shocks than most others on their bikes. That's what I'm leaning towards at this point.The one I got in my CL package deal,off a GSXR, is 14.5" long. No bueno.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2018
  2. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    ⬆️ "in theory"
    (subject to change and probably will)
     
  3. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    On no sir. In hypothesis. ;)
     
  4. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    True that.
    Its slightly more than a wild guess shot from the hip with smoke in my eyes.
     
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  5. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    So this guy from England, his name is Chilly Hill (honestly I can't dream this shit up if I tried), sent me a email with pictures of a bike he built several years ago. The 15 pictures detail the monoshock conversion he did on his XJ550. He used a a mid 90s YZF600 or R6 to do his swap. Evidently he checks out the forum out sometimes as a guest, saw this thread, was able to track me down and wondered if some pictures would help. This is very similar to what I'm going for as my end result. Thanks Chilly! received_1937197913003727.jpeg received_1937197699670415.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2018
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  6. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Today was a week since dropping off my swingarm to have it TIG welded. I thought I would give a call to see if any action happened with it. The guy at the welding/fab shop said he would have to call me back with the status of it. Three hours later he got back to me and he tells me that they are unable to locate my swingarm. WTF was my reply then I asked how things like this are handled. He was unsure. The owner of the shop then called me and told me that he had a similar issue about a month ago with a chunk of aluminum going missing. I told him "one of your guys is possibly ripping you off and recycling the stuff for cash." He relucantly agreed that something was fishy.
    Luckily I dropped my stuff off with the owner and received paperwork to claim the part. He reminded me that the small print on the receipt states that they are "not responsible for damaged or misplaced items". I called BS on that and told him to fix things however possible. He promised me I will have a swingarm even if he has to build one himself. This could be cool, I thought.
    Tomorrow he is having the entire crew, 7 guys plus him, in for half a day to do a comprehensive shop cleaning.(the place is a train wreck) He will get back to me tomorrow afternoon with an outcome if anything shows up.
    Hopefully my parts will turn up or someone's head will probably roll.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2018
  7. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    This really slows things down...
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2018
  8. Colin 85 700

    Colin 85 700 Active Member

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    Im not saying it won't work... But I allways roughed in and tested first.... You got some real nice fancy looking brackets and stuff, but if you suspension geometry is off even 1/4 inch somewhere with that Pro-link style set up... :(
    Dude, regardless, I'm right interested to see it on the road! :) keep us posted!
     
  9. a100man

    a100man Well-Known Member

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    This bike is my all time favourite 550.. It was featured in 'Practical Sportsbike' a few years ago.. I also saw it on ebay a while back as Chris 'Chilly' Hill (get it) was trying to sell, not sure if he ever did. I couldn't that's for sure. If I get the time I'll a) locate b)scan - the article.
     
  10. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Fingers crossed that I figured my angles correctly. I'll bite the bullet and make a decision on which shock will be used shortly. Having the angles correct IS a big deal and concern. Will keep you posted.

    Very cool straight up dude! One hell of an tatoo artist as well.
    I'd love to see the article associated with his bike. He has an eye and knack with older bikes based on other builds I've seen of his.
    Screenshot_20180804-020604_Samsung Internet.jpg Screenshot_20180804-020435_Samsung Internet.jpg
     
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  11. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    I had a suprized visitor about an hour ago, the fab shop owner, my swingarm didn't materialize or anything. He was kind enough to drop by with an envelope containing $200 cash to cover my time making parts plus a new swingarm. Very fare but frustrated dude because one of his guys is pilfering not just parts but also materials. Who knows what else too.
    I offered him a beer and told him we were more than fair....

    Back to CL or eBay to get the ball up and rolling again.
     
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  12. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    Good guy, understands the value of his reputation...
     
  13. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Found and ordered another swingarm. A little change of plan; still using a Suzuki swingarm, same dimensions but this is an all steel version off a 2009 SFV650. The SFV650 was a beefier version of the uber popular SV650 that had a short production run of about 6 years.
    It comes with all the stuff to make it a complete assembly. I'll be able to center and weld up the linkage mount and brake stay arm bracket myself being its steel.
    I'm trying to avoid anymore delays going this route.
    You can't blame me..... Suzuki-SFV650-SFV-650-Gladius-K9-2010-Rear.jpg
     

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    Last edited: Aug 8, 2018
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  14. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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  15. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Got the new swinger this morning 20180809_134316.jpg
    Centered up the shock linkage mount 20180809_170558.jpg
    I plan on running a 160/60 R17 tire in the rear and a 120/70 R17 in the front.
    The rear wheel will be moved back just about 1 1/2" from it's normal location. The swingarm is 2 3/4" longer than the current arm. This will definitely change the way the bike handles. The added length along with the wider 17" tires will be a welcome improvement.
     
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  16. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    This is the rear shock I will be using. Its off a 2007 R6 and its fully adjustable. It's one of the shorter shocks available at 11.3" in length eye to eye. Everything has to mount up under the airbox and battery so it's tight but doable. To do this right everything has to be removed. Screenshot_20180809-201958_eBay.jpg Before I get in deep with the rear end stuff I want to dial in the the front wheel fitment 100%. There's plenty of nice weather coming up. I'm going to take advantage of it and ride before breaking the bike down to work on the frame modifications. There's plenty of stuff to get ready prior to that.
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2018
  17. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    To make the front rotors line up 5mm must be milled off of each side of the wheel hub. There is an abundance of material on the hub of the TL1000 front wheel that will be used. The integrity of the wheel won't suffer from being shaved down as it's over built to handle the heavy bike it's from. The lip that serves as the stop for the bearing race will also have to be bored out or actually in, as well to recess the bearings inward as well.
    This isn't CNC millwork it's all time consuming hand milling done on a dinosaur Bridgeport machine. At least a day's worth of messing around at my buddies uninsulated metal clad shop building a.k.a. "The Oven".
    Yes, I admit, we're kind of crossing over the line of "straight forward and basic" at this point. This is one of those challenges I mentioned earlier. I welcome them....
     
  18. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Today was 15 degrees cooler than usual so I spent the afternoon milling the front wheel down. It went really well for the most part, it's just a slow process. The final piece of the puzzle will be making up a notched plate to run the speedo drive. I'll sleep on that one or it'll come to me while I'm taking my morning dump. I do some heavy thinking and problem solving on that porcelain seat. TMI....
    The new bearings will be in on Tuesday so I plan to have the front dialed in by next weekend.
    I am kind of concerned about my chain alignment being a potential issue. From my measurement benchmark it seems as if there may be 5-6mm difference. That is the limit of offset under the front sprocket cover. I'll be running a 525 chain so that will gain about a CH of clearance. A offset front sprocket may be part of the revised upcoming plan.
    I'll also start to pull the motor, exhaust,air box and stuff this coming week. I have three days of PTO to use up the following week. We'll see what I can get accomplished with the frame changes at that point.
    ****************************************
    I won't be posting anything more from this point on unless I have pictures to accompany the subject matter.
    ****************************************
    .
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
  19. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Progress as of today, upside down or sideways 20180817_100129.jpg 20180817_101057.jpg , for some reason.
    20180817_101020.jpg Still waiting on a few parts.
    Tires will be in next week.
     

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  20. LarryMc

    LarryMc Active Member

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    Progress has slowed due to adverse reaction from all the smoke in the air from wildfires. All neighboring states and Canada are burning up, bigtime. I'm a smoker too!
    Received new tires and a couple of odds and ends. I ended up ordering an 10mm offset sprocket to line everything up correctly.
    It's getting there.... 20180824_192222.jpg
    From this angle the rear sprocket is not visible. There is just over a 1/4" clearance between the 520 chain and the tire sidewall edge. Works for me... 20180824_192250.jpg When the shock shows up next week I can button this up. This is close to the ride height. A black tire hugger goes on the cross for the swingarm 20180824_191549.jpg
    Alot of work on the rear shock mounts and frame has transpired that no one will probably even notice. That's fine. It's all tucked under the airbox and where the center stand was.

    I happy with the bad attitude the bike seems to have now.
     

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