SWING ARM INFO
The swing arm used on the bike is from a '91 ZR750 Kawasaki Zephyr. This arm works nice because of the original shock mounts and the concentric bushing axle collars.
You have to machine the pivot pin end of the swingarm to fit into the KZ900 frame I used. The same can be done with most older KZ's and older Suzuki 4's. You also have to find appropriate end caps for the ends of the pivot pin end of the arm. I used Yamaha FZ750 '86 caps but I am sure there are others that will fit. The last special part is the pivot pin size. The pivot pin on the old KZ900/1000 is 15mm. The pivot pin from the ZR750 is 20mm. I just used wrist pin bearings (Apr 10 of them) to line the inside of the pivot pin sleeve. They are redily available from dirt bike shops or through CYCLE-RE-CYCLE PART II. They are the bearings used to pivit the piston on the wrist pin for two stroke motors. They can handle a severe load with minimal lubrication. You just get some with a 15mm ID and a 20mm OD. You must also make the pivot pin end of the swingarm fit perfectly inside the frame.
At the other end of the arm you have a choice of 20mm or 17mm axle size depending on the wheel combination you want to use. I used the 20mm axle and concentric sleeves from a Kaw '90-'92 ZX-11C. Using the concentrics from a ZX900R Ninja (ZX900A '84-'86) will allow for a 17mm axil to be used for other wheel types. I used a ZX-11 rear wheel. This wheel is 5.5 inch wide by 17 inch tall. I mounted a 180/55-17 Avon Azaro tire.
Keep in mind that there are other ways to fabricate and or adapt the items mentioned. Most will require spending a lot of money and then the parts would be specialized. If something breaks you will need to have new expensive parts made. The procedures above are a low budget way of effectively getting the job done.
Now that the bike is over 4 years old I have, through trial and error, learned and done some new things. One thing that can save a lot of time and effort is finding a swingarm company that makes a good streetfighter arm for older bikes. I suggest trying JMC Swingarm Company in England.
These guys have a arm pricer online that allows you to build and price the arm to your liking ONLINE!
Go to "Shop" and fill out the form.
Arm Price ?234.04
Polishing ?35.74
Btm Braced ?34.05
Eccentric Adjuster ?0
Post and Packing ?66.9
Above is a itemized list of a typical bottom braced swingarm price. Keep in mind that this info was taken from the page Dec. '01 and prices can change. The prices are in British Pounds (UK-GBP). 370.73 pounds total = 537.35 US Dollars. There are various currency calculators avalable. I used one at...
You can't beat that deal!