MOPED ARMY

Your bike is beautiful.

It looks brand new.

Chip-I'm runnin a 2.25 Gazelle...looks like I can maybe fit a 2.5 comfortable

and thanks Ian and Bella/Elliot...it is as clean as I can get it. I took the whole bike down to the ground, took it apart, then cleaned it, put it back together...I now know this thing inside and out.

Every single piece is cleaned. it looks literally like its from factory like that. I'm impressed.

Its an average man's build that looks pro.

so back to topic....no one has said anything about the swingarm....thoughts/opinions?

everytime i see your bike, it makes me want to go clean mine. I've never used the swingarm before, sorry. just wanted to compliment the bike.

the EBR may not be sufficient for a kitted bike

no

I like the bars the way they are...Not for looks but because it is comfy to ride and I feel better in control.

I'm not coming to Pittsburgh for Halloween. I was just there Saturday to get the rest of my tools from the basement of the house I just sold.

I will come up if they ever have a rally though.......

Tyler, it's not my place to answer, really, but I think I spot a tiny EBR logo on Gunther's headlamp ears.

New chrome. Happy chrome.

+++

G.M. - I didn't mention it before, but I can't really see why the beefier swingarm you've got should be _less_ suitable for a kitted bike than the stock one.

I'd suggest a test, but first: how easy was your shock swap? Are you up to tossing your stock rear shocks back on for just one ride? My thinking is that if you started with no sway (I hear "sway" and think "twist," no?), added a new swingarm and new shocks, and then found sway, the cause could be either the swingarm or the shocks.

Ty- The front is a new Mah=gnum EBR and a chrome front fender off a Maxi Sport. Bolted up easy(kinda) with a little bending and tweeking

Twingle- I may put the old shocks on and see if there is any twist. The shocks are brand spankin new and kinda stiff...

I thought I felt sway/twist when cornering the first time but I may have been anticipating it too much and my mind was playing tricks on me. To swap out the shocks for the old ones would take less than 5 minutes.

TerryDean- Is it the shock bracket that breaks/tears? I figured I will keep an eye on it for the next few weeks and see what happens.

Actually, I was sort of counting on the new shocks being stiffer. Before, though, I didn't see the possible connection to Terry Dean's point:

We know that the stress on the back of your bike while cornering is the normal up-and-down, hitting-a-bump force combined with a varying pull to the side (the horizontal component of your acceleration around a turn, the force of friction applied at your tire's contact patch, or just centripetal force - they're all almost the same here).

That sideways force is applied to your rear axle with your wheel as a lever arm, and would compress just the inside shock if the two sides of the swingarm weren't connected at the bracket. Instead, that sideways force compresses the inside shock, and is transmitted through the bracket to the outside shock. Cornering should make both of your rear shocks compress just a little bit (which it does).

So, we can say that the bracket needs to be able to take a twisting force that is essentially equivalent to the compression resistance, or stiffness of the outside shock. If you put a stiffer shock on, the bracket will be subjected to more stress.

Terry Dean: Can I guess that the brackets you have seen that have cracked have mostly been on bikes whose owners have also installed "beefier" rear suspension components?

I ran one for a year or so with no major catastrophes. I cornered hard, but not super hard, and I did not have upgraded shocks on it for the first 6 months. The tabs did seem a little weak, but I never had them break on me.

idk if it has been said above me but put this in the wiki...

alot of people wonder about this

Jon-O...I had the same troubles. I also had to ream out the holes in the bikes pivot bracket to get it to bolt on right. The holes in the swingarm are very slightly off.

Sammy G- I want to compile more feedback before this goes to the wiki. Right now its only a handful of responses regarding the swingarm performance. I still would like to hear a few more of Terry's thoughs

Human-THAT would be too much Chrome. I like color and Chrome accents. Plus the color on the bike is origional and kinda minty..