Single Sided Swingarm

I have to ask (since it was brought up...)

If this is a show bike, which I'm assuming is being built to showcase the abilities of your shop and thereby gain customers... Why wouldn't you build something that functions extremely well instead of a static fluff piece?

Not trying to start a war here btw. Just curious.
 
I don't understand why people think a SSSA is not functional.


Honda has used them on their VFR's for over 20 years and so has Ducati and Triumph.


They wouldn't be using them if they didn't work.
 
AlphaDogChoppers said:
So, making the bike less functional is OK because it's for show?
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are the choppers on here made to be lighter and faster and better handling?

single swingarm would look wicked and makes the whole project a bit more interesting :)
 
Finnigan said:
I'm doing that to my cb build, because it looks cool. End of story. I'm not going to push my bike to the limit or care that a fat tire doesnt grip any better. Maybe you think its a dumb idea because you're old.
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Winner!

Pretty sure he hates that long hair music and doesn't see any reason to get rid of his VCR.
 
jungalist said:
are the choppers on here made to be lighter and faster and better handling?

single swingarm would look wicked and makes the whole project a bit more interesting :)
Click to expand...

My chopper is. It's nearly two hundred pounds lighter than stock, will certainly be quicker, and handling will obviously not be on par with truly performance oriented bikes but certainly won't be any less admirable than most of the "racers" I've seen.

I really don't understand why people think that all choppers are these unrideable and poor handling junk piles. Sure, there's a large number of choppers built in a style that doesnt lend itself to tearing up the twisties but there are plenty of supposed "racers" out there that suffer the same fate.

If a hardtailed bike is built with proper geometry in mind, and performance is a goal... They can be really tight and great handling machines.
 
VonYinzer said:
I have to ask (since it was brought up...)

If this is a show bike, which I'm assuming is being built to showcase the abilities of your shop and thereby gain customers... Why wouldn't you build something that functions extremely well instead of a static fluff piece?

Not trying to start a war here btw. Just curious.
Click to expand...
It will function just fine. It will weigh approx 25 pounds more than the set up currently on it, with the carbon fiber tail, fenders, and tank I'm building for it, along with a few other mods, I'll make up for the weight difference.
 
Finnigan said:
You didn't see the wisdom in cutting off that braid ;)

I'm kidding, I got nothing but love for ya brother
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The biker chick hangin' with me wanted to braid it. 'Nuff said.
Actually, when you have long hair, the braid prevents a lot of tangling and wind damage to your hair when you ride. Never got the hang of braiding it myself. When my wife saw that picture with the braid, I can tell ya, I had some 'splainin' ta do...
 
The weight will be removed from sprung mass and added as unsprung mass. Not a great trade off. That said, they do look cool.
 
hillsy said:
I don't understand why people think a SSSA is not functional.


Honda has used them on their VFR's for over 20 years and so has Ducati and Triumph.


They wouldn't be using them if they didn't work.
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the only reason honda started using it was for the endurance racing, the suzuka race
and others
all of the single sided production units are massively heavy and there is absolutely NO PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE in fact the hugely added unsprung weight and added rotating mass detracts from perf
putting one on a vintage bike throws the handling down the shitter with the stretched wheelbase,and added rotating mass and added unsprung weight
it makes way more sense to copy the proven twin shock superbikes if you are modding a twin shock bike
oh but then you have to buy 800 doller shocks, good lord, can't have that
the triumph arm and brake/hub/disc weighs 40lbs that is not including the wheel or shock

but they do it for a look
the factory rvf rc30 rc45 bikes may have used magnesium i wouldn't doubt it
if not my bet is a special lighter casting anyway
 
VonYinzer said:
My chopper is. It's nearly two hundred pounds lighter than stock, will certainly be quicker, and handling will obviously not be on par with truly performance oriented bikes but certainly won't be any less admirable than most of the "racers" I've seen.

I really don't understand why people think that all choppers are these unrideable and poor handling junk piles. Sure, there's a large number of choppers built in a style that doesnt lend itself to tearing up the twisties but there are plenty of supposed "racers" out there that suffer the same fate.

If a hardtailed bike is built with proper geometry in mind, and performance is a goal... They can be really tight and great handling machines.
Click to expand...

i'm not saying every chopper. i'm pointing to the gnarly 2" ground clearance hunks of meat.
 
VonYinzer said:
I really don't understand why people think that all choppers are these unrideable and poor handling junk piles.
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That uninformed opinion is common here. Yeah, back in the '70's, guys who didn't have a clue about rake and trail geometry built some pretty nasty death traps. Today, any competent builder knows how to build a bike, whatever the style, that has good handling and a comfortable ride. Indian Larry used to say, "I like to ride fast and hard in the mountains, so the bike has to handle."

Yes, motorcycles are meant to be ridden. I never understood the notion of the "show bike." I also believe that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it.

I'm the same way about converting a standard twin shock swingarm to a monoshock. Seems pointless to me.
 
VonYinzer said:
I have to ask (since it was brought up...)

If this is a show bike, which I'm assuming is being built to showcase the abilities of your shop and thereby gain customers...
Click to expand...

That question is rhetorical, right? It's a show bike to look cool. Very few people see a bike and think, wow that's functional. They start with WOW that's cool and that's what it's about. He's selling bling - excitement - style - lifestyle - promises of chicklets chasing the owner - etc.

When I go to a show I see the "look" and if I'm interested enough I'll start to check out the details to see how well engineered it is and most bikes, that's where it stops because they are made to look sharp not to work well.
 
In the 90s, Ducati managed to beat anybody and everybody while running a single sided swingarm for about 8 years straight.. (In WSBK, without tire changes) Of course, there was that year that Kocinski and Honda won.. I forgot what kind of bike he was on.. Oh, yeah... One with a SSSA...

I find it funny that people crab about the weight in one thread and then in the next thread about carbon fiber or something lightweight, they'll say "waste of money, just lose weight yourself first!" or something like that.

Sure, it's a bit heavier, but he wants to do it, and they absolutely look great. I guess some people just love to negative nancy on everything
 
DetroitStyle said:
In the 90s, Ducati managed to beat anybody and everybody while running a single sided swingarm for about 8 years straight.. (In WSBK, without tire changes) Of course, there was that year that Kocinski and Honda won.. I forgot what kind of bike he was on.. Oh, yeah... One with a SSSA...

I find it funny that people crab about the weight in one thread and then in the next thread about carbon fiber or something lightweight, they'll say "waste of money, just lose weight yourself first!" or something like that.

Sure, it's a bit heavier, but he wants to do it, and they absolutely look great. I guess some people just love to negative nancy on everything
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its a lot heavier ...and...

all modern bikes with an ssa or not are designed for a longer swinger than vintage machines
the engines have an output/cs sprocket location moved rearward/closer to the pivot of swinger compared to vintage machines
this allows a longer swinger with the swinger pivot closer to the sprocket
all of this was pioneerd by motocross bike advancing technology,in the mid 70's
the reason mainly was to control wildly changing chain tension as rear wheel travel increase at an inch or 2 a year
it just made sense for any motorcyckle so it was adopted to street bikes as well(the elimination of kick starting helped allow this as well by shotrtening the engine package)
that is why the longer swinger is gonna make a vintage jap bike have too long a wheelbase and handle like a barge mainly because you cannot get the pivot moved any further/sufficiently forward which would be the right way to do it
 
xb33bsa said:
that is why the longer swinger is gonna make a vintage jap bike have too long a wheelbase and handle like a barge mainly because you cannot get the pivot moved any further/sufficiently forward which would be the right way to do it
Click to expand...

But dude... It doesn't matter, because the bike doesn't even have to function. It's a show bike. ;-)
 
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