Bikesure_adrianflux

Nice 900SS build

That's all very well, but if Big Oz was still about he would soon point out that he's burned his Titanium with his welds!
At least he's not going to dazzle the oncoming traffic at night.
 
I like the paint, the welding not so much, that exhaust looks like I made it (SH!T) if weight was the enemy, why bother installing a single sided swingarm that's heavier than the alloy original, style over function!
 
Other than the welding, I quite like it.

It's nice not to see the cut off rear/arse in the air/back gets soaked if it rains with a silly side mounted number plate on the swingarm on custom build these days, for me it's just enough old school combined with a bit of modern.👍

As for single-side swingarms, I'm a fan - especially after today's job of changing the chain/sprockets on the Monster. The worst part of which is removing/refitting the rear wheel, struggling to shove the spindle through, then faffing about with the chain tensioners/wheel alignment etc.

Took me about 3 hours in all. By comparison the same job on my 916 (single-sided-swingarm) would probably take an hour as the wheel doesn't need to come off to change the rear sprocket and even when you do remove the wheel, it's just one nut and the chain tension doesn't move so removing/fitting the rear wheel takes literally seconds plus, the chain adjustment is so simple with no need to measure/balance the sides as it's a simple eccentric.

I guess that makes me a single-sided-swinger. ☺️

To add to the drama, on the test ride the speedo was over-reading by a factor of 4, I was in 3rd gear around 45mph-ish but the speedo was showing 193!

Turns out that because the new chain is not stretched and the sprockets not worn so full size, the wheel was slightly further forwards than before, enough to make the speedo sensor (I have a digital dash that picks up it's readings from the brake disc bolts) which is bolted to the swingarm pickup in a different position on the brake disc socket-head bolts so, presumably was reading the 'hole' in the bolt head and somehow taking 4 readings rather than just the 1.

Must have just been the '(un)sweet-spot' as it's never done that before, a simple adjustment but I had to return to base for the tools.

Bike is smoother with the new chain/sprockets, I did notice a 'grumbling' on the last ride and the chain had got very loose in a short while so, all good. 👍
 
Tim, did you miss my post about using a builders inflatable door wedge to help with wheel changes?
Mr Gazza

Thread 'Fitting wheels. The easy way.'

I've been promising to myself to post this for you folks for while, as it's saved me so much pain and deserves to be shared

I had enough of hurting my back, balancing a wheel on my foot whilst jiggling it into place to align the spindle holes.
It's the reach forwards to try and push the spindle in that is the killer.
When I described the action to the kind osteopath I was paying, he gasped and said, yes, that'll do the trick alright! He did put me right after a few £££ though.

Like wars, this kind of thing leads to rapid development and I had an epiphany one day, thinking about how my...
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Oh, and I forgot to mention anything about green crankcase covers before as I was feeling poorly.
 
I did see it and thought it a good idea however, I didn’t do anything about it so only had bits of wood and a selection of choice language.

Maybe I should invest…
 
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Have to take your hat off to the Russian engineers who built titanium submarines, they had to wear diving suits while working in an argon atmosphere.
Nice look to the bike, and 158kgs sounds impressive too. On the down side the Pantah/SS frame doesn't have the engineering elegance of our 851/Monster frames.
 
Dukedesmo said:
Other than the welding, I quite like it.

It's nice not to see the cut off rear/arse in the air/back gets soaked if it rains with a silly side mounted number plate on the swingarm on custom build these days, for me it's just enough old school combined with a bit of modern.👍

As for single-side swingarms, I'm a fan - especially after today's job of changing the chain/sprockets on the Monster. The worst part of which is removing/refitting the rear wheel, struggling to shove the spindle through, then faffing about with the chain tensioners/wheel alignment etc.

Took me about 3 hours in all. By comparison the same job on my 916 (single-sided-swingarm) would probably take an hour as the wheel doesn't need to come off to change the rear sprocket and even when you do remove the wheel, it's just one nut and the chain tension doesn't move so removing/fitting the rear wheel takes literally seconds plus, the chain adjustment is so simple with no need to measure/balance the sides as it's a simple eccentric.

I guess that makes me a single-sided-swinger. ☺️

To add to the drama, on the test ride the speedo was over-reading by a factor of 4, I was in 3rd gear around 45mph-ish but the speedo was showing 193!

Turns out that because the new chain is not stretched and the sprockets not worn so full size, the wheel was slightly further forwards than before, enough to make the speedo sensor (I have a digital dash that picks up it's readings from the brake disc bolts) which is bolted to the swingarm pickup in a different position on the brake disc socket-head bolts so, presumably was reading the 'hole' in the bolt head and somehow taking 4 readings rather than just the 1.

Must have just been the '(un)sweet-spot' as it's never done that before, a simple adjustment but I had to return to base for the tools.

Bike is smoother with the new chain/sprockets, I did notice a 'grumbling' on the last ride and the chain had got very loose in a short while so, all good. 👍
Click to expand...

Ah,the trusty single sided swing arm debate!! I'm the same as you Tim,I love 'em,purely for the looks,both my bikes have single sided swing arms.I know there are people on here who don't like them but hey,we're all different,each to their own.

Kimbo
 
How much heavier are they anyway? especially with the latest technology/materials but I'll sacrifice a bit of extra swingarm weight for the practicality of easy wheel changes and chain adjustment (plus they do look good) much like I'll carry a heavier battery to know my bike will start every time.

Plus, I recall back in the '90s Ducati were concerned that the SSSA might be a disadvantage in WSBK so they built a 916 with a double-sided swingarm for testing.

According to the MCN article when Carl Fogarty and others tested it they decided there was no advantage and so stuck with the SSSA.
 
Dukedesmo said:
I did see it and thought it a good idea however, I didn’t do anything about it so only had bits of wood and a selection of choice language.

Maybe I should invest…
Click to expand...


As it happens I've just refitted a rear wheel this afternoon using my air bag and had to have a self satisfied gloat at how easy it makes the job.
This particular wheel has a very tricky caliper to locate and a disc shaped sensor holder which just makes it even more awkward.
I could use both hands to position everything and control the wheel height precisely to push the spindle through. Every tool box should have one.

So Titanium submarines? I didn't know there was such a thing and wonder why you would want to, as lightness is certainly not a thing on a submarine. Maybe it because of it's non magnetic nature and extra strenght?
Hats off to the poor souls who welded it though. It must have been hell!

Big Oz used to bung up both ends of any pipe he was welding and fill the inside with Argon or other inert gas. the outside was in a gas envelope from the TIG nozzle.. He made a lovely segmented Ti exhaust pipe for his Monster like that.
 
It’s not a question of aesthetics, I’m ambivalent on the debate, the builder stated “weight is the enemy” strictly speaking he means mass, my point remains, why add more mass if the goal was to reduce it!
 
Exactly.

Although personally, I'm in the double-sided camp.
In addition to the weight factor, I prefer the ability to adjust wheel alignment accurately and also I can't be doing with the high torques required with single siders.

I do quite like this build in many ways though.
It certainly looks great and despite criticism of the weld quality on the exhaust, I very much like the overall concept of equal length headers and a single can. Much the same as my own Sil-Moto system actually.

Predictably, I'm going to criticise the open timing belts (a pointless but potentially very damaging situation).
I also think the titanium subframe is let down badly by the inattention to any mudguarding whatsoever. Its going to get a lot of muck up its chuff from the back wheel.
 
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