♬♬ Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate.... ♬♬
-
Enjoy XS650.com? Consider making a donation to help support the site.
XS650.com receives a small share of sales from some links on this page, but direct donations have a much greater impact on keeping this site going.
Swingarm pivot bolt upgrade, 16M?
- Thread starter Norton7d
- Start date
Come down from your fences, open the gate.... ♬♬
I'm not too sure a grease groove cut in the pivot tube is really needed. The bushing itself has a channel cut into it all the way around for the grease to flow through. I do like to add some extra holes to the pivot tube at the center though. Then grease will get pumped into the center of the arm too .....
I've never run across a cracked or broken pivot bolt either.
I've never run across a cracked or broken pivot bolt either.
I think it might be the quality of the bolt itself that's the problem, or maybe the neck down directs forces some way. Or maybe there's no problem with the bolt. I'm just repeating what I was told by somebody with probably more experience than all of ours combined. Or maybe it takes magnafluxing to see it.
FWIW:
While trying to find that elusive Suzuki bolt part #, I ran across a couple of related threads on the XS-650 Garage USA forum. Here's a snippet of a post made by grizld1 on 9/26/2008, almost exactly 11 years ago:
Mike's XS offers a straight-cut swingarm bolt to replace the undercut stock unit, which has a habit of breaking in aggressive riding. Dwayne Burge pointed out awhile ago that breakage at that point indicates that frame flex is taking place at the pivot and can be cured by welding a plate across the pressed steel frame members that support the swingarm pivots. If you ride aggressively enough for swingarm flex to be a problem, swingarm braces and braced swingarms are available from joewiseguy on ebay (or Google Wiseguys Choppers). 5twins suggested another fix, which is to use a TX750 swingarm, which is more robust and a bolt-on fit. I bought a used one to check it out; unfortunately it adds 2 lbs. of unsprung weight, which is a lot. Radian and FZ box-section swingarms have also been used; a search (go back a couple of years when you set the time parameters) will turn up several threads on these.
And here's a post made by 5twins on 4/18/2006:
What about the arm from an early GS1100? There's a bare frame in my dealer's boneyard and the swingarm looks very nice, boxed and aluminum I think. Would the pivot bolt be the one some guys replace the stock 650 one with?
12 years later, and still trying to get an answer on that swing arm bolt...
While trying to find that elusive Suzuki bolt part #, I ran across a couple of related threads on the XS-650 Garage USA forum. Here's a snippet of a post made by grizld1 on 9/26/2008, almost exactly 11 years ago:
Mike's XS offers a straight-cut swingarm bolt to replace the undercut stock unit, which has a habit of breaking in aggressive riding. Dwayne Burge pointed out awhile ago that breakage at that point indicates that frame flex is taking place at the pivot and can be cured by welding a plate across the pressed steel frame members that support the swingarm pivots. If you ride aggressively enough for swingarm flex to be a problem, swingarm braces and braced swingarms are available from joewiseguy on ebay (or Google Wiseguys Choppers). 5twins suggested another fix, which is to use a TX750 swingarm, which is more robust and a bolt-on fit. I bought a used one to check it out; unfortunately it adds 2 lbs. of unsprung weight, which is a lot. Radian and FZ box-section swingarms have also been used; a search (go back a couple of years when you set the time parameters) will turn up several threads on these.
And here's a post made by 5twins on 4/18/2006:
What about the arm from an early GS1100? There's a bare frame in my dealer's boneyard and the swingarm looks very nice, boxed and aluminum I think. Would the pivot bolt be the one some guys replace the stock 650 one with?
12 years later, and still trying to get an answer on that swing arm bolt...
I don't recall who I got the info from but I did write it down. The Suzuki swing arm bolt you want is from a 81-84 GS1100.
Leo
Leo
I think that's what's in Madness.
Shamelessly stolen from an ebay ad.
GS1000 GS1100 swingarm pivot bolt c ec e es n en L 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
Shamelessly stolen from an ebay ad.
GS1000 GS1100 swingarm pivot bolt c ec e es n en L 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
Okay, great work on the Suzuki bolt I.D., except that we have two competing part numbers.
Here's the one called out by XSLeo:
https://www.partzilla.com/product/suzuki/61211-49200?ref=6f41520b1106579089f6cdf8c28c9d7f34c9d3e7
And here's gggGary's:
https://www.partzilla.com/product/suzuki/61211-49301?ref=fe040d3351a1287168dd03b3315c6f9b59dbf231
Note the differences in the years and models in the fitment lists. I kind of like the provenance of XSLeo's -- he "wrote it down." But, gggGary could be right too -- maybe they both work...
Here's the one called out by XSLeo:
https://www.partzilla.com/product/suzuki/61211-49200?ref=6f41520b1106579089f6cdf8c28c9d7f34c9d3e7
And here's gggGary's:
https://www.partzilla.com/product/suzuki/61211-49301?ref=fe040d3351a1287168dd03b3315c6f9b59dbf231
Note the differences in the years and models in the fitment lists. I kind of like the provenance of XSLeo's -- he "wrote it down." But, gggGary could be right too -- maybe they both work...
Last edited:
I'll go with Leo too! I just searched ebay for GS1100 swingarm bolt and found that one.
both are listed as fitting the same 1982 GS1100ES!
Note one is still available new!
both are listed as fitting the same 1982 GS1100ES!
Note one is still available new!
Last edited:
