Swing arm conspiracy

Runninlean

Model citizen, zero discipline
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Ohio,USA
Got a bike from Craigslist last fall, did a full build and it’s fantastic however on my first Few rides have been a little less than satisfactory. It seems that the rear tire floats and in a right hand turn almost wants to give out.
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which I equated to bad tires at first, Im waiting for my tires, they are in the shipping stage, when removing the rear wheel I have discovered what I think might be a bent swingarm. The previous owner said somebody had laid this bike down, and to what extent I did not know but when I bought it it didn’t look like much more than in driveway accident!. I would just like someone else’s input or expertise if this looks wonky or not before I proceed further.to me looks like the tire was bent under a bit? Also if there is a way to test the alignment it is information I have not been able to find. Thanks guys.trying to get my knees in The breeze!!
 
First thing I'd be doing is checking the swing arm bushings, sleeve and pivot shaft.
put the axle and spacers in, compare alignment with the pivot area of the swing arm.
Remove the shocks, wiggle the arm around is it sloppy? it should be snug enough to not drop on it's own and have nimimal side play. DO NOT mindlessly reef down on the pivot nut, that is likely to cause the pivot to fracture at the base of the threads. Not right away but on a ride in near future....
Replacing the composite stock swing arm bushings with aftermarket brass bsuhings is one of the top ten of XS650 needed maintenance chores.
 
Also VERY popular is changing wheel bearings and "forgetting the hat spacer inside the sprocket side bearing. This will result in very sloppy rear wheel assembly that can only be corrected by buying an aftermarket hat spacer (#20 in the pic) and new bearings.

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I will definitely check that that spacer is there this evening. I didn’t know that since it was an asymmetrical frame if swingarm would be offset to account for that. As I had stated before I am not entirely sure if my tires are to blame or not since they were weather checked. The entire assembly seems solid when you move it side to side and up-and-down. Swing arm bushing are fine nothing is over tight/loose.
 
Your shocks look old and maybe original, probably way past their prime. They could be contributing to the issue as well.
Agreed...this has been a factor for me on a different bike. Felt like the bike was going to wash out on every right turn... ended up being the right shock was sticking and not rebounding as it should.
 
Agreed...this has been a factor for me on a different bike. Felt like the bike was going to wash out on every right turn... ended up being the right shock was sticking and not rebounding as it should.
That’s the feeling I’m getting! Everything else is triple checked and
Agreed...this has been a factor for me on a different bike. Felt like the bike was going to wash out on every right turn... ended up being the right shock was sticking and not rebounding as it should.
that’s the exact feeling I’m having, I triple checked everything and it’s all there and installed correctly. You guys have a good thought with the shocks, they are definitely original and maybe just on just spring in the corner huh. Thanks for the tip.
 
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