Crooked swingbar

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Jtporter9

JT
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So basically my swing arm is crooked, and it is wrecking one side of my tire. I haven't been able to figure out what the matter is. From what I have looked at I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the bushings, and the bearings. From what I know everything on the swing bar is stock, and it sat for over ten years on its stand, not it's center stand, which makes me think that because of that maybe my bushing on one side of the swingbar is mushed. But give me some ideas here guy I could really use the help. Also looking to fix this for cheap if possible.

Thanks!
 

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It could be possible that the stock plastic swingarm bushing is shot. Dime City Cycles has new bronze bushings for $29.99 plus shipping. Should be an easy swap.
 
I'm with 2Many,
that swingarm looks as if it's been twisted sideways!
Check that by removing it then putting a rod through the swingarm bushings, another rod through the axle mounts and seeing if they are parallel.
I'd say the easiest fix if it's twisted enough to see is to look for a replacement swingarm.
 
JMHO, but that's tweaked WAY more than bushings would account for.

I'd be shopping for a new/used swingarm. In fact, I have one, but shipping would be a killer.
 
After you measure and find out for sure where the problem is, swing arms are damn near free, the hardtail guys throw em away.
Post a wanted in your local CL.

swingarms from 78 through 80 mag wheel specials will be plug and play to your bike.
 
I believe I have a swinger up in the attic with bronze bushings installed if you need one pm me if you need it.
 
You know your axle is installed backward and there is no nut on it? Backwards is no big deal if you have reversed the adjusters too. Would like to see some shots from the side, get down on the ground, shoot from axle height, far enough back we can see axle and pivot?

Grab the rear wheel pull it side to side if there's a bushing bad enough to cause that the wheel will flop around like a fish out of water. The bike would be about unrideable.
 
Awesome thanks guys. and no I did not know that at all! I haven't had the bike for too long, and apart from that I noticed this recently. I honestly don't know much about framework, forks, or this swingarm business. But this is helping a ton. Tomorrow when to sun is out i'll take some pics and throw them up here. Tomorrow I'll try to measure the swing arm and see if its really bent or not. Oh and the bike has definitely been ridable. its been a few months that I have been riding on it.
 
oh wait you were talking about the axle, I'm sorry. In the picture I was in the process of taking the rear tire off. If you look closely to the bag on the ground on the right there is the nut. But I did not know it was backward, I will fix that. Thanks. gggGary.
 
by the way. to everyone, in the picture my license plate is crooked to the opposite direction making the swing arm look more bent than it really is. Focus on the rear shocks, and the distance between each one. Thanks
 
Hi Jt,
good eye whoever spotted the nutless backwards axle, I was too busy noticing the wheel's slanty mounting and the one sided tire wear.
Like they said, there's folks who will send you a swingarm for not much more than postage.
I got one myself but a swingarm is heavy and shipping it from Saskatoon would kill the deal.
So yeah, put it back the right way round, do it up and check again, eh?
 
I'd check a wheel diagram. Make sure you have the right spacers and that they are ok. Are the shocks ok? Axle straight? Does the swing arm shake or is it solid? Does it move freely up and down? Just kinda make sure everything is set up the way it is supposed, while keeping an eye out for damage.

Swingarm swap is easy and usually cheap. Just remember to take the grease fittings off first.

You can probably just put a WTB ad on your local craigslist and come up with a swing arm too. Usually I see a whole group of chopper take off parts for like $30. I would think if there was swingarm damage, you probably have damage else where... pipes/trees/tank or other evidence of an accident. Could be wrong though. Maybe someone was jumping it or something weird.
 
Haha word. But there is no damage else were on the bike. The guy said he used to ride it hard so maybe he was doing some awesome jumps or something. My axels are straight and the shocks seem to be fine. It's sound like it might be cheaper and almost easier to Just pouch up someone's swing bar, than to buy new bushings. I've heard it's tough to get the new ones in there. I still have not had a chance to get the bar off. But when I get a chance I will do so to check the straighteness of the bar and the bushings. But reguardless if any of you are close and have an old swing bar. I'll gladly take it. And I have thought about making it a hard tail but that's seems like me overall work time and money. Which I don't have. Unless someone had an extra hard tail frame they don't want
 
uhh JT it's a swingARM not a swing bar.

As I posted above you need;
swingarm from a 78 through 80 mag wheel special to be plug and play on your bike.

sheet I'm sure I have one but first find out if yours is straight or not.

RFlives above has one with the brass bushings installed that's a very good thing! \just make sure it's for a disk brake.
 

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