HELP with Extended Swing Arm

thanks for the compliments joe and jefferson. i bought it off another member, cant recall his user name right now. it's a nice bike, just need to figure out this little issue.

First thought would be arm is not ideally centered...

Translation: To get the chain to align, they offset the arm/rim versus centering and modifying other components for ideal/preferred arm & rim alignments.

On each side of the pivot tube to inside frame, measurements equal?

Check your rear rim (center) to frame for alignments... You'll probably be surprised find your off centered 1/2" - 3/4".

It would be hard to see with the naked eye.... Larry C used a laser, good idea....

Or as Plumi mentioned, if the rim is truly centered, just grind off the inside of the point of contact on the exhaust mount...

bmannon wrote:

The bike in question...

Very Nice! Classy, Old School! My kind a bike!
Looks like a little tweakin with a porta-power or sludge hammer and a block of 2x4 can't fix.
Did the bracket leg get bent in transit, shipping somehow?
A ratchet strap, tie down has a lot of power.

Would ya' mind putting a $$ value on that motorcycle??

I am building one similar to sell.
Thanks.
Marty in Buffalo.

Old Man Rock wrote:

First thought would be arm is not ideally centered...

Translation: To get the chain to align, they offset the arm/rim versus centering and modifying other components for ideal/preferred arm & rim alignments.

On each side of the pivot tube to inside frame, measurements equal?

Check your rear rim (center) to frame for alignments... You'll probably be surprised find your off centered 1/2" - 3/4".

It would be hard to see with the naked eye.... Larry C used a laser, good idea....

Or as Plumi mentioned, if the rim is truly centered, just grind off the inside of the point of contact on the exhaust mount...

it looks like his issue is under swingarm like something is twisted,not side to side from his pictures anyway

yes exactly, the arm is centered, it is a an issue with the vertical clearance between the bottom of the arm and the top of the original exhaust mounts.

Hard to say in the photo's provided... 3/4" on the left but no mention of the right side measurement... That's why I askked...

Based on stable ride, with a twist that far to the right you'd think this would be all over the road....

Wonder if as mentioned, the exhaust mount arm was bent for the exhaust to fit on this frame....

I'd still be insuring the rim is centered... 1/2" is a considerable shift...

Ah well, possibly some others that have gone the GS route will chime in as well....

is there any way you could get the bike up on a center stand or something to get the frame level,then run a level through rear wheel and lay it on both sides of swingarm to compare notes?
thats the easiest way i can think of to check for straightness/square between frame/swingarm

when it's sitting with no one on it the right side touches the top of the arm and there is approx 3/4" clearance on the other side. With a rider, there is clearance on both sides.

bmannon wrote:

when it's sitting with no one on it the right side touches the top of the arm and there is approx 3/4" clearance on the other side. With a rider, there is clearance on both sides.

have you checked the adjustment on your shocks?

One thing that just came to mind...

Left side spacer isn't GS OEM...
Example, foudn the arm on E-bay, no hardware included.
Not sure what spacer so uses what they have....
Chain doesn't line up, too far left...

So instead of modifying spacer length, shift the whole arm right.... :blink:

Just thinking out loud here for a moment.... :S most likely I'm wrong.... Yeah, Like that'd be a first.... :laugh:

PLUMMEN wrote:

bmannon wrote:

when it's sitting with no one on it the right side touches the top of the arm and there is approx 3/4" clearance on the other side. With a rider, there is clearance on both sides.

have you checked the adjustment on your shocks?

yes i did, they are both on the lowest setting.

measurements from the swingarm pivot should help determine how far off from each other they are.
but,these frames are not exactly known to be the most accurately jigged and aligned,it could just be that they just welded em on crooked at the factory.

leon