Project Mini Moto - Part I

Noel dropped this in to the workshop a while back. The swing-arm (which is more correctly called a rear fork 'cos it doesn't move) had collapsed a bit and the rear tyre was almost touching the exhaust.

It was pretty tatty so he was happy enough when I suggested I might tidy it up a bit...

Part 2 is here - www.mercenary.ie/2014/03/project-mini-moto-part-ii.html

It's hard to see it, but the swing-arm is bent just to the rear of the triangular gusset.

New, stronger, 4" over-stock swing-arm. I like stretched swing-arms, whatcha-gonna-do?

The new swingarm is pretty simple - It's cut out of 2 pieces of 50 x 25 3mm box, 320mm long. It's much stronger than the old set-up, but the whole structure is still very weak.

Gussets have been added to get some of the load into the frame structure. Without them, all the forces want to break the tubes between the rear fork and the frame triangle above it. It's not a very well thought-out arrangement.

I think with the gussets, it's strong enough. I was tempted to put a strut from the rear fork to the rear frame triangle (like a twin-shock set-up), but that would change the look of the thing. Like I said, I think it's strong enough...

#MiniMoto #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage