Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 250 & 400 => Topic started by: turbofb on September 03, 2007, 11:57:10 PM
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Well,Im one step away from riding with my new swingarm.....too bad some Ebay lowlife is taking his sweet time shipping the new rear axle Im in need of!
:annoy:
No pics yet,I still havent bought a camera,but I promise they are coming.
So,since Im very close and its basically a done deal,I figured I'd give ya'll an update and parts list for anyone looking to make the same mod.
The Gixxer swingarm is basically a bolt up.No spacers are needed and the linkage matches.I did have to space the dogbones apart a tad,but only because Im running a larger diameter, 06' GSXR 750 rear spring.A couple washers did the trick.The swinger is shorter than the stock unit,by about 2" so shes a stubby little mule....outta help with the handling and she might even pull a wheelie or two now!I had to drop 4-5 chain links due to this fact and my 160 tire is much closer to some things,but there is adequate clearance all around.
I choose a 99-02 SV650 rear wheel for its 4.5" width and 3 spoke design that is similar to the older Suzuki's (the spokes are straight,not swept).I should be able to run my 160 Dunlop Qualifier all the way to the edge now.The B4 cush drive fits right in and the wheel bearings are the same as the B4. I also used the SV rear caliper holder since the SV rear rotor is a little smaller than the B4's.The SV caliper is the same unit and the B4 torque arm bolts up fine, thanks to Jay's addition of a tab on the Gixxer swingarm.The chain alignment is dead on,Im just lacking a gaurd.....probably gonna hack up the hugger and make it work.
The 2nd gen,03-06 SV650 uses a 20MM axle which matches the GSXR 400 axle diameter.It would probably have worked,but I didnt want to risk having the B4 cush drive(and my brandnew sproket) not match up and possibly not having the chain align.The 1st gen SV wheel uses a 17MM rear axle,same as the B4,so I knew some of my current items would fit.I used the B4 chain adjusters to support the 17MM axle,despite the 20MM slots in the swingarm.I used the Gixxer end caps to make it look clean and align the adjusters inside the swingarms.I had to narrow the SV right side axle spacer about 3-4MM since the new swingarm is a little narrower than the SV swingarm.Its all fitted up now and it looks great,Im just waiting on my longer,SV650 axle.Ive currently got it sitting with the B4 axle inserted,but its about 1" too short,the threads dont stick out enough to get the nut started.
I also splurged for a Scotts steering damper.It for the 93-95 GSX-R750 so it bolts right up to the upper clamp.I had to cut off a good portion of the bolt-on lower tower mount, since its a custom job.I carfully and securely welded the tower pin holder to the frame,just ahead of the gastank.It clears everything just fine,nothing binds or is compromised.I slotted the upper battery plate holes just a little so that the gastank can be secured just a smidge back from where it should be.The rubber surround on the bottom of the tank just contacts the base of the tower pin plate where its welded to the frame.
Its acutally an Ohlins,I didnt know that until I got it.I thought Id never need one,ironically 1 day after ordering it,I hit some rain grooves on the freeway while accelerating and she went into a terrible fit,thought I was gonna lose it for a second.I also had a few twitchy moments while riding hard last week through the St Helena pass,a local twisty mountain road.Im hoping it will be one of those things that makes you say,"Man,how did I ride without one of these things?"......if anything,Im hoping it will have some effect,especially on such a light,twitchy bike.If it saves my ass once,it paid for itself.....and it sure does look cool! :roll:
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:congrats: :motorsmile:
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You wouldn't happen to know the weight of the SV rim and the stock B4 rim?
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I should have checked,but I'd guess its a toss up.
The SV rim has more meat being wider,but it also has a more open,perforated central hub wheras the B4's wheel is "solid" save for the holes in the end of each spoke.Actually,there is still a way for me to check that,just gimme a day to find a good scale.I have the bare B4 rim to weigh,and the box the SV rim came in says 16lbs.Just have to weigh all the packing it came in (theres quite a lot)
I will say this,despite looking very thin and cheap,the stock B4 swingarm is quite heavy.The central chunk where the linkage attaches and the main pivot,are a very hefty piece of steel.While the GSXR swinger is more massive,its aluminum construction obviously saves weight, for its size....again,they are about the same weight,but the GSXR swingarm is obviously much more rigid.
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So,I got the axle today and took her around the block carfully to make sure everthing is ship shape.
Seems OK,theres only one thing bugging me.The back-end is feeling really tall now.It doesnt look any different but when Im riding,it feels like Im being vaulted over the handlebars.Im guessing this is due to cutting 3 or so inches off the wheelbase and now there is less leverage advantage to compress the rear spring?
So,should I crank back the pre-load on the spring,or go for some longer dogbones to get things back down?I know a taller backend makes for better handling(to a point) but I had grown accustomed to how she felt before and this is a little extreme to be comfy with.
Being my first streetbike that Im serious about dialing in the suspension (my FZR600 was an entry into sporkbikes,and my FZR1000 the pig it is,being relagated to "long haul" rides)....I really would like to get the B4 setup as close to perfection as can be.Any advise would be awesome.......
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dog bones since you went with that shock
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Thanks,Ill look into it.
OK,for now I found a decent digital scale that reads down to 1/2lb increments.
The stock,bare B4 rear rim weights 12.5lbs with just bearings and brake dust on it.
The box my SV wheel came in is 4lbs,so minus that from the 16lb shipping label and we get 12lbs for the SV wheel with just bearings (no brake dust) :roll:
I cant say for sure if the shipping computor was just rounding down/up since the box wasnt really near the weight limit of what companies will ship.In any case,its a fair enough guess to say they are of similar weight.....the only obvious advantage to the SV wheel is the correct fitting of a 160 tire.
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so are we going to see a pic with the swinger on? :stickpoke:
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Yeah, Buy a camera already!!! Sound like a nice set up, time to show it off!!! :bandit:
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How can I afford a camera when I spend all the money on the bike! :lol:
Im off the next couple days,Ill get it done.Im all over the place right now,trying to track lost parts in the mail, getting my FZR1000's suspension up to par with the B4's,and of course it threatens to rain any day.
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OK now,anyone that views these has to send $10 to help pay for the new camera! :lol:
A few mods have been made since my last pics came up.Most notabley of course is the swinger.Still need to replace the crusty stock brake line and see if the hugger will adapt,but here it is.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/b4001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/b4002.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/b4006.jpg)
Heres the fancy new damper.It bolts right up to the clamp,but I had to weld the tower pin to the frame since its made for a GSXR750.Works great,uber adjustable.Also my new mirrors,not as viewable as the stockers,but sleeker.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/b4003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/rentalguy/b4005.jpg)
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Very Nice!!! :clap: Love any & all custom work!!! Bet that bike is a ton of fun!!!!
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PIMP dude, real PIMP
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Thanks,I had a lot of fun building it.
After a couple years of being bored and in a rut with my bikes,selling my older ones and getting the B4 got me totally turned around.I ride nearly every day and Im finally getting the FZR cleaned up and ready to compete with the B4 for my attention. :motorsmile:
The tossability of it is very fun.
Although Im perfectly happy and comfortable riding at about 7/10ths,I can push it more and it doesnt bite back if you screw up a little.Im a little disapointed that Im dragging metal now,but still showing chicken strips on the rear! :roll: ....oh well,as least I know theres plenty of tire left!
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Very nice!! :clap:
I don't have any tens to send you, so you'll have to settle for a tall cold one... over the Net. :wink:
(http://www.fallsliquormart.com/assets/pourbeer.jpg)
Think of the camera as a tool. You can use it for taking pictures as you tear things apart so you can remember where things go.
If you decide to put 'em back on. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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sweeeeeeeeeet! I'm jealous! :congrats: :motorsmile:
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Not as jealous as I am! :congrats:
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.Im a little disapointed that Im dragging metal now,but still showing chicken strips on the rear! :roll: ....oh well,as least I know theres plenty of tire left!
Sounds to me like you need to get the suspension dialled in.
Not that I really know what i'm talking about, but my understanding is that with correct suspension settings, you should be able to get to the edge of the tyre before the pegs touch down.
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I agree with El Dopa. I'm using a 92 GSXR 750 front fork and a RGV 250 swinger with a 92 GSXR 750 shock. I have Pilot Power 2CT tires, 120/70 and 160/60. Both are rounded, when my pegs touch the ground it's a sign that I'm near the point where the bike starts to slide, in a good way that is. lol on my favorite road my line in the corner is marked by numerous black stripes. With these kind of suspension upgrades and tires the Bandit is a really cool and steady bike to play with. I don't have a steering damper by the way, kinda useless on a 60 hp bike imo, no matter what road you're on, I even use it for offroad sometimes and the front wheel recovers by itself when it starts to slap.
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Not as jealous as I am! :congrats:
anything i can help you with mate let me know
cheers
jay
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Well,Ive only been out once since getting my sag setup.The stock springs were OK for my weight,but they did end up near the full preload settings front and rear before the tech was happy.Dive is greatly reduced under heavy braking and the bike feels very planted,way more confidence inspiring than my big bike.
I appreciate the lack of grunt,since I can really power out of the turns without upsetting anything.On my fav. road,I just keep her in 3rd and work the RPM range from 7-8K to redline....its a very twisty road.That might be part of why I only ride hard enough to use "most" of the tire,high speeds are dangerous on this road,Ill keep the last 25% for the track,where if I get hurt/killed its my fault and only my fault.Even before my buddy was killed recently,I was always a modest,75-80% rider.On top of that,the Dunlop Qualifiers are very round rpofile tires,they make the Avons on my FZR look like Fred Flintstone steam rollers. :roll: