Swing arm advice
 

If I was looking for a swing arm that I can bolt in with little to no mods, that's stronger then factory, why you say is best. What do I have to do to install it. Yes I would like to keep the weight down.

900RR brace will probably be your best bet. Though I don't know if the aftermarket swingarms are still being manufactured.

Click the image in my sig... ;)

900rr brace on SH swingarm
 

here's what it looks like

Looks good
 

What kind of wheel is that?

rear wheel upgrade
 

that's a 900rr wheel

To use a 900rr front wheel do I need to change the forks?

I'd guess you would cuz the spacers and rotors will all be different...

However, you can run this braced swingarm with the stock rear wheel, so no need to change the front to fix the rear...

im afraid to ask
 

What are the pro's and con's of a braced swing arm. Will I notice the difference? one con is added weight. Please don't slap me around for asking I have a logical mind and I can figure out the simple stuff. I truly want to make sure this isn't anything like the kid that painted the gas tank red to make his car go faster.

The pro's are fairly easy to figure out... The stock swingarm is pretty flexible despite it's heft... For me, at 210 pounds, it was enough that it visibly twisted on full lean (I have it on camera)... (The RC51 swingarm on now is considerably lighter despite being a lot stronger)

A brace stops it from doing that pretty effectively... Makes it easier to set up the rear suspension correctly... Feels a lot more planted on the road...

The con's, weight as you mentioned... Plus once you firm up the swingarm, you really highlight how bad the stock shock really are, and how much the front flexes... So you might end up spending more money...

The other con's are more cosmetic, practical things... You will need another hugger & chain guard than stock, it makes it even less accessible around the shock for setup, and little things like that...

Thank you
 

I have a better understanding now. Being that the superhawk is the only bike that I have been drove and own I have a hard time comparing it to anything else. Unless you count the training bike I passed me test with lol that was a TU250.

Are you having trouble keeping the rear tire hooked up?

What is it about the swingarm that is limiting the performance of the bike?

If you are mounting a stiffer swingarm, you may also want to consider bracing the main chassis.

just some more pictures of a braced VTR swingarm (900rr brace, mock-up pictures)

I'll add my batch of braced arm pics....

The one thing to be careful of is tire clearance. I sent mine up using the original Qualifiers and when I went to Q2's the tire just fits in without hitting the brace...... :shock:

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I got a braced swing arm
 

I managed to get the same swing arm that was on the 02 frame I just bought. I have spent Sooo much money on my project hawk it nothing to smile at. I will be really happy here soon.

Also exhaust clearance. My left side Jardine high mount mid-pipe rubbed a tiny bit on the 900rr brace. I did a little yanking on the pipe and it seems ok for now. I've only got about 50 miles on her since the install however.

And as far as added weight... the brace weighs next to nothing.

Well, if you consider the fact that my swingarm actually weighs less than half of the stock swing, sans brace... Well... ;)

(BTW, the SP1 arm with all of it's bracing is actually still roughly the same weight as the stock untouched arm)

SP1
 

what does it take to get a sp1 to fit the superhawk?

The same as for fitting an SP2 swingarm, plus you need to swap the pivot bearings...

The SP1 use 25 mm ID bearings, and the SP2 and VTR use 20 mm ID bearings... The guy's at www.allballs.com should be able to set you up with a set...

This is good info ~ thanks for sharing.

So what about that frame bracing? Any pix of that someone cares to share?

Thanks

So the SP 2 swingarm is a direct bolt on including the the linkage?

NO, and yes.... it bolts to the frame, but the linkage is still custom, and the SP2 is LONGER then they VTR swing arm.

Ah so that should have been a mod done prior to installing my new chain? What has to be done to the linkage? Is it a matter of modifying the current one or having to have something custom fabed up?

OK - ignorance confession: what's the difference between the SP1 and the SP2 swingarms? Is it year model of same bike or different bikes altogether that they come on?

Thanks

Years. Both are RC51 SP-1 is first gen SP-2 second gen

To bump up an old thread... If I was to brace the stock unit with a 900RR brace, I would have to find someone with welding skills and a jig to make sure the swing arm doesnt warp in any way, is this correct? I want to keep the bikes stock wheel base so I dont want to got the SP2 route.

Yes you also need the rear brake caliper mount for the 900
Cut off the parts from the vtr swing arm, have the 900 parts welded on and your done.
Yes a jig would. BE preferable.

thanks zmaniv.

Here are some thoughts from a newbie on this mod.
I'm in the beginning stages of a CBR 900 swing arm brace mod. So far I have the brace and caliper mount bracket cut off.
I purchased the parts early on in my ownership of the Hawk and as a member here. That's significant because I had not done a lot of research prior to purchasing the parts for the mod. These are delivered prices. As always when shopping ebay, patience may result in better deals.

The parts list so far:
900 swing arm $65.
900 rear brake caliper mount $17.
900 rear wheel and hub for checking clearances of the brace $104. (Was going to run the 900 rear wheel. Now just going to use the Hawk wheel. Either way I felt I needed a wheel for checking clearance before welding).
Hawk swing arm $20. (I wanted as little down time on the bike)
Rear axle: free.

So far I'm into it about around $206 and still need:
Tire mounted $15? (have a free tire)
Hawk swing arm bearings and seals: $55+shipping.
Since I can't do the welding there will be the cost of that as well. I've
budgeted $100 for that.
So the grand total will be somewhere around $360-375.

In hind sight I don't think this is the way to go. It has been posted by a member (tweety) that the RC51 SP2? swing arm is lighter and stronger. I didn't go that route because the custom fab of the shock linkage seemed more than I wanted to take on. Money wise the cost would be similar? You'll need a different rear wheel, some $$$ there, but choice of wheels is better. In my case I wouldn't have had to buy two swing arms.
So even if it was a bit more money, the finished result would be superior with the RC swing arm.
This is probably old news to the veterans here and certainly anyone that has done the swap, but for newbies like me and others that
have the "fix it if it ain't broken" affliction this might be of some help.

There are compromises with the swing arm swap to a RC-51/SP-2 swing... One of them being the wheelbase and geometery...

IMHO you could gave made it a lot easier and cheaper to do what you did... For one, you really, really don't need a CBR900 brace at all, or caliper mount... You can just as easily just buy a good second hand VTR swingarm, walk down to the local welder, and have him bend a aluminium pipe to make a brace that fits without interfering with any parts, and weld it... There are several examples of this posted...

And the wheel is really not a cost... If you don't use it, re-sell it and make the money back...