XJ550R Radian Swing Arm Swap

Picked up an entire Radian the other day for the engine, front end and swing arm. First course of action was to swap the swing arm as I figured it was the quickest of the three modifications. I've heard a lot about doing this modification but I have never heard any feedback regarding improvements in handling so I was curious to see what the outcome would be.

I decided to paint the swing arm black as I felt the original silver would be out of place on my Seca.

Installation was actually very straight forward, everything lined up very well. Be aware that since the radian swing arm is slightly longer you will need a longer chain. The radian swing arm visually looks stronger, both swing arms weight the same.

After the installation I noticed the rear end now sits ever so slightly higher than previously, gives it a bit more of an aggressive stance.

First ride impressions: First thing to note, the bike feels much more stable over uneven surfaces. Additionally in high speed turns the ass end no longer feels like its "walking away." The seca handled great with the stock swing arm and it had very little flex, however I can definitely feel an improvement. Aesthetically I am very pleased with how it looks compared to stock, the swing arm gives the rear end a beefier look while not taking away from the classic styling of the bike. Went painted black it looks like a stock piece.

Next up will be the front end swap from the radian so I can benefit from the dual disk brakes. And last but not least the 600cc radian engine will be mounted up. That will be a long term project as I am completely rebuilding and doing some performance modifications along the way.

 

Looks awesome, but two things I do not like are open toe shoes in the garage and the worst is pink shoes!

 

Haha darn! forgot I was wearing those.

 

Hello, where did you find the radion parts?

 

Great job! Did stock torque arm and brake linkage work or did you transfer them from the raidian.

Also since you mention weight, is it steel or aluminum?

 

Hi, I bought an entire bike for $400 and a case of beer. Amazing how many parts are interchangeable so this is definitely the way to go instead of buying the parts individually

 

Thanks! Yes the seca torque arm and brake linkage worked without an issue. Unfortunately it is steel, later on I may install an fz600 swingarm which is aluminum and has a rear disk brake. Difficult to find though!

 

Good to know, thanks. Possibly looking into switching swingarms down the road, need to find or compile a list that has the same measurements at pivot point and relative length.

 

No problem, what bike are you looking to do it to?

 

'81 xj550 maxim

 

Right on, the radian and Maxim frames are identical so the swingarm will work.

 

Do you have any pictures of the radian font wheel installed?

 

I haven't swapped front ends yet. I'm planning on retaining the original Seca wheel but add another brake rotor to take advantage of the dual caliper front end. I'm just concerned the radian front wheel maybe be to small but I will mock it up and see how it looks.