monoshock

ok its late and im having thoughts about a monoshock.

to start with i want to ask you guys has anyone done a monoshock mod on a shaft drive xj?

i need to throw in a scetch of my idea but now its sleepy time in this part of the world.





any thoughts?


i have but i need to sleep over it..

 

ok i did a simple scetch



do we want a better drawing or can you see what im after?
is this doable or just plain stupid?

this mod would tidy up the rear for good

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I want clean, simple lines. I'll be doing something like this in the winter, and your sketch looks pretty straight-forward to me. I'm no expert, but it looks to me like you've got the right idea.

 

Did you do a search here?? I'm pretty sure the idea has been tossed around here. The main issue, if I recall, was how to properly beef up the spine of the bike to take the added stress ...that and finding room to add the needed reinforcement..

 

Check this one out:
http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1 ... art=0.html

 

interesting thread but im planning on reinforcing an original xj spare swingarm.

i have room for reinforcing the spine since my electric gizmos are gone,

i didnt catch on what axis the spine needs reinforcing?

 

bostonxj what do you mean straigthforward?

 

the 81 virago 750 had monoshock and the same wheels and shaft drive, maybe it would be easier than we think.

 

Virago swing arm & shock

 

That's a whole lot of fabricating, AND I think you lose the airbox.
What's wrong with some nice looking aftermarket shocks ??

They come in lots of flashy colors, and they actually work too.

 

padre and wizard, thanks for the idea, i have looked at that too but i came to conclusion that only the shock may be usable. it seems to me it is easier to weld support brackets on xj swingarm than try to fit a virago swingarm.




timetoride, no offence, but perhaps to some of us the names of the section and this thread in it indicates that the discussion will be about a whole lot of fabrication. if i would want to go with aftermarket rear shocks dont you think this thread would be about aftermarket rear shocks? some of us want to do a whole lot of fabrication and installing aftermarket parts just isnt fabrication enough.

are you really saying that custom monoshock swingarm wont actually work? then i have to suggest you to never try something like this.

AND only bad thing about loosing the airbox because of the shock is that im not loosing my airbox quick enough



whenever someone has a nice idea there is the other one saying "maybe you should just keep it stock"



stock is f****ng ugly if you ask me

 

.....and whenever someone says "stock is f****ng ugly if you ask me" there is another who says "I like to put things back to stock just like it came from the factory".

You DID say in your first post:

>any thoughts?

You DID say in your second post:

>Is this doable or just plain stupid?

You did say in your last post:

>timetoride, no offence, but perhaps.......

So don't take offense when someone give ideas, or says it's not doable, or suggests alternatives that may be different than just the ones you really wanted to hear.

That all being said, I am also one that has spent a lot of time studying the xv/xj parts interchange-ability. somethings work easy, somethings don't.

The mono shock presents a lot of challenges. We've already been through a lot of that through the forums. Someone said you may lose the airbox. If you prefer that, fine. That also means now you're getting into carb work....jetting, pods,etc.....and the associated nightmare with those.

Check to see if there's different off-sets for the bearings from centerline of the tire between the swingarms.

There's machining to do to the ends of the pivots. The measurements may not be the not the same. If you machine the swingarm, then you have to change to a different thickness bearings. If you machine the frame, then you may need to modify the pivot shafts.

Will the frame interfere with the shear size/shape of the monoshock swingarm? You may have to remove the inner fender?

If the idea is to "cleanup" the rear of the bike, how will putting a big bulky thing like that clean it up instead of clutter it up? If you modify an xj swingarm, how will that be any less cluttered than the mono-shock swingarm?

Here's an idea, if you're actually listening to ideas......

Go look at the how suzuki intruder 1500 swingarm is set up. that is a shaft drive, mono-shock system, and is as clean as an xj swingarm, and there's no clutter or frame to the swingarm like the virago mono shock has on it. That might give you a better way to go........modify your xj arm along that line instead.

dave fox

 

I test-rode a Goldwing for a friend and the seller said I ruined the motor- - in 300 feet.
That offended me.

This doesn't offend me.

I never said it can't be done, Chop away, my friend.
Keep pursuing your dream, and post-up some pics !

 

Time-- there's got to be a story going along with the Goldwing there!

Dave

 

I agree w/hog on this one... you ask for input..be prepared to take all input graciously. And don't ever assume you know what someone else has tried or hasn't tried based solely on their suggestion. (timetoride posts=2266 / venlis post=63) maybe time has tried this mod and found it's not worth the time/cost/effort.....in any event....
IF I were to wander down this path of fabrication insanity...I would probably pursue this type of design..


More along the softail approach. I've done enough engineering to know that a mono-shock setup is going to produce some extreme stress on the frame in weird places. And when you consider the xj frame was never designed to be subjected to those kinds of stress it makes it more of a challenge. As such I would try to localize the stress as much as possible. This design (I think) would localize the stresses more around the pivot area of the swingarm. What ever direction you decide to go I would have the welding done by a professional and check your frame every time you get on the bike...

 

i guess i need to apologise. my head was tired and my pen was too sharp. i never ment to bash veteran members of this fine board.

by asking "any thoughts" i did mean thoughts on this particular subject: monoshock modification, not rear suspension in general. i appreciate opposing opinions yes, but in this thread i wanted to ask about this type of fabrication. by starting a thread titled like this thread one might assume that i think something doesnt suit my eye on the stock swingarm setup. so in my opinion, questioning why is not going to be too fertile for the discussion.

hogfiddles we are talking about differences in taste, those things cannot be argued, and sometimes someone, when tired, will think expressing a different taste is arguing. ill try to behave in the future.

mad_bohemian, based on timetorides post, i would assume he has not tried this. usually people say a lot more than they write. but thats all in the mind of the reader of course. so i may well be wrong.
on your scetch wouldnt the shock be expanding instead of compressing under load?

thank you everyone for your valuable input.




dont viragos have 16 inch rims?



adding a little steel tubing on a swingarm and hooking it to the frame with a suitable shock will definitely clean out the rear section, leaving the whole rear frame useless ---> cutting time.............

 

Me thinks if you duplicate the lengths and angles that the factory did with the virago on the xj swing arm and either beef up or fabricate an anchor point on the frame in the same fashion that the factory did. If your a good welder and maybe have the welds magnafluxed or ex-ray'd you'd get what you want. On thru the fog!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Guys.. What's with all the agression? This is the mods section after all.. Maybe you think its sacrilage to chop up a XJ.. But it's not like they're rare bikes, don't be so precious, wish I had the means and the skill to do summit like this. Although I do agree, peeps have the right to ask why you don't do something a certain way.

Anyone who's seen an R1 recently can't possibly say that duel shocks look nicer (this aint mine btw.. Wish it was!!)


keep it going.. I'm watching with interest (outta my league, but I love this idea)

 

My own PERSONAL opinion.....yuck. I don't like it. IMNSHO

Dave

 

Correct. The softail shocks don't dampen compression like a standard shock, they dampen expansion of the shock. You might need two (not sure how much pressure it takes to expand the shock) but could probably easily fabricate a mounting system where the center stand on the maxim is.