96 bandit 600 rear rim

[Wreckie29]

So I was at a junk yard getting auto parts and back in a croner I find a tattered carcass of a bandit 600 the vin sticker id as 1996. So I grabbed the adjusters and I look over on the ground and see the rear rim so I grabbed it.. its missing the cush drive and axle spacers and brake arm.

So on to the question can I swap my bearings and cush drive off my pre rim into the bandit rim and have a 4.5in rim if not what would I need to use it or would I be better off buying a 5.5 rim??? I already wanna make an ext swing...

[Kreylyn]

So I was at a junk yard getting auto parts and back in a croner I find a tattered carcass of a bandit 600 the vin sticker id as 1996. So I grabbed the adjusters and I look over on the ground and see the rear rim so I grabbed it.. its missing the cush drive and axle spacers and brake arm.

So on to the question can I swap my bearings and cush drive off my pre rim into the bandit rim and have a 4.5in rim if not what would I need to use it or would I be better off buying a 5.5 rim??? I already wanna make an ext swing...

You would need a custom made spacer for between the bearings in the 4.5" wheel, but yes... you could do that otherwise since your doing an extension. Just be aware the new wheel is 3/4" wider at the hub.

Krey

[Wreckie29]

So what your saying krey is that my bearings and cush drive will fit the rim but the center bearing spacer inside my pre rim is too small and does thet also mean my exterior spacers won't be right???

Also how well will the chain and brakes line up using the pre parts???

[Kreylyn]

So what your saying krey is that my bearings and cush drive will fit the rim but the center bearing spacer inside my pre rim is too small and does thet also mean my exterior spacers won't be right???

Also how well will the chain and brakes line up using the pre parts???

If your using the 17mm axle and spacers/caliper bracket, then the only thing you need to have custom is that center spacer (it's for a 20mm axle). You could use the kat spacers if you wanted... alignment and such is all about the placement of the swingrm arms, not the spacers.

Or... (and I would suggest it) you could skip custom and go with a 20mm axle by reslotting your swingarm slots for it and use all the rf components.


Krey

[Wreckie29]

Ok kewl so one spacer and it all should work now I can mount my 160 tire on the right rim and not my 3.5 lol

[Wreckie29]

Ok so this is not for the faint of heart...
Can't use katana axle as it throws the brakes and everything out of wack.
So enlarged swingarm holes to accept 20mm axles and then jacked swingarm apart to clear extra spacers.
Decided to clean up swingarm and removed the smashed chain guard mounts couldn't straighten them...
Painted swingarm.

Painted rim.

Now waiting for bearings and sprockets.

[tone]

Silly man

[Christ]

Did you actually have to widen the swinger to make the wheel fit, or could you just have used smaller spacers?

[Wreckie29]

I'm using the stock bandit spacers so yes I had to widen...

[Christ]

I'm using the stock bandit spacers so yes I had to widen...

Is there a possibility to fit the wheel in the stock swinger with custom spacers, or would it be too wide (caliper bracket, etc)?

[Wreckie29]

I'm sure it could be done with trial and error and a machine shop...

[Kreylyn]

Is there a possibility to fit the wheel in the stock swinger with custom spacers, or would it be too wide (caliper bracket, etc)?

It's safer and easier to spread the swingarm and use the stock spacers for the larger wheel.

If you have a mill to cut and make spacers with the materials laying around, I can see (and did myself at one time) think it would be better to do the work there. Turned out that wasn't true. More expensive even with the tools. Took longer too. And you would need to make a custom steel caliper bracket, or shave the alunimum bracket down alot and... I have reservations about that being safe, and strongly recomend against it (thinner alunimun bracket not what I think is safe..

Is it possible... yes. Was it done safely. Well, some of the times I've seen it done, I can assure you that I would not let anyone I know ride on it.

Reminds me of a episode of biker build off... one of the builders took a rear belt drive pulley and did some awesome looking cnc work on it. Also make it really weak. Less than 30 miles down the road he twisted the outter pull ring off the center hub and ended up on the side of the road for a few hours hving to replace it, and a few other parts that it tore up too.

I don't use my rear break as much... but when I do, I want it to work and not rip the caliper bracket in half. I've not done the specific stess testing after shaving the 1/2" or more you would need off the aluminum caliper bracket. Not planning on doing that with a bike being ridden on a regular basis either.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

(FYI... I have just about every version of caliper bracket and suzuki wheel in my garage, along with multiple swingarms, spacers, axles, and such. This has become a bit of a specialty for me to work out fitting larger wheels on the kat swingarms.)

Krey

[tone]

Hey Krey

just fyi in my experiance if you use the caliper bracket that came from the same bike as the wheel its much easier to get everything lined up, although as you know it does in some cases mean that you need to widen the arm a little more

Question ....the new welded section the arm in the pic above looks to be just butt welded in is this correct or is it a machined piece socketed into the cut arm ?

[Christ]

It's safer and easier to spread the swingarm and use the stock spacers for the larger wheel.

If you have a mill to cut and make spacers with the materials laying around, I can see (and did myself at one time) think it would be better to do the work there. Turned out that wasn't true. More expensive even with the tools. Took longer too. And you would need to make a custom steel caliper bracket, or shave the alunimum bracket down alot and... I have reservations about that being safe, and strongly recomend against it (thinner alunimun bracket not what I think is safe..

Is it possible... yes. Was it done safely. Well, some of the times I've seen it done, I can assure you that I would not let anyone I know ride on it.

Reminds me of a episode of biker build off... one of the builders took a rear belt drive pulley and did some awesome looking cnc work on it. Also make it really weak. Less than 30 miles down the road he twisted the outter pull ring off the center hub and ended up on the side of the road for a few hours hving to replace it, and a few other parts that it tore up too.

I don't use my rear break as much... but when I do, I want it to work and not rip the caliper bracket in half. I've not done the specific stess testing after shaving the 1/2" or more you would need off the aluminum caliper bracket. Not planning on doing that with a bike being ridden on a regular basis either.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

(FYI... I have just about every version of caliper bracket and suzuki wheel in my garage, along with multiple swingarms, spacers, axles, and such. This has become a bit of a specialty for me to work out fitting larger wheels on the kat swingarms.)

Krey

I agree with this, I just figured stretching the swingarm would weaken it some, which is why I asked.

As far as the caliper hanger, little mechanical force gets translated to the axle in common rear caliper designs. I wouldn't have a problem shaving it some, but I wouldn't be cutting it, say, to half or less it's width at the axle part.

There is some force there, but the majority of the force is translated to pulling away from the torque arm (or pushing toward it), while only a small percentage of the overall work gets put against the caliper bracket pulling against the axle.

If you'd like to test this, leave one of your rear caliper bolts out and tighten the other one to normal torque, hit 60, and stop using only the rear brake at maximum potential. The bolt you left out will still be in line with the hole. It may have moved slightly, but should not have moved enough to prevent you from clearly seeing the threads on both sides of the bracket hole. (Yeah, I've actually done it.)

THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT'S SAFE TO RIDE WITHOUT BOTH BOLTS IN. IT'S JUST A TEST TO DETERMINE STRESS POINTS.

Old rear drum designs are better for shaving down, though. Properly adjusted, they translate NO FORCE outside of the radius of the hub.

[Kreylyn]

Hey Krey

just fyi in my experiance if you use the caliper bracket that came from the same bike as the wheel its much easier to get everything lined up, although as you know it does in some cases mean that you need to widen the arm a little more

Question ....the new welded section the arm in the pic above looks to be just butt welded in is this correct or is it a machined piece socketed into the cut arm ?

I agree, I prefer to match the bracket, axle, and spacers for the wheel being used and modify the swingarm to fit them in. Must easier in the long run.

As for the weld, yes... it's butt welded just like OEM is at the pivot. The swingarm is never cut entirely in two... so the weld is not over the entire structure at each location, only 3 sides.

Krey