Swinger

Race day is coming up and I'm having doubts about whether or not Ricky's Bike will be ready in time. After calling around I managed to snag an aluminum, box-type swing-arm from B.C. to replace the original tubular steel one. The TMs are notorious for frame flex, although I've heard that with the frame modifications that came in '73 the major problems were cured. Nevertheless, I read that the swing-arm from a DR 500 is a bolt-on replacement that enhances the handling ten-fold. It's a bit longer, which shouldn't be a problem as I intend to replace the shocks anyway, but the big problem is that the bracket for the brake steady isn't on the swing-arm as it is for the TM. On the DR, the brake steady, which is just a tubular shaft that holds the brake-drum in place, is connected to the frame, whereas on the TM it is connected to the swing-arm. The other problem is that the swing-arm pivots, which are basically axels, are different sizes. The DR's has a larger Outside Diameter, which means it won't fit through the frame holes. I thought I could simply use the TM's pivot arm, but since it has a smaller OD, it creates play within the DR's swing-arm. Nothing's ever as simple as it seems when it comes to modifying motorcycles.

I thought of two solutions: the first option is to enlarge the frame holes so that the new pivot arm can fit, but I always operate under the assumption that one should avoid permanently modifying the frame as much as possible, so that is out. The second option, which is the one I'm going with, is to weld a tab onto the new swing-arm that would accommodate the old brake steady, but since it's aluminum and I don't have a TIG welder, I had to source it out, so hopefully it will be finished by Monday.

The other thing is that the bushings that hold the pivot in place are different sizes, so I'm getting some custom made that will have the OD of the DR and the ID of the TM. Sweet.

I'm not sure if I'll need to buy a new chain or add some links to the old one yet, and probably won't know until the swing-arm is mounted, but either way it shouldn't be a big deal. It's just more money; speaking of which, my new motocross gear came in this week: Thor "Rage" pants and jersey, a Thor clear chest protector, and Fly racing gloves. My ensemble is now complete except I was a bit optimistic when ordering the pants and they are too small, but new ones are on the way. If anyone is interest in a brand new pair of Thor Rage motocross pants, size 34, drop me an email.  $40 + Shipping.

I'm still crossing my fingers that everything will be ready come race-day. My back-up plan is to run Dad's Bike, the 1971 TM 400. It is a wild beast, a widow-maker, a shoulder-dislocator, and a bone-breaker, but it will be my only option.

 Mark Twain said that in twenty years, we will regret the things we didn't do more than the things we did. I'm trying to keep that in mind.