I was wondering if swing arm extenisons are safe for street riding? Please let me know what u think. Thanks

I sent a letter to the editor of SuperStreet Bike Magazine which was published in their latest issue.
I said that I thought the extended swing arm / fat tire mod would probably make it handle poorly. (Like shit!) It seems to me that cornering radius would be lengthened and rolling the bike from side to side would require much greater force. That's just elementary physics. It would only be good for drag racing...straight line no wheelies. Or good for bar hopping, like Harleys.
I said I thought people doing that to a good street bike were just a bunch of Posers.
I was amazed that they published it. Their reply was, "Our fat tire bikes handle quite nicely thank you."
I can't imagine spending that kind of money without trying it out first, and I can't imagine anyone lending a bike after all the expensive ad ons. (Obviously not covered by insurance.)
I guess if you're part of a crowd into customizing your bike like that you do it just for looks. Like I said...Posers.

Their reply was, "Our fat tire bikes handle quite nicely thank you."

Look at the wheelbase of drag bikes. But they only go straight. So sure, at the runoff they can turn onto the pit road ok, but they aren't gonna kneedrag it.

So people see these drag bikes and think they want theirs to look like them. Which has nothing to do with how it will mess up street handling. And it will.

If you don't go around corners fast, you won't notice a difference, much.

swingarm extensions don't affect your handling that much. Its all a bunch of hype.

Lowering affects your handling more then stretching it does.

big tire bikes are stupid.

Thats all.

Hey guys..lol..sorry but i dont want a fat tire kit. I was just wondering if it was a smart Idea or not.

dubious had a moderately stretched setup and assured me the bike handled just fine in the Kootenays. I was impressed, I wouldn't hesitate to bolt on a few inches even for pretty twisty roads.

most bolt on kits will allow you to start at 3" of stretch (prob 3.5" after chain adjustment). It'll reduce the tendency to wheelie, still corner great, and when it does decide to wheelie it's much more manageable.

I was thinking about going 8inches that is all

I'm glad slowninja came through with some facts. Most of us are prone to what we think or what we heard. Yea Texas I guess you noticed some negative feelings about extensions and fat tires. It's personal taste. I think the girls might like 8 inches though.
By the way, should have said thanks for what you're doing in country. I think it's stupid that you have to be there and I hope you get back soon so you can get out and ride.
Sharkey

Hey sharkey yeah i noticed the comments..lol..No problem with gurarding this great nation. I am just ready to come home. Even if i liked the fat tire stuff..I cant afford it on Uncle Sams penny..lol.Hey u guys be careful outhere! Thanks for all of the info

I dunno. I had a 6" British-made, very nice braced extended put on my ZX-11, and it definitely hurt handling in the twisties. I put it on to do some bracket racing at the drag strip for a while. Switched back to the stock swingarm, handling came back.

Seems to me if you change the geometry, its gonna change the handling. Wheelbase affects the geometry.

It does change the geometry which in turn affects handling, this is reality. Anything else is just a denial of the fact of physics.

I'm just wondering how much power bolt-on extension can handle? There's no doubt in my mind that eventually I'll need to stretch the turbo 14 slightly, as well as gear it up, to keep any semblance of traction and minimize my stargazing

Another related question: By extending the wheelbase and driveline how much more parasitic power loss do you experience. To me the greater the distance from power output to rear wheel the greater percentage of power loss whether thru driveshaft or chain, no hmmm????

The physics are there, my point is that no one is going to push their zx14 to the physical limitations.

Tex, 8" over stock is a LOT. I drag race my bike and its not even that far over. When you stretch too far, you start getting traction issues. And believe me, nothing is worse then trying to power through a corner and losing rear traction.

BIB, from what i've heard most bolt ons can handle up to 300 hp. Of course, the farther out, the less power it will hold and the closer, the stronger it will be. I'll be testing mine with 240 hp this weekend.

Blue, the power loss is there, however its such a negligable loss you shouldn't even take it into consideration.

Tex, consider about a 5" stretch. If you want it to look longer you can remove your belly fairing thingy. I'll post pictures of mine to show what i mean, its only 6" out but it looks a mile long.

Thanks Slow..I will go 5 or 6 inches. Thanks for the info.

By all means, its easier to make the bike shorter later, then it is to make it longer. Wouldn't hurt to go ahead and stretch it way out, see how you like it. If you don't, cut a few links out and try it again

Hey Slow I just want to thank you for giving out the info to everybody....its sweet having a drag racer on board Let us know how 240 feels
And it sounds like for my altitude and style of riding extensions will be just fine

ive got a 4inch over swing arm. i also had the bike slammed to the ground, and my problem with turning was overriding the fun of the bike. i put the stock links back in and left the front end lowered. from my muscle memory the bike is almost twice as nimble compared to stock heights and swing arms. my handling is back, and the feelers rub he ground at what feels like is the same point as stock.

in simple, 4inch swingarm+lowered front end=nimble and handles great

Nice looking 14 Slak

Slakivich, how much did you lower it in the front?

Ray who did your swingarm? It looks good.

Okay, here we go again.

1. You can stretch the ZX-14 to 6" over stock with absolutely no effect on handling... twisties, straight line, whatever.

2. You can go up to a 240 tyre size without any loss of handling.... again, twisties, straight line, whatever.

This, among other places, was confirmed by a magazine test rider on a track. I also have intensively tested my bike through all the local twisties at a variety of speeds.

I might add: You can't perform these type of changes without re-setting up the chassis. Lowering the bike definitely will change the dynamics of blasting through the twisties. Also, the tyre profile makes a big difference, too.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Tis true that a ZX-10 may beat me through the corner, but I'll get to the next corner before he will! :)

Currently, 4 1/2" stretch.

* Last updated by: ZXSyko on 12/20/2009 @ 6:16 PM *

^^^^^^Sweet ride^^^^^^