Posts
5409
Joined
10/1/2013
Location
Davis, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
2/20/2020 8:06pm
I want to know how, in the infinite wisdom present withing the engineering departments of the collective big 4 japanese motorcycle manufacturers, they continue to believe that their chain guide mounting designs are adequate. Somehow to me, a person of average skills and intelligence, it is overwhelmingly obvious that simply bird shit welding a thin aluminum bracket to a thin aluminum swingarm, in an area that is probably the most vulnerable on the entire bike to damage, is simply not a good idea on a critical part like a chain guide. It should be clear to anyone that this simple part coming dislodged from its mounting point could have horrific consequences should it get wrapped around the rear sprocket at just the wrong moment. . . But no, we have, and will continue to, bird shit weld our mounting brackets on and rely on hopes and prayers that this delicate piece somehow remains in place though the unspeakable abuse it is likely to see. I don't ask for much, just a little thought as consideration, but these mounting designs are devoid of anything that could resemble a reasonable amount of due diligence.
As you can see I've had great luck with this little bit over the years, my current tally is 2 swingarms, 1 rear hub, 3 sprockets, and 1 missed race as this has happened not once, not twice, but three fucking times in the same amount of years. Seriously, when will the madness end, and when will the engineers at yamahondazukawi pull their collective craniums from their rectums and realized that what they've been doing for the last 30 years is simply not good enough. Don't make me buy a ktm, I don't want to do it, but at some point sanity needs to prevail. If you've made it this far, thank you for your time reading my rant, and have a great eventing as I scour the web for yet another swingarm to add to my collection.
As you can see I've had great luck with this little bit over the years, my current tally is 2 swingarms, 1 rear hub, 3 sprockets, and 1 missed race as this has happened not once, not twice, but three fucking times in the same amount of years. Seriously, when will the madness end, and when will the engineers at yamahondazukawi pull their collective craniums from their rectums and realized that what they've been doing for the last 30 years is simply not good enough. Don't make me buy a ktm, I don't want to do it, but at some point sanity needs to prevail. If you've made it this far, thank you for your time reading my rant, and have a great eventing as I scour the web for yet another swingarm to add to my collection.
Is it a yahama thing or just a rider thing or just bad luck...
Well searching for parts can be fun so have fun with it sir..
And regardless, the fact remains that their mounting setup leaves a lot to be desired to say the least. Just welding the damn thing one one side, and not even using the entire available welding surface is just lazy, plain and simple, and there's really no excuse for it.
That way you can continue to buy which ever brand you wish.
The Shop
WTF design. That Bullet Proof piece linked above is supposed to work pretty well.
Like I say, I've seen them cleaned off in Baja all the time. About as sturdy as a paper cup.
Pit Row
I'm mainly surrounded by Hondas.
No brand is exempt, but it seems way more common on Yamahas.
So it's not the chainguide or swingarm defect, your just using it wrong "customer abuse"
1. I run aftermarket chain guides because they are a lot more forgiving then stock, and will tend to slide over a rock or rut rather than dig into it like the aluminum stock guides.
2. Modifying the front case saver like I do is standard practice. Leaving the bolts longer adds a little bit of additional protection in the case of a chain issue like I just had, but you do run the risk of damaging the case in other ways due to the additional leverage if the chain were to hit just right. It's a trade off.
3. You can't even see the linkage, so how the hell would you come to that conclusion
4. Foot pegs are old, but the angle of the photo makes them look flat. They aren't in real life, they look just like anyone else's pegs.
5. How the hell does any of this have anything to do with a crappy chain guide mount design? If you want to rib me a little bit and poke fun by all means have at it, but you're just making things up at this point that are totally irrelevant and simply not true.
I can design up a better mount no problem, but I have a couple of concerns:
1. Lining up the guide perfectly is critical. It can be done, but doing it perfectly I think could be a challenge, and if it gets done wrong it can cause major issues.
2. If I were to machine my own mount and have it welded on I'm worried about locally annealing that area and weakening the material around it. I'd have to imagine the entire swingarm is heat treated after all welding is done, so if I were to weld on it I feel that the surrounding material might become weak. Maybe this really isn't much of a concern and someone can correct me here, and if so that may be the route I'll take.
Post a reply to: Japanese manufacturers, can we have an honest conversation about your chain guide mounting please?