Time now to summarize this for the three or four guys on the site with bikes this old
.
Finally got a chance to take the bike for a ride this afternoon. Obviously can't offer a comparison of the StaBo III product versus the Drag Specialties product. Despite its manufacturing defect that led to its more difficult than necessary installation the StaBo bushings do work as it's suggested they would. At least for the 40 miles or so it got ridden today.
This bike didn't have any wobble or other problems to begin with. Always felt as tight as any touring bike could be expected to. Had no complaints about its handling. Work was done because the old swingarm was tweaked around an axle hole. A known weak spot on these pre-02 swingarms.
Having said that it wasn't a bad handling bike to begin, which isn't to say I didn't notice some small improvement. It's the same tires before and after so the only difference is the new bushings. It is... well... hard to describe. It's firmer; a little stiffer. Side to side.
No accel or decel issues. No rear end swim under low speed accel in to a turn. None of the things commonly attributed to these bikes. Perhaps the most prominent change is its firmness in recovery through a turn. When given engine acceleration the rear of the bike stands up more quickly/firmly/responsively now. It's enough of a difference (that while not huge) is still very very noticeable. It's a difference that is also an improvement.
The installation was a pain in the ass that would've been less of a chore with perfectly machined bushings to begin with. Fortunately it was something that was correctable with access to the right tools so it cost an extra hour or two rather than turn around time for a manufacturer to first be convinced there was a problem and then ship replacements.
Don't get me wrong. Were it not for having seen these swingarms break around their axle holes before I don't think the gain was worth the extra work and parts expense. But if you've decided to change swingarms to deal with the problem by upgrading to the newer more robust swingarm this is one of only two options I found for parts to make it happen.
Jim has said he'd used the Drag Specialties part before without issue. Were I doing this chore again I'd go that way as well now. These Sta-Bo parts, in the end, work ok though. The bike seems to track flawlessly. It feels very good and does so in a way that inspires confidence it will do what you expect it to and do it quickly. So it was worth doing. Just wish it had been less of a chore.
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Topic: Pre-2002 touring swingarm conversion -- StaBo III used and reviewed (Read 4759 times)