Strong-arming a swingarm

XS650 Cafe
One of the issues with the XS650 is the stock swingarm. It is flimsy, so it is prone to flexing in the different axises. There are a couple ways to correct this problem.
The first is to beef up the existing swingarm by bracing it. This is part of the 'Minton Mods' that XS650 enthusiasts are familiar with.
The second method is to retrofit an updated swingarm to the 650. This is the route I am taking.The swingarm that I will be using is one from a Yamaha FZR600. Due to its boxed construction, it is quite a bit stiffer than the 650 stock swingarm. The FZR swingarm is also approx 1" longer, so that increases the wheelbase resulting in a more stable ride.


The FZR swingarm is not a direct swap into the frame. A couple of modifications have to be performed to make it fit:

1. Pivot point.
The pivot where the swingarm inserts into the frame is too wide. So the frame bosses were ground down (approx 5mm per side) evenly on each side until a proper fit was achieved.


2. Shock mount.
The FZR swingarm is set up for monoshock operation, but I am keeping the stock configuration of dual shocks. Using the stock 650 swingarm to get the shock mounting point dimensions, mounts were fabricated and welded to the FZR swingarm.

Here is the end result. An XS650 outfitted with a FZR600 swingarm.