Cut the swingarm brake standoff????

[cal_tony]

Oh, I don't know at all. Three times I had the hacksaw in my hand and I was about to saw off the outermost part of the swingarm brake standoff. What I'm talking about is that part of it that is just past the indented section. It is designed to keep the brake bracket and caliper attached to the swingarm when the wheel is off. But, since I mounted a black SM wheel to the bike, getting it on and off without removing the caliper bracket is impossible. And removing the bracket with the 5" rear wheel is a pain. And even worse, sliding the caliper bracket forward to have the hole section slide over the swingarm standoff keeps scratching my wheel.

So, if I cut standoff flush with the end of the flat part, will I live to regret it.

I just thought I'd ask before I did it.

Tony

 

[slocalspode]

If you do F-it up. I think I have a spare OEM caliper carrier to replace
yours. I installed the Scott rear shark fin on my EC300 and doubt
I'll need the old bracket.
Remember what they say. "Measure twice, cut once."
Cheers , Jeff So.Cal.

 

[MattR]

Do not saw off the peg attached to the swingarm. This peg keeps the brake carrier from rotating during braking. Yes, the carrier is clamped by the axle but under braking loads, the caliper clamping the rotor needs rotational resistance. The peg on the swingarm provides this resistance.

Regarding the SM wheel issue...
On my Husky SM610, I have the same issue when removing the wheel. What I do is remove the axle and slide the wheel & brake caliper fully foward, then remove the chain and unhook the caliper from the swingarm peg. Let the brake hang outside of the swingarm and remove the wheel.

 

[cal_tony]

Matt I wasn't going to cut the whole thing off. I just meant the end bulb past the flat part. The rest of it would still be there.

Tony

 

[Leo]

Cut the bulb, drill and make a tread to bolt a big chim!

i am in Brazil, so if you crash, you can´t process me. Take care!

 

[MattR]

Matt I wasn't going to cut the whole thing off. I just meant the end bulb past the flat part. The rest of it would still be there.

Tony

As long as you leave the main peg, then it would probably work. If it were "me", I would just use my removal technique and leave the peg alone. Yes, the SM wheel is wide but it can slide forward and you can get the brake off of the peg, then remove the wheel. My previous Yamaha FZ6 streetbike was the same way... I guess it is all fat tire bikes since the caliper is inboard of the tire width. Good luck if you proceed with cutting... just remember swingarms are pricey if you mess up.

 

[cal_tony]

Thanks for your concern Matt. It made me look at the peg on and off all day today while I was working on seeing if I could fit my LC4 cush hub and wheel to the GG. It will also fit, but I think it would be more trouble than it's worth. The DRZ SM wheel fits fine but not much extra room there.

Anyway, I left the post in as I intended, but I did saw off the round protrusion at the end. Works much better. Now, with that protrusion gone, I can remove the carrier from the swingarm anywhere along the slot in the carrier without sliding the carrier forward to where the round hole on the carrier is.

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Rick]

When are we going to get to see some pictures of this beast

 

[cal_tony]

Rick,
Will have some pictures soon. I did get the DRZ SM wheel fitted. I still haven't received the 36T rear sprocket for it, but it should help with the top end.

Next on the list is fitting some KTM wheels to the front. A 21 came in today from Ebay. I don't have the right bearings or spacers for it yet, but it will definitely fit without any problems. The KTM front uses 30mm bearings with spacers that size it down to 26.05mm. That's a pain because the GG needs 25mm. So, I will be going with 25mm x 47mm bearings and Honda 450 CRF rear spacers and their internal distance spacer(all 25mm). Once I get it all sized up, I'll use the same setup on my new KTM 17" SM wheel.

Tony

 

[Rick]

Why not just get a set on SM hubs for the GasGas?? It seems like a bolt on project....but then again, that would take all the fun out of it.

 

[cal_tony]

Yes Rick that would take the fun out of it, but also the GG was not my first choice for the conversion. I was ready to buy a new Beta 525. Problem with that was lack of parts availability. Like the KTM 525, you can't buy one SM ready. Although, the motor is from KTM getting anything else for the Beta is a mystery. I nixed the Beta idea and happened to stumble upon a used plated GG. I liked the ride and the balance of the bike and I liked the DRZ roots. What I didn't like was having the same problem with the GG as I had with the Beta. Supermoto Rotors, brakes, sprockets and wheels were all hard to find. So, I started with what I had, a DRZsm. Like I said above, the DRZ rear hubs allows for a 36t sprocket. The GG hub wouldn't.

Next. When it came to the front wheel, I thought about a Husky wheel They were the right size, but they were hard to find as well and so were aftermarket parts.

The obvious answer was to go KTM. Like the Japanese bikes all the OEM parts are available online and so are all the aftermarket goodies. Once I sorted out my wheels, I wouldn't have any more parts availability problems. And replacement parts and wheels were only an EBAY away.

I could have gone the easy way?? and bought a set of hard to find GG wheels, but since I had to buy a set of wheels anyway, why not buy the setup I really wanted. I did contact a number of online wheel suppliers and some were willing to make something up for me, most were not. But what would I do if the setup didn't work right. With doing it myself, I knew I'd get it right.

Ebay has been extremely helpful with KTM SM parts. In the long run, the cost will probably be the same but I will end up with a DRZsm with a cush hub that will also fit the GG.

Tony