Hrc Swingarm Upgrade...

Honda's HRC Swingarm is a worthy upgrade for an RC45 and it's an easy
bolt on Mod if you happen to have all the kit parts specified in the
HRC manual... like HRC kit shock... HRC kit suspension linkage... HRC
kit brake hanger and so on... but if you don't have the parts then
it's a pain in the butt to interface one kit part with all the other
stock parts... so it was up to my own skills to engineer and machine a
list of parts to interface the HRC swingarm with the stock Honda
parts... consequently Mr.RC45 has been up on blocks for a couple of
months while the Lathe and Mill turned out the these parts... enjoy
the picture show...


Modified parts along side the stock Honda parts...
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7075 T6 aluminum swingarm axle and nut...
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7075 T6 aluminum lock nut and socket...
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7075 T6 aluminum axle installed...
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7075 T6 aluminum nut installed...
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Aluminum block interfaces stock linkage with HRC swingarm hard
point... titanium hardware...
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It took 9 days of sanding and polishing to remove all the rough
casting marks and bring out the luster of the aluminum...
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Home made brackets and aircraft Adell clamps now hold a custom ordered
Spieglar steel braided line...
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525 DID chain and modified 43t steel Kawasaki sprocket... titanium axle nut and sprocket nuts & bolts...
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Machining a hanger for a billet 4 pot Brembo caliper...
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Finished hanger and torque arm to fit HRC swingarm and home made 7075
T6 7M thread aluminum shoulder bolt...
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I covered the titanium exhaust with the new titanium warp...
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Ohlins shock and 4mm spacer that adjust ride height to correct Honda's
error in trail...
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wow, that looks so good. well done.

Wow that's a lot of work! Have you been able to ride it yet with the new parts on? :wheel:
Let us know when you do. Looks freakin' sweeeeeeet by the way :beer:

Excellent craftsmanship as usual Larry, looks great! :fing02:

Now next time you test the off-roading abilities of Mr RC45 you'll have 2 less pounds to deal with! :laugh:
Just messing with you Larry! :cool:

Drool.... :fing02:

Ever go camping at work?

I just pitched a tent...

ps - does this swingarm change the wheelbase in a belt-drive favorable manner?

Larry,

Anything left stock on that poor bike, or are you saving up parts to make a new RC45?

Larry
VFRrider

BTW, did you get that unobtainium wheel?

That swingarm looks awesome. All that sanding and grinding must have removed some additional weight. Did you happen to get a before and after weight on the swingarm?

very beautiful work! Makes me drool over having a lathe, mill....and of course the knowledge!

[image: View Post]Baileyrock, on Jun 4 2009, 11:22 AM, said:

Excellent craftsmanship as usual Larry, looks great! :fing02:

Now next time you test the off-roading abilities of Mr RC45 you'll have 2 less pounds to deal with! :laugh:
Just messing with you Larry! :cool:

Thanks Bailey... but 2 less pounds means more frisbee time...

[image: View Post]ccnaylor, on Jun 4 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

Wow that's a lot of work! Have you been able to ride it yet with the new parts on? :wheel:
Let us know when you do. Looks freakin' sweeeeeeet by the way :beer:

Test hop postpond due to thunderstroms which allows time to do a weight and
balance study while the tank is empty...

[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on Jun 4 2009, 11:53 AM, said:

ps - does this swingarm change the wheelbase in a belt-drive favorable manner?

HRC swingarm is the same length as stock so no joy on the belt drive conversion...

More pics here...
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...=39497&st=0

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Nice work as always, Larry!

[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on Jun 4 2009, 02:52 PM, said:

Ever go camping at work?

I just pitched a tent...

And thanks to you, I just choked on ice cream! :laugh:

[image: View Post]vfrrider, on Jun 4 2009, 12:02 PM, said:

Larry,

Anything left stock on that poor bike, or are you saving up parts to make a new RC45?

Larry
VFRrider

BTW, did you get that unobtainium wheel?

I have 5 pages of mods which covers just about all of the stock
parts... and yes... all of Mr.RC45's parts are cocooned for
prosperity...

My 3 spoke MARCHESINI magnesium wheels have a pedigree story...

The 6x17 is a spare off Freddie Spencer's Two Brothers sponsored
RC30... and the 3.50x17 is a spare off Jimmy Flice's TZ250 sponsored
by Wayne Rainey...
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Just beautiful :wub: well done Larry :beer:
Did you weigh all parts involved, both the before and after parts?

[image: View Post]V4 Rosso, on Jun 4 2009, 11:06 PM, said:

Just beautiful :wub: well done Larry :beer:
Did you weigh all parts involved, both the before and after parts?

I bet Larry goes to the men's room at every opportunity during a ride............ just to keep the weight down.... :biggrin:

Wow. You are one talented guy. Really nice work.

Very nice!!! How about some rear sets, that would be another unique mod to add to your list!

[image: View Post]douglasthecook, on Jun 4 2009, 03:32 PM, said:

Very nice!!! How about some rear sets, that would be another unique mod to add to your list!

You're looking at my Rear Set design...

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Great work Larry! Moto-porn!

Larry, please spend some of your valuable time thinking of more farkles for us regular VFR folks...Your peg lowering blocks were great (I bought them) but the community needs more cool stuff.

Great work on the RC45.

Rear sets...I couldn't tell from the pics at the top of the page that they are a one-off piece. They are quite nice!!! I'm still looking for some for my 4th Gen. It has been said that the mid 90's Aprilia's have the same distance between mounting points for their rear sets. If that isn't the case, I may buy some Sato's and just have new mount plate made up that matches the VFR's dimensions. Yours are very clean, very nice!!!

Very Nice, in a Bimota sorta way!

Wow, magnifico. Mr RC45 is by far my favourite modified bike on the planet. Love the continual development :fing02:

[image: View Post]douglasthecook, on Jun 5 2009, 01:27 AM, said:

Rear sets...I couldn't tell from the pics at the top of the page that they are a one-off piece. They are quite nice!!! I'm still looking for some for my 4th Gen. It has been said that the mid 90's Aprilia's have the same distance between mounting points for their rear sets. If that isn't the case, I may buy some Sato's and just have new mount plate made up that matches the VFR's dimensions. Yours are very clean, very nice!!!

I think Jody's VFR from Hell that I modified with custom rear sets was a 4th Gen... no???

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Why yes; yes it is. :)

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Oh I want one! I do want one! Damn!!! That is sweet with a cup of sugar to boot. If duplicated, what would one cost. I have tried not to become a "man of the streets" but... :biggrin: Good job BLS, JD

[image: View Post]leanit, on Jun 6 2009, 06:19 AM, said:

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Oh I want one! I do want one! Damn!!! That is sweet with a cup of sugar to boot. If duplicated, what would one cost. I have tried not to become a "man of the streets" but... :biggrin: Good job BLS, JD


Thanks... but Jody's VFR from Hell was a cost be damn attempt to
replicating an RC45... however the time and money that went into the
project came real close of used cost of an real RC45... an RC45 is an
investment that will appreciate over time whereas replicas
depreciate... in other words money spent on a replica is lost
whereas money spent on the real item gains... not to mention nothing
feels like an RC45...

[image: View Post]douglasthecook, on Jun 5 2009, 10:27 AM, said:

. It has been said that the mid 90's Aprilia's have the same distance between mounting points for their rear sets. If that isn't the case, I may buy some Sato's and just have new mount plate made up that matches the VFR's dimensions. Yours are very clean, very nice!!!


What Priller model? My local dealer may have a second hand on the floor so I can go out and measure...

Okay, since nobody's come out with it, I will.

Was the HRC SSSA optional on the RC45? You said something about correcting Honda's error in trail. Is that the only real difference? Was the original HRC SSSA also aluminum? I noticed you put a 43t in the rear (the same as my 6th gen.). What did it have before? Is the hub assembly you've got on there now better?

[image: View Post]EmeraldVFR, on Jun 6 2009, 04:30 PM, said:

Okay, since nobody's come out with it, I will.

Was the HRC SSSA optional on the RC45? You said something about correcting Honda's error in trail. Is that the only real difference? Was the original HRC SSSA also aluminum? I noticed you put a 43t in the rear (the same as my 6th gen.). What did it have before? Is the hub assembly you've got on there now better?

HRC SSSA was not an option it was a HRC kit part especially for rigors of WSBK racing...

I added the 4mm back in 99... that's when I discovered an error in
trail... instead of the advertised 92mm it was actually 95.5mm

I passed my discovery onto "Swan" Japanese RC45 owner who is Chairman
of the Japanese Chapter and a HRC researcher... he actually called up
Honda corporation and asked one of the engineers about this error...

Honda engineer very kindly explained to Swan that he was sorry... but
there is actual measurements and advertise measurements and the two
may not agree... and thats why then print the little disclosure at the
the bottom of the text... he added this information

1) actual measurement
It will be not useful to compare with designed data . Because
actual caster , diameter of front tire and any other factors are not
considered in design .

2)calculated data vs. designed data
The stem offset and the axle offset are 35mm , but real offset is
used 42mm in design .


Both the stock and HRC SSSW are aluminum...

Stock sprockets were 17/40... now 17/43...

About 150K worth HRC kits parts...
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[image: View Post]Dutchy, on Jun 6 2009, 10:40 PM, said:

[image: View Post]douglasthecook, on Jun 5 2009, 10:27 AM, said:

. It has been said that the mid 90's Aprilia's have the same distance between mounting points for their rear sets. If that isn't the case, I may buy some Sato's and just have new mount plate made up that matches the VFR's dimensions. Yours are very clean, very nice!!!


What Priller model? My local dealer may have a second hand on the floor so I can go out and measure...


You would have to ask that, as I really can't remember right now. All I can remember right now is that the distance between the center of the bolts is 78mm. I want to say the RSV but could be wrong...

[quote name='BusyLittleShop' date='Jun 4 2009, 10:10 AM' post='618733']

7075 T6 aluminum swingarm axle and nut...
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Beautiful work, but I'm wondering about the use of 7075-T6 aluminum for the swing arm axle and nut.

7075-T6 is high strength but it is very poor for cracking induced by corrosion and preload stress, ie. it's stress corrosion cracking SCC rating is D, the worst possible. The preload axial stress will be fairly high from torquing the axle nut alone. Add to that static bending stresses from static load and dynamic bending stresses from suspension loads. The environment will add corrosion over time.

Fatigue resistance is also worse than steel and titanium. If one idealizes the axle as a uniform bar with no stress concentrations than you may expect a fatigue life of a million stress cycles if maximum stress is roughly 35000psi or less. This compares with 4340 steel bar or Ti-6Al-4V titanium bar where the peak stress could reach 50000psi with the same life expectancy even with full stress reversal. But then the axle isn't a uniform bar and it does have stress concentrators.

The stiffness of 7075-T6 aluminum is about one third that of 4340 steel, while Ti-6Al-4V is better at one half that of 4340 steel. Since the handling of modern bikes is in part derived from the structural stiffness of their frames, suspensions, and related pivots, this seems like a reasonable concern.

Was your engineering contact able to confirm if HRC used 7075-T6 for its axles and nuts and if so how often did they change them?

Keep an eye on that axle.

[image: View Post]Arion, on Aug 8 2009, 04:47 PM, said:

Beautiful work, but I'm wondering about the use of 7075-T6 aluminum for the swing arm axle and nut.


Was your engineering contact able to confirm if HRC used 7075-T6 for its axles and nuts and if so how often did they change them?

Thanks but I engineered the use of 7075 T6...

[image: View Post]BusyLittleShop, on 11 August 2009 - 01:40 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Arion, on Aug 8 2009, 04:47 PM, said:

Beautiful work, but I'm wondering about the use of 7075-T6 aluminum for the swing arm axle and nut.


Was your engineering contact able to confirm if HRC used 7075-T6 for its axles and nuts and if so how often did they change them?

Thanks but I engineered the use of 7075 T6...


I know this is an old thread but A: Can you make a rear set for a 5th gen and B: this is in no way meant to be taken as condescending or an insult of any kind but genuine interest- What do you mean you engineered the use of 7075-T6? For this application or for the alloy? I'm a welder by trade and I'm extremely geeky about metals and such so now I'm intrigued :) Chatting with an engineer about various alloy's properties excites me about the same as a 40 something housewife from NJ meeting Bon Jovi in the supermarket,lol Seriously, I once talked to an engineer from Hypertherm about the properties of hafnium for almost two hours and an engineer for Cornell Dublier for three about tantalum :) Nice work BTW :)

[image: View Post]mikethaninefive, on 09 December 2010 - 05:46 PM, said:

I know this is an old thread but A: Can you make a rear set for a 5th gen and B: this is in no way meant to be taken as condescending or an insult of any kind but genuine interest- What do you mean you engineered the use of 7075-T6? For this application or for the alloy? Nice work BTW :)


Thanks... Just for Uncle Stan I machined custom rear sets for the 5th
Gen and I wouldn't be interested in duplicating the hand made effort for
anything less than $800... What I mean about engineering 7075 T6 is
due to the alloys weight to strength ratio a designer can machine a
part thinner than 6061 T6 alloy and end up with the same strength...

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I missed this thread in 09'........ I was wondering why you moved , and changed the shock mount on the sssa ?..... Love your work,Monk........

[image: View Post]BusyLittleShop, on 10 December 2010 - 12:37 AM, said:

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Forgive me for not checking first, but I believe the swingarm pivot bolt was inserted from the "wrong" side... if I remember correctly, the nut goes on the left/clutch side of the bike to facilitate easy chain removal without having to cut. At least on the 5th gen... not that I remove chains that way, just jumped out at me when I saw it. Probably makes no difference.

[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on 10 December 2010 - 06:13 AM, said:

Forgive me for not checking first, but I believe the swingarm pivot bolt was inserted from the "wrong" side... if I remember correctly, the nut goes on the left/clutch side of the bike to facilitate easy chain removal without having to cut. At least on the 5th gen... not that I remove chains that way, just jumped out at me when I saw it. Probably makes no difference.


SEB,

The pivot bolt on my 5th is as shown in the picture. I guess access to the headers was first on their mind.

[image: View Post]sa1713, on 10 December 2010 - 08:54 AM, said:

SEB,

The pivot bolt on my 5th is as shown in the picture. I guess access to the headers was first on their mind.


I've never taken the black caps off mine, but that is how it is shown in the manual as well.

[image: View Post]wera803, on 10 December 2010 - 10:11 AM, said:

[image: View Post]sa1713, on 10 December 2010 - 08:54 AM, said:

SEB,

The pivot bolt on my 5th is as shown in the picture. I guess access to the headers was first on their mind.


I've never taken the black caps off mine, but that is how it is shown in the manual as well.


Good to be wrong every now and then. Nevermind Larry! :smile:

Ahhhh I see that's out of my range but still a small price to pay for custom hand made rear sets :)