Does the shock go straight up & down from swingarm to mount? I think it does,, how is it gonna work leaned over? Id guess, not so well,,binding on the swingarm mount & all,, Im not lookin at it, so, maybe what you want to do will work, but Id sure go slow here.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/12/12 at 20:51:23:

I'll be running to the inside of the lower mount to keep it straight but like I said in my original post, I'm hardtailing this with links. It doesn't matter what angle they may end up at.


Yes, I've seen those hardtail kits but I'm not willing to spend more on the kit than I did on the bike, especially considering its condition.

You know how you guys say no one has ever worn out one of these clutches before? Well that's about to change. The cable on this is out of adjustment at both ends and there's slop in it. The clutch lever doesn't return fully without pushing it into place.

As I looked over this thing and saw how many shade-tree repairs have been done to it, I realized this isn't ever going to be a nice bobber, it's just going to be a rat.

I can't be positive because I don't know enough about the bike but the amount of slop in the actuating arm is quite worrisome. I'll snap some pictures but I'll start another thread for that.

For now I'd just like to know if anyone has cut off the upper shock mount and what exactly does it look like. I'm hoping it's hollow so I can tap it and put a bolt in it.

I looked into doping the same thing with my bike with the chain conversion, and in the end we decided not to risk it. I don't remember why, but my buddy Jay who has been doing the welding and frame mods for me wasn't keen on risking it; then again, I'm not so sure now that he's really the expert he said he was.

You could just risk it and cut away at it; maybe someone here has a junk frame they are willing to cut into just to see; I don't. If Suzuki was smart, that post should be rock solid, but very little of the frame on this thing has been rock solid... so who knows?

If you cut it off, and it turns out to be solid, how hard would it be to just drill it out? Big pain in the a$$ I'm sure, but probably doable?

Then again, if it's a Rat, and you're willing to cut up the frame anyway, you could have someone weld your strut right on there for now. That would probably be easier if you can't get a bolt in there...

Search the net for Ironhead struts, there are some decent alloy round stock ones out there. Making them tends to be more of a hassle than it is worth. I ran struts on mine for a very short while, ended up going the other way and used some Intruder shocks to raise the rear end. Couldn't stand the front end feel with a lowered rear. The stock fork is a mite flexible...

Car dropper huh? I'm getting set up to do an axle flip on a 1949 Dodge truck, tail dragger style with a couple leaves pulled up front. Should go well with my Cal look Super Beetle. Something to haul the street tracker and 1937 Henderson beach cruiser bicycle in.

That's awesome! I'm glad you made it work. You did a very slick job with that.