Yz swingarm

ktrop251

ktrop251

PR Member
I was just curious if anyone else ever had issues with Yamaha 2 strokes swingarm. Where my caliper mounts to the swingarm it seems to be worn down. It just slides on but I was noticing a lot of play. Is there any way to resolve this issue or is my best bet to buy a new swingarm?
 
When I had a yz swingarm up for sale I had probably 5-6 guys immediately calling me. All had this problem. If your goin new swinger you can always get a 2009+ four stroke one. The whole conversion saves like 3lbs and noticeably makes the rear more plush
 
jms158bmx said:
When I had a yz swingarm up for sale I had probably 5-6 guys immediately calling me. All had this problem. If your goin new swinger you can always get a 2009+ four stroke one. The whole conversion saves like 3lbs and noticeably makes the rear more plush
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Turns better too. Yamaha front wheel push goes away. Tracks ruts better. Can front wheel steer like a 4-stroke or rear wheel like a 2-stroke. Made a big difference for me on my 250. Getting one on my 125 too.
 
Ya know I still thought it steered like a Yamaha aka terrible. I did everything to possibly make my yz250 turn better. Clamps swingarm linkages,put big money in suspension. Still Yamaha. It took me about half a lap on my ktm to hit lines I never could on the yz. Don't get me wrong I still bleed blue and do cry inside when I see a yz smoker.
 
I rode a new 250sx and yes it really handles well. Kind of like cheating.
My 250 has the shorter 450 forks too. jeffro667 put the bike together with 450 triple clamps. That didn't work for me so I went back to the stock clamps. My 125 will be stock other than springs up front with the 4-stroke swingarm and linkage in the back. I'll set the heights the same as the 250 and see how it works.
Another thing that wears out on the Yamahas is the front axle. The wheel can feel snug with seemingly no play but the front will climb out of ruts and track crazy at times.
White plastic helps cornering also. :rolleyes:
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jms158bmx said:
When I had a yz swingarm up for sale I had probably 5-6 guys immediately calling me. All had this problem. If your goin new swinger you can always get a 2009+ four stroke one. The whole conversion saves like 3lbs and noticeably makes the rear more plush
Click to expand...
Would that change the axle on my rear wheel? I actually wanted to get a set of new wheels and I know Yamaha sells the wheel sets with black rims for the 4 strokes but the axle was a bit larger than on the 2 strokes. Not a bad idea. It definitely could turn better but I've been riding Yamaha 2 strokes for so long I'm used to steering with the rear wheel. Lol
 
ktrop251 said:
Would that change the axle on my rear wheel? I actually wanted to get a set of new wheels and I know Yamaha sells the wheel sets with black rims for the 4 strokes but the axle was a bit larger than on the 2 strokes. Not a bad idea. It definitely could turn better but I've been riding Yamaha 2 strokes for so long I'm used to steering with the rear wheel. Lol
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If I remember right you need swingarm,linkage and bell, rear caliper, rear wheel and I think swing arm bolt and spacers. I did it the easy way and bought a blown up 450 and used what I needed. I did the fork and clamp swap too. Everything bolts right up.
 
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jms158bmx said:
If I remember right you need swingarm,linkage and bell, rear caliper, rear wheel and I think swing arm bolt and spacers. I did it the easy way and bought a blown up 450 and used what I needed. I did the fork and clamp swap too. Everything bolts right up.
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I always wondered about the swingarm swap. Might be a cool winter project. I just hate that my caliper is all loose in the slider. Did the new clamps make much of a difference? I was always curious about that. The 125 turns so much better than my 250. If I could get it to corner like a 125 my turns wouldn't suck so bad. Lol some days I feel like I'm trying to pull a semi through the mick d's drive threw.
 
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450 clamps were too quick turning, busy for me. They still had late in turn a push too if you didn't set the fork height with the front brake. The stock clamps made it just right for me. The 125 is so light that a tug on bars, fanning the clutch or a foot dab can usually correct a turn going wrong. Just seems easier to will to handle than the 250.
 
k01 said:
450 clamps were too quick turning, busy for me. They still had late in turn a push too if you didn't set the fork height with the front brake. The stock clamps made it just right for me. The 125 is so light that a tug on bars, fanning the clutch or a foot dab can usually correct a turn going wrong. Just seems easier to will to handle than the 250.
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I agree the 125 is much easier to corner. I was curious if offset clamps would feel busy too. I love how my 250 tracks down straights and rollers. Smooth and straight but going from my 125 to 250 is a world of difference just in the way you have to set up for corners. The 250 you really have to set up for the turns. When you get it right it's so smooth and fluid but if you don't set up or have to make a quick line change it's a little tough to get out smoothly.
 
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I had a yz250 with 450 clamps (22mm offset) and loved it. It cornered much better and I didn't think I lost any straight line stability. ( some people will not agree so possibly suspension setup will make the difference) I had a 2009 250F swingarm too.
For swingarm you need the entire 4 stroke linkage. Make sure you are getting all 250 F or all 450f parts dont mix them. The linkage and swingarm is different ( I think 2009 250 and 450 are the same others years are not). Sepending on what year your YZ250 is you might need the rear brake caliper too.
I had 4 stroke black wheels too.
Yes the rear axle is bigger on the 4 strokes. I think the front axle is bigger too starting 2014.
It's a nice bolt on mod for the YZ 2 stroke. If you are in no hurry you can get some good deals on Ebay.
Enjoy!!
 
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I had this problem on my RM. If you have an instagram account look up 'mxrevival_llc'.. or call (208) 899-0713. This guy is really cool and he can turn a turd into a diamond.. seriously, he probably could :)

I told him my issue and he hooked me up with a swingarm for 80 bucks shipped and it came with full linkage, bearings, and chain slider. He also seems to specialize in YZ's so I bet he already has one for ya.
 
Isn't the play in the caliper and swing arm irrelevant? The axle holds the caliper in position and the swing arm just keeps it from rotating. Once the brake is used the caliper buts up to the swing arm stop.
 
C Hudak said:
Isn't the play in the caliper and swing arm irrelevant? The axle holds the caliper in position and the swing arm just keeps it from rotating. Once the brake is used the caliper buts up to the swing arm stop.
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Thats my thought. My 06 is sloppy as crap. Braking is just fine.
 
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And if the swingarm was wearing, shouldn't it "fix" itself when the chain is adjusted? All I know is the 450 swingarm works great on my YZ250.
 
jms158bmx said:
Ya know I still thought it steered like a Yamaha aka terrible. I did everything to possibly make my yz250 turn better. Clamps swingarm linkages,put big money in suspension. Still Yamaha. It took me about half a lap on my ktm to hit lines I never could on the yz. Don't get me wrong I still bleed blue and do cry inside when I see a yz smoker.
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Hm...my 144 points and goes. Well it didn't until I changed the triples and handlebars. Now it's iffy. Looking to go back to stock.
 
C Hudak said:
Isn't the play in the caliper and swing arm irrelevant? The axle holds the caliper in position and the swing arm just keeps it from rotating. Once the brake is used the caliper buts up to the swing arm stop.
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Yea the Axle holds it in place but getting the rear wheel back on is a pain in the ass with my caliper moving around and it looks all chewed up. Not a huge deal but I was planning on doing some projects this winter and wanted to make sure they were good when I got them back together.
 
ktrop251 said:
The braking is fine. It's just all sloppy like you said Hershey. Are you having dsvefest this year? I haven't received any group texts. Disappointed.
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Yeah....it seems that some people aren't getting them in group messaging. Not sure why. I sent one to you now.
 
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