So I think Shervin may have opened up his own shop

What you guys are missing is the other side of the argument. Guys doing mods like this to their bikes outspend racers 50 to 1 at local shops. We cant afford to turn down that kind of work.

When you own a shop you have people who want certain things done to their bike. Sometimes those things dont fit, you explain to them that it wont fit unless the (insert important structural part here) gets cut, ground or welded. They dont care, they just want that done to their bike.

If I tell them no then they just go down the road and another shop gets their business. It's not like I'm going to talk them out of it.

Yes I cry every time I lower a bike 4 inches and stretch it. The reality is thats what pays the bills these days. Those guys are the customers who spend the big money that allows us to give racers a hefty discount.

 

Yeap yeap. If you do a good job for the extended swinger arm dudes, they don't bitch about the cost and send over 10 more dudes who want work done and don't bitch about the cost.

When you get the racers in your shop, they want everything done for free or better yet, you to pay them to do the work. If you do a good job, they send over 5 more cheap f@cks who want the world for free.

 

LOL... well I wouldnt put it like that. The problem is every company out there is giving 1st year novices and trackday guys parts sponsorships.

I had this conversation with 2 manufacturers last week.

"So Kelly what do we need to do to get you to do a $2500 stocking order of our parts for this season?"

"Well I really dont sell much of your stuff anymore."

"Well Kelly thats strange because we are aware that most of the racers in your area are running our parts."

"Yes I know that, the problem is you sold them all of those parts direct through sponsorships and cut me right out of the loop. Why exactly should I stock anything you make?"

crickets.....

I think it needs to go back like it used to be. Racers started with a shop sponsorship. If they did well the shop called a manu and got them a better deal to represent that company. After said racer had become an Expert and was showing excellent results and the ability to be used as a marketing tool he might get factory direct sponsorship. Factory direct used to be the crown jewel, the thing that set you apart as the best of the best. Sponsorship has become so diluted that it means nothing anymore.

 

It's not the practice of catering to street squids that want to turn a sportbike into a station wagon that concerns me. Obviously the majority of streetbikes sold in this country stay right there....on the street. And like you guys said, if giving a GSXR-1000 the turning radius of the Titanic makes some dude feel like his weenie is a little bigger then indeed more power to the shop who capitalizes on that.

My gripe arises from the practice of randomly weakening an integral part of the motorcycle's frame to do it. Has he sent enough (or any) examples of every sportbike frame that needs this done to get stress tested to determine to what extent it's affected. I could be wrong but my guess would be no.

I've seen plenty of instances of good wrenches adding gusseting to frames and swingarms, not very many cutting material out.

 

It's a Freudian thing.......big long swingarm that neuters the bike's handling capabilities (when not being purposefully used for drag racing) trying to compensate for small/short something else.

 

These bikes generally see less stress than your average chinese scooter. Come up with a stress test that mimicks the commute to Starbucks and doing 40mph up and down the local cruising spot and I'm sure they will pass.

 

Nothing wrong with straight line bikes. They're fun too.

And no, I don't have a busa with a 6' swingarm.

 

You never know these days......people watch too much TV (or youtube in this case).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrbTWKNq9ts&feature=related

 

Define small and we may be able to answer that.

 

I hope he torqued the swingarm pivot with something other than the impact wrench (that had the non-impact socket).

 

I am sure the guy is a good dude. But come on. If material needs to be taken out the there should be some engineering done to insure that it is not weakening the frame. If for nothing other then your own peace of mind (not to mention legal issues that could come from a failure). How could he know if he took to much off with that rotary tool? Did he weld any gusseting back into it to make that area stronger? That was a hack job. It just wasn't done in a back yard. A true pro would have put some thought into doing it better. Not just cut away material and hope it is ok. I understand shops doing the work because customers ask for it, and I say good on the shop for catering to them. But to call yourself a pro and to make it out that you are better then the average back yard guy, then to hack away at a frame like that is just bs. Pros do things right, hacks cut away metal and hope it is ok.

 

I'm not sure why anything had to be clearenced at all

Seems to me stretching the swinger pulls the wheel straight back, so why is the chain moving outboard? Assuming the chain is aligned in the first place.

 

i actually really like this from a racer's point of view. from my bicycle racing days... shop sponsorship means deals on parts and gear (and one stop access to several manufacturers), some mentorship, help with simple maintainence... then the racer hangs out around the shop and community develops. racer sends friends to the shop that helps him out, racer advertises for the shop, etc.

do you think this can still be and advantageous arrangement for both parties in today's business world and particularly in an area where there are only a few race shops?

 

Short answer is yes. The factories or distributors should be working though the shops. For them to go over a shops head is a big fuck you to the shop that is keeping the factory in business IMHO. Even if there is no profit to the shop for the sponsored parts, it is still in both parties best interest to go through the shop.

 

Jeebus I'm retarded to have thought they were going to keep the stock width tire.

 

But they could had put a jack shaft in the swingarm so they wouldnt have to cut a structural support of the frame.

 

That would take to much time with a calculator and an engineering book. Faster to grind away some material.

 

Some engineer in Japan spent a lot of time determining the right frame thickness in that spot. When you start cutting, you're gambling.