I picked up the frame from the welder last night after work. I’m pleased. Even though the whole point this project is learning the skills to do things myself, I think it was wise to have a pro weld the frame tubes. It’s well put together and accurately aligned. There’s a lot of beautification to do, but it’s nice to have something that can be called a complete frame, not the chopped-up assortment of tubes and fittings I’ve had for the past two years.
A cross-brace will need to go somewhere in between the shock mounts, but that will have to wait to get sorted out along with the seat mount.
With the DT175 swingarm, the top and bottom shock mounts should be within 1/2″ of the same distance from the swingarm pivot. A quick string measurement indicates that I will want shocks that are around 15″ – 15-1/2″ in length, but again, the exact length is TBD.
My progress from this point needs to be:
- Finish the rear engine mount (which fits to the swingarm pivot),
- Modify the swingarm slots for the larger Suzuki rear axle and then add gusset plates to the openings,
- With the swingarm installed, get the rear wheel properly aligned with the centerline of the frame,
- Assemble the whole chassis and see how it all sits, to make a final determination on rear shocks.
