Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Swingarm shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Swingarm offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Swingarm at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Swingarm? Wrong! If the Swingarm is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Swingarm then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Swingarm? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Swingarm and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Swingarm wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Swingarm then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Swingarm site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Swingarm, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Swingarm, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
A
swingarm (originally known as a swing fork) is the main component of the rear Suspension (motorcycle) of most modern
motorcycles and All terrain vehicles. It is used to hold the rear
axle firmly while pivoting vertically to allow the suspension to absorb bumps in the road.
Originally there was no rear suspension - the frame design being a stronger version of a bicycle frame. Many types of suspension were tried including Indian's leaf spring suspended swingarm, and Matchless's cantilevered coiled spring swingarm. Immediately prior to and after WWII the
"plunger" system in which the axle moved up and down two vertical posts became commonplace. In the latter, the movement in each direction was against coiled springs.
Some manufacturers such as Greeves used swingarm designs for the front forks which made them more robust then telescopic forks. The swingarm has also been used for the front suspension of scooters. In this case it aids in simplifying maintenance.
Swingarm Types
Swingarms have come in several forms over the years:
Swinging fork - the original version consisting of a pair of parallel pipes holding the rear axle at one end and pivoting at the other. A pair of shock absorbers are mounted just before the rear axle and attached to the frame below the seat rail.
Cantilever - An extension of the swinging fork where a triangulated frame transfers swing arm movement to compress shock absorber/s generally mounted in front of the swingarm. The HRD-
Vincent is a famous early form of this type of swingarm, though Matchless used it earlier and
Yamaha subsequently. The Harley-Davidson Softail is another form of this swingarm though working in reverse with the shock absorbers being extended rather than compressed.
Single-sided swingarms allow the rear wheel to be mounted like those of an automobile.
Paralever is BMW's rear suspension technology that allows the driveshaft to pivot along the same axis as the sprung rear frame due to the addition of second link between the rear drive and transmission. Paralever was originally introduced in 1988 R80GS and R100GS motorcycles and provides a reduction in the phenomenon known as "shaft jacking" where the rear of the motorcycle would lift skyward under certain riding conditions.
Moto Guzzi has introduced a variant of the BMW Paralever it named the Compact Reactive Drive Shaft system (patented and named Ca.R.C.). The main difference is that the cardan is free to float into its structure providing much softer feedback from transmission. Additionally, the upper arm of the Ca.R.C. is not part of the structure but just a guide to close the geometry of the suspension (it means that, differently from BMW project, the suspension will work also with a broken upper arm).
It is believed that the term Paralever was developed due to the appearance of a parallelogram between the four items making up the rear suspension. (rear drive, drive shaft, transmission, and lower or upper brace). Other motorcycle manufacturers have started to adopt this approach.
Drag racing motorcycles will often use longer swingarms to keep their
center of gravity, i.e. the engine, as forward as possible to reduce the tendency to
wheelie at the start.
See also
A
swingarm (originally known as a swing fork) is the main component of the rear
Suspension (motorcycle) of most modern
motorcycles and All terrain vehicles. It is used to hold the rear axle firmly while pivoting vertically to allow the suspension to absorb bumps in the road.
Originally there was no rear suspension - the frame design being a stronger version of a bicycle frame. Many types of suspension were tried including Indian's leaf spring suspended swingarm, and Matchless's cantilevered coiled spring swingarm. Immediately prior to and after WWII the
"plunger" system in which the axle moved up and down two vertical posts became commonplace. In the latter, the movement in each direction was against coiled springs.
Some manufacturers such as Greeves used swingarm designs for the front forks which made them more robust then telescopic forks. The swingarm has also been used for the front suspension of scooters. In this case it aids in simplifying maintenance.
Swingarm Types
Swingarms have come in several forms over the years:
Swinging fork - the original version consisting of a pair of parallel pipes holding the rear axle at one end and pivoting at the other. A pair of
shock absorbers are mounted just before the rear axle and attached to the frame below the seat rail.
Cantilever - An extension of the swinging fork where a triangulated frame transfers swing arm movement to compress shock absorber/s generally mounted in front of the swingarm. The HRD-
Vincent is a famous early form of this type of swingarm, though
Matchless used it earlier and Yamaha subsequently. The
Harley-Davidson Softail is another form of this swingarm though working in reverse with the shock absorbers being extended rather than compressed.
Single-sided swingarms allow the rear wheel to be mounted like those of an automobile.
Paralever is BMW's rear suspension technology that allows the driveshaft to pivot along the same axis as the sprung rear frame due to the addition of second link between the rear drive and transmission. Paralever was originally introduced in 1988 R80GS and R100GS motorcycles and provides a reduction in the phenomenon known as "shaft jacking" where the rear of the motorcycle would lift skyward under certain riding conditions.
Moto Guzzi has introduced a variant of the BMW Paralever it named the Compact Reactive Drive Shaft system (patented and named Ca.R.C.). The main difference is that the cardan is free to float into its structure providing much softer feedback from transmission. Additionally, the upper arm of the Ca.R.C. is not part of the structure but just a guide to close the geometry of the suspension (it means that, differently from BMW project, the suspension will work also with a broken upper arm).
It is believed that the term Paralever was developed due to the appearance of a
parallelogram between the four items making up the rear suspension. (rear drive, drive shaft, transmission, and lower or upper brace). Other motorcycle manufacturers have started to adopt this approach.
Drag racing motorcycles will often use longer swingarms to keep their
center of gravity, i.e. the engine, as forward as possible to reduce the tendency to
wheelie at the start.
See also
