final drive swap

[skipper]

Been reading about y'alls final drive swap. I have rarely flailed my machine so it looked real good. Changed my mind 'bout half hour ago. Young Wippersnapper rode up beside me at a highway light. Gonna show the old codger on his antique tourer how fast his new Harley is. Felt real bad doing that to him,,,,,yes sir,,,I truly did.

[cywelchjr]

I just did that to a guy. And if you look at my signature, you can see I have the 750 FD installed. I don't make a habit of it, and I can't take them off the line, but by the time most of them hit second gear, I'm still climbing to redline in 1st, then I finally hit second. I'm not flogging the thing, but I don't baby it either, but I'm also keeping a close eye on it. The next thing is to see if I could leave the spacer on the drive shaft and put the stock FD back on. I didn't look at it today, just to many other things to do today. It would make switching back and forth a MUCH shorter job, no pulling the shaft out and putting the other in the change them once the switch was made, but I gotta look and see what all the measurements are in relation to each other on both units to see if there would be any issue with any clearances on the 1100 FD with the shaft sticking out of the housing further.

But, other than stress, performance wise, it's like each gear is moved by one gear, giving you a sixth but taking away 1st (sort of).

[BA80]

I have outrun other 11s that have the stock FD more than once in a drag race like that and I DO FLOG IT! They end up being so busy shifting I can smoke past 'em by the time I hit 3rd and they are in 4th well on the way to 5th.

[jetmechmarty]

Awright Greg. Let's do it!

We need more rallies, so we can ride, then drink beer in the evening and tell lies. I think I got sucked into this FD thing enough. My excuse is, I'm stuck in a hotel and it's cold and raining outside. Some stuff we'll never agree on.

I think Randy had it right when he said, "yawn".

[BA80]

Awright Greg. Let's do it!

We need more rallies, so we can ride, then drink beer in the evening and tell lies. I think I got sucked into this FD thing enough. My excuse is, I'm stuck in a hotel and it's cold and raining outside. Some stuff we'll never agree on.

I think Randy had it right when he said, "yawn".

I've got to get over to Georgia one of these years marty. Always wanted to see it.

And how do you rate getting RAIN? I've only had to mow once this year, the grass is brown and dead here in this furnace.

In my defense on that last statement, this engine I'm running right now is pretty damn spicey.

[jetmechmarty]

I haven't been home in a while, but it's been raining for two days here in Leipzig, Germany. It's cold, too. Too cool for me, at least. I miss my bike and my roads. 10 more days!

[BA80]

Quit yer bitchin' ! I'd give anything to be able to travel like you do.

[cywelchjr]

Quit yer bitchin' ! I'd give anything to be able to travel like you do.

Even being able to ride? Are you sure?

[xsroadrunner]

Hey Marty..now y'all just hang in thar...Y'hear?...Had a great time at the last XSiveRiders Rally @TWO...if y'all aint ridden N.GA...and visited Marty in Dahlonega..you should do yosef the favor...

[BA80]

Even being able to ride? Are you sure?

Can't ride here anyway. 105º

Looks like it's gonna be about 107º when Tod and I take off wednesday evening for KC on our first leg on the way to Minnesota. Yeah, can't wait for that.

[CaptonZap]

The next thing is to see if I could leave the spacer on the drive shaft and put the stock FD back on. I didn't look at it today, just to many other things to do today. It would make switching back and forth a MUCH shorter job, no pulling the shaft out and putting the other in the change them once the switch was made, but I gotta look and see what all the measurements are in relation to each other on both units to see if there would be any issue with any clearances on the 1100 FD with the shaft sticking out of the housing further.

Sorry Cy, it just ainta gonna work.
The drive shaft sticks out past the end of the swing arm tube bolt face about an eighth of an inch with the 750 spacer in, and if you look at the 1100 pinion nut, it ends up about three quarters of an inch inside the swing arm tube.
Since I don't have skinny fingers, I find it easier to take the swing arm out, poke the shaft through, into the U-joint splines, replace the swing arm pins, and go from there. You only have to take the back spring off the boot, so its not to bad.
YMMV CZ

[cywelchjr]

Sorry Cy, it just ainta gonna work.
The drive shaft sticks out past the end of the swing arm tube bolt face about an eighth of an inch with the 750 spacer in, and if you look at the 1100 pinion nut, it ends up about three quarters of an inch inside the swing arm tube.
Since I don't have skinny fingers, I find it easier to take the swing arm out, poke the shaft through, into the U-joint splines, replace the swing arm pins, and go from there. You only have to take the back spring off the boot, so its not to bad.
YMMV CZ

Yeah, didn't have a lot of hope, but I hadn't had a chance to check that out for myself yet. I was going to compare the position of the nuts and such on both the 750 and 1100 FDs as far as depth, but I guess I don't have to do that now, although I may do that next time I pull things apart anyways.

[DGXSER]

Generally speaking, anyone who thinks traveling for business is fun and enjoyable has never done it. I am on the front end of the fourth week in a row of being somewhere other than home. And wether its Alaska, Germany, Japan, China, India, or Chicago. All you really see is a hotel room, an airport, a rental car, the job site, and maybe a restaurant or two. But never any of the real scenery or such.

[jwhughes3]

I know!

Generally speaking, anyone who thinks traveling for business is fun and enjoyable has never done it. I am on the front end of the fourth week in a row of being somewhere other than home. And wether its Alaska, Germany, Japan, China, India, or Chicago. All you really see is a hotel room, an airport, a rental car, the job site, and maybe a restaurant or two. But never any of the real scenery or such.

I spent about 45 weeks on the road last year at military bases all over the country and the world for about a week at a time....only in Italy did I take half a day to actually relax and get to see something other than a base hospital or hotel. In Guam, where I used to live I was so beat from getting there I could barely work much less sightsee.

Luckily my travel is about half this year and I actually took a vacation (Durango Rally boys!)

I missed riding and family all the time - one reason I kept Rising Sun in San Diego at the office was because I wanted riding time

The one good thing business travel does is get you status that makes your family travel more enjoyable. And teaches you how to pack light - a must for MC travel, eh?

John

[Bonz]

I've been saying all along that the FD swapped bike, while probably getting beat across the intersection, will catch up by staying in the lower gears longer as you come up to speed. I'm making no statements or claims about potential durability, etc, but purely an acceleration statement.

Look at it this way... The Standard in 78 was the first 11 second bike. The Special when it came out, albeit with slightly different tune but with basically the same power as the original '78 based on dyno tests, was as quick, maybe quicker, but by a very small margin even with the shorter gearing from the 16" rear tire, insignificant difference is the term that comes to mind.

If the shorter gearing of a stock FD compared to the swapped FD is THAT much better in the acceleration department as has been highly touted 'round here, how come the Special and Standard basically have the same numbers in terms of performance from period tests? Most of what I've heard says the 16" vs 17" tire difference is about the same as the gearing difference in the stock FD vs. 750/850 FD. If that is accurate, I think we have a lot of armchair theorists out there blowin' smoke about how much of a "dog" the FD swapped bike is compared to a stock FD bike. Otherwise, a Stock Special should blow a Stock Standard into the weeds each and every time based on this same purported difference that some how comes to bear with an FD swapped bike, since the gearing is somehow so tall...

Help me here, am I smokin' something or missing something?