The reality of single-sided swingarms is something more like this: Engineer: "Hey, guys! Look what I can do!" Marketing: "That makes the bike look sick as fuck! Imagine how much we can mark up the price now!"
Hey MC Garage! I would like to share a story with you guys! I was a shop-hands for over a year at a motorcycle shop in California (if you want, I can tell you who they are). But long story short, after working there for over a year, the shop owner not only didn't teach me jack shit, but he tricked me into doing a insurance scam when I got into an accident, where he gave me shitty parts to fix my bike and took over $5k of insurance money from my insurance company. I was working like a slave(for FREE) and they never even bother to teach any knowledge on how to work on motorcycles to me. After finding your guys' channel, I can't thank you guys enough to be the better people than those scumbags. I have learned so much from you guys within a month of watching your videos than working at that shit hole. again, thank you for being the positive folks within the motorcycle community! please keep up the good work!
I will tell my english teacher about these videos. I'm an apprentice bike mechanic and the videos could help improve the english of some of my peers since they know what you're talking about. And they're short! Keep it up Ari!
heh, no problem Ari, I understand that it wouldn't be easy to maintain all the bikes you guys have there for every single shoot especially when you are just borrowing them for one shoot, I just found that irony funny :)
How easy is it to get the bikes trail aligned with a single sided swing arm? On the doubles they have a mark on each side to use so you know the tire is center while adjusting chain length. Since it's only one side. How do you get the rake right?
they use an eccentric to hold the hub- it's always square to the axis of the bike, and it rotates to tension the chain. Look carefully at a Ducati 916 arm to see how it works.
An episode on aftermarket exhausts would be nice.. Explaining various types: Stainless Steel, Titanium, Carbon fibre, GP style, dB killer fitted ones, with or without exhaust baffles...etc
Another great short video from the MC Garage! Best description I've seen of single sided swingarms is "the motorbike equivalent of gull-wing doors on cars" - no real clear advantage, but sexy as...
I swear people always hunt out the negative things to comment about, so what the chain isn't perfect. Wish there were more positive comments and good discussion without people getting their feelings hurt on TH-cam than just pointing out any negative they can. Anyways Ari awesome video as always! Keep making these 👍🏼
Single sided swing arm FTW. Looks badass. Particularly with a shortie can. Maintenance of the chain and replacing the tyre or exhaust. It suited my VFR. And of course every Ducati practically.
single sided swingarms came from endurance racing ages ago for quick tire changes.. it just so happened to look cooler. later with shaft driven bikes it just made sense..
Thank you for taking the time to make all of these tech videos, I really appreciate it. For me it's almost better than the adventures you and Zack(Zac? Zach?) go on because I love to learn new things. Thanks again!!
my biggest concern with the single sided swing arms would be bearing wear. The engineering side of my brain always screams that that single bearing must be under a much larger amount of load than a double sided set up which should lead to you doing a lot more bearing changes. Not sure if that is how it ends up working out or if they have found a workaround, i'm surprised it wasn't in the vid.
I love these videos too much, I go back and rewatch them sometimes. Keep it up Ari and the MC crew. A potential topic, different throttle systems (fly-by-wire) throttle cable cams etc.
Hey guys... I’ve recently started watching your videos. Love them!! Especially for beginners like me who don’t have much knowledge, your videos are pretty easy to understand and make notes. It gives me more confidence when I ride my bike next time. Ty and cheers 😎
Single-sided swingarm is definitely sexier. However, I think take offs might be better with a double sided swingarm. Looking forward to the next episode.
Great video as always. Except it's not easy to remove the rear wheel on Super Duke since you need to remove that silencer first in order to remove the rear wheel.
Single sided swingarms do allow you to remove the wheel without having to remove the chain and axle as well, making it an easier task. This holds true on some bikes but what is often over looked is that on some bikes the muffler needs to be removed to allow the wheel to slide off. On others, even the caliper still needs to be unbolted and put to the side. In these cases the simplicity of the rear wheel removal on a single sided swingarm has extra steps required that would not be necessary on a double sided swingman. So depending on which model single sided swingarm you get, removal of the wheel can be easier or harder than a double sided swingarm.
I think even on the KTM that was shown the slip on muffler needs to be removed in order to allow the wheel to slide off the axle. Without removing the muffler you will not have enough room to finesse the wheel between the caliper and exhaust without gouging the rim.
As always, well presented, concise and thorough. As an aside, the VFR800 Interceptor needs no special tools to remove the wheel and often comes with a center stand. Hey, but that would have made for a less informative overall explanation. Keep them coming, as one can learn so much in a very short span with these videos--LIKED.
So one thing that comes up when running a finite element analysis on a cantilever like a swing arm is that all your load comes from where the rear tire meets the road, we can assume forces like rider's weight and bike weight, but acceleration forces are the tough thing to work out. for a double sided swing, acceleration forces, like the rear wheel hitting a bump, or accelerating in a straight line, the forces are generally distributed evenly, so you can model the swing arm essentially in 2 dimensions. for a single sided swing arm, you now have a torque caused by the distance (width) of the center of the wheel to the center of the single sided swing arm which DOES cause a torsional rotation of the arm. is that bad? only if the twisting of the swing arm in enough to cause input to the bike. Ducati actually found out that it's easy enough to make a single sided swing arm work for a track where most forces are fairly consistent and repeatable, but when a street rider hits a box dot or a speed bump, that's a massive spike in acceleration forces on the rear wheel, more than cornering, (on average, it's double) this is usually what forces companies to really beef up single sided swing arms for Street bikes.
Some single sided swing arms are higher maintenance to, to keep the chain tensioned so it doesn’t grind tracks into it like a lot of Ducati’s out there and kind of a pain to find parts for not because there hard to find but because they’re pricey
guys please make a video on after market exhaust system , the question is do they really increase a significant amount of bhps or do they just increase the exhaust note
The ease of wheel removal and installation is enough of an advantage that I prefer SSSA on road bikes. I invested the money on a large socket to do the maintenance on a Triumph Sprint ST. I hate changing the tires on my Triumph Scrambler or Ural Patrol. It's so easy on the Sprint. So, here's another question, why don't more manufacturers use an eccentric chain adjuster on their bikes with double sided swing arms? That's just another thing that would make maintenance easier when adjusting chain tension.
The Ducati dealer told me my 1299 single sided swing arm was actually lighter than the double sided one on the 959. So I guess thats a major advantage ! BTW after i found a good deal on the rear wheel socket, taking that wheel off is awesome !! One bolt and thats it...crazy...
Chris Martin That may be the case but it's certainly not a general rule. The 959 is necessarily an exercise in cost cutting since they really must offer it at a significantly lower price than its big sister.
hey guys. please can you do a video talking about engine configuration? specifically, the direction crankshafts spin, how number of cylinders bore and stroke effect output and how design such as angle of rotation or mount position is important to designers. why does a 40 degree angle matter over a 32degree angle? why aren't engines mounted horizontally? is cross plane crank really that much of a big deal? etc etc, have read lots of stuff but would love to see your take on it all. thanks
Jason Mizuno hope you get on 2wheels soon :D i started riding last summer (at age 29). now im 30 and im still keeping my baby ninja 300 2016 :') my first ever brand new vehicle, loving every minute on the bike!
ive read regarding the rc30 single sided swingarm that racers didnt care for how adjusting the chain would altar ride height due to it being on a cam inside the hub.
Yes! That's an idea we've had, but it would be very time consuming to produce, and at the moment we're just too busy to do it. It's on our "future plans" list though.
What I noticed is that mono shocks are tend to stiffer and better in corners in dual shock it provide more comfort to pillion and slightly locking in corners
how are the forces balanced in the single sided swing arm setup...? as in the case of double sided swing arms, we have two arms going in either directions, so how do we get that kind of balance...
on the single side, if you just have to undo the axle nut and slide it off, wouldn't exhaust location on alot of bikes hinder that!? Like this one for example, or the stock diavel? just wondering, thanks! love your guys' channel
Hey I have a Video Suggestion : How to clean air filters in motorcycles! There seem to be quite a number of different approaches to do this, I would love to see your way!
Hey I'm working on an personal project an I was wondering if you can safely flip a single sided swingarm to accept a right sided chain drive confirmation. If not do you know of any right sided single swingarm motorcycle
I haven't been keeping up, (current 2012 KLR650 succeeded a 1987 K100RT six or seven years ago,) I would have guessed single-sided swing arms were "conventional" by now.
The reality of single-sided swingarms is something more like this:
Engineer: "Hey, guys! Look what I can do!"
Marketing: "That makes the bike look sick as fuck! Imagine how much we can mark up the price now!"
The marketing guys ain't forcing anyone to buy the products though. Something is only priced based on what people are willing to pay for it.
okay but honestly they just look so beautiful and clean I would definitely pay more for such a unique feature
Hey MC Garage! I would like to share a story with you guys!
I was a shop-hands for over a year at a motorcycle shop in California (if you want, I can tell you who they are).
But long story short, after working there for over a year, the shop owner not only didn't teach me jack shit, but he tricked me into doing a insurance scam when I got into an accident, where he gave me shitty parts to fix my bike and took over $5k of insurance money from my insurance company. I was working like a slave(for FREE) and they never even bother to teach any knowledge on how to work on motorcycles to me.
After finding your guys' channel, I can't thank you guys enough to be the better people than those scumbags. I have learned so much from you guys within a month of watching your videos than working at that shit hole.
again, thank you for being the positive folks within the motorcycle community! please keep up the good work!
I will tell my english teacher about these videos. I'm an apprentice bike mechanic and the videos could help improve the english of some of my peers since they know what you're talking about. And they're short! Keep it up Ari!
easier chain maintenance on single sided swing arm ... and a rusty chain on the ktm, apparently not easy enough
Ari Henning So no chain maintenance advice from that magazine? lol.
heh, no problem Ari, I understand that it wouldn't be easy to maintain all the bikes you guys have there for every single shoot especially when you are just borrowing them for one shoot, I just found that irony funny :)
How easy is it to get the bikes trail aligned with a single sided swing arm? On the doubles they have a mark on each side to use so you know the tire is center while adjusting chain length. Since it's only one side. How do you get the rake right?
I was about to type comment about that :D
they use an eccentric to hold the hub- it's always square to the axis of the bike, and it rotates to tension the chain. Look carefully at a Ducati 916 arm to see how it works.
Just when you thought you knew all the basics of a bike you find a video like this that teaches you something new. Great video MC
An episode on aftermarket exhausts would be nice.. Explaining various types: Stainless Steel, Titanium, Carbon fibre, GP style, dB killer fitted ones, with or without exhaust baffles...etc
Gaurav Chandra agreed
Excellent video. as always entertaining and o learnt something new! Thanks Ari (And the team behind!)
Oh! un majes salvaje apareció!
Just love the way Ari delivers knowledge. Keep it up! 👍
Single sided swing arm, hell yeah!! Team VFR! :D
Honda put a single sided swingarm on the VFR for quick tyre changes during endurance racing.
Hell yeah, comes with the center stand and generic lugs!
I have an rvf400 it has a singlesided swingarm aswell
Me too!
M subbed to u as well bruh :)
Best and easiest explanations I have found.Well done.
Love the direction Ari and Zack are taking Motorcyclist in.
Another great short video from the MC Garage! Best description I've seen of single sided swingarms is "the motorbike equivalent of gull-wing doors on cars" - no real clear advantage, but sexy as...
1:30 that chain doesn't look to be in a very good shape..
Modelero Reflection in the light from the orange paint work.
Cheers
Nah, the orange spots are in places way far from the orange fairings and chains aren't so shiny...
Modelero Just another half ass job on chain maintenance from MC Garage then!
If it was reflection from the orange paint work the orange it would've shifted as the camera panned across.
wooable Are we going with rust then?
I swear people always hunt out the negative things to comment about, so what the chain isn't perfect. Wish there were more positive comments and good discussion without people getting their feelings hurt on TH-cam than just pointing out any negative they can. Anyways Ari awesome video as always! Keep making these 👍🏼
Best motorcycle channel on TH-cam. Love your content!
Single sided swing arm FTW.
Looks badass. Particularly with a shortie can. Maintenance of the chain and replacing the tyre or exhaust. It suited my VFR.
And of course every Ducati practically.
As always straight to the point without all the fluff. Always a great video.
finally!!!, i've been waiting decades for someone to speak about this topic, thanks MM
I can't subscribe again, but you're the only channel where I've enabled the notifications. ;)
You guys rock love your videos as a new Motorcycle rider I find all your videos not just entertaining but highly informative cheers!
single sided swingarms came from endurance racing ages ago for quick tire changes.. it just so happened to look cooler. later with shaft driven bikes it just made sense..
Thank you for taking the time to make all of these tech videos, I really appreciate it. For me it's almost better than the adventures you and Zack(Zac? Zach?) go on because I love to learn new things. Thanks again!!
Can't wait to see!
my biggest concern with the single sided swing arms would be bearing wear. The engineering side of my brain always screams that that single bearing must be under a much larger amount of load than a double sided set up which should lead to you doing a lot more bearing changes. Not sure if that is how it ends up working out or if they have found a workaround, i'm surprised it wasn't in the vid.
I love these videos too much, I go back and rewatch them sometimes. Keep it up Ari and the MC crew.
A potential topic, different throttle systems (fly-by-wire) throttle cable cams etc.
Hey guys... I’ve recently started watching your videos. Love them!! Especially for beginners like me who don’t have much knowledge, your videos are pretty easy to understand and make notes. It gives me more confidence when I ride my bike next time. Ty and cheers 😎
Carl Forgarty and ducati tried a double sided swingarm on a 996 in the early 2000..He didn't like it...great video
Man You're the best
No matter what don't stop making videos
Single-sided swingarm is definitely sexier. However, I think take offs might be better with a double sided swingarm. Looking forward to the next episode.
BTW: new magazine layout is SICK!! Will be subscribing to that publication for sure!!
Great video as always. Except it's not easy to remove the rear wheel on Super Duke since you need to remove that silencer first in order to remove the rear wheel.
Wow, two little bolts, how difficult. I have a SDR myself and it takes three minutes...
not true. once the wheel nut is removed, pivot bottom of tire away from swing arm. roll back or drop out on and angle. won't touch anything
Hello from NEPAL.You are my technical mentor. Always Best content . Keep it up.
I really wanted to learn something about them but i had no vocabularies to type in request for them. Now i know. Thanks. I love single ones.
Sweet Suzuki VanVan snuck in the video! 1:03 Love that little bike.
Single sided swingarms do allow you to remove the wheel without having to remove the chain and axle as well, making it an easier task. This holds true on some bikes but what is often over looked is that on some bikes the muffler needs to be removed to allow the wheel to slide off. On others, even the caliper still needs to be unbolted and put to the side. In these cases the simplicity of the rear wheel removal on a single sided swingarm has extra steps required that would not be necessary on a double sided swingman. So depending on which model single sided swingarm you get, removal of the wheel can be easier or harder than a double sided swingarm.
I think even on the KTM that was shown the slip on muffler needs to be removed in order to allow the wheel to slide off the axle. Without removing the muffler you will not have enough room to finesse the wheel between the caliper and exhaust without gouging the rim.
Laughs in VFR800.
All you need is 19mm socket and about 5 minutes.
As always, well presented, concise and thorough. As an aside, the VFR800 Interceptor needs no special tools to remove the wheel and often comes with a center stand. Hey, but that would have made for a less informative overall explanation.
Keep them coming, as one can learn so much in a very short span with these videos--LIKED.
You guys are a boon to the motorcycling world! Thanks.
600cc : Yamaha R6
1000cc : Panigale V4
❤❤❤🔥🔥🔥❤❤❤
really good video!!! this series has been fantastic!
So one thing that comes up when running a finite element analysis on a cantilever like a swing arm is that all your load comes from where the rear tire meets the road, we can assume forces like rider's weight and bike weight, but acceleration forces are the tough thing to work out. for a double sided swing, acceleration forces, like the rear wheel hitting a bump, or accelerating in a straight line, the forces are generally distributed evenly, so you can model the swing arm essentially in 2 dimensions. for a single sided swing arm, you now have a torque caused by the distance (width) of the center of the wheel to the center of the single sided swing arm which DOES cause a torsional rotation of the arm. is that bad? only if the twisting of the swing arm in enough to cause input to the bike. Ducati actually found out that it's easy enough to make a single sided swing arm work for a track where most forces are fairly consistent and repeatable, but when a street rider hits a box dot or a speed bump, that's a massive spike in acceleration forces on the rear wheel, more than cornering, (on average, it's double) this is usually what forces companies to really beef up single sided swing arms for Street bikes.
A video on what to look for when buying a used motorcycle would be really helpful if it's not too long for an MC garage video.
Loves your videos ! It's short and very informative.
Great information, thankyou. 👌🏻 from 🇦🇺.
this was a great topic! I've always been curious about the differences.
Some single sided swing arms are higher maintenance to, to keep the chain tensioned so it doesn’t grind tracks into it like a lot of Ducati’s out there and kind of a pain to find parts for not because there hard to find but because they’re pricey
guys please make a video on after market exhaust system ,
the question is do they really increase a significant amount of bhps or do they just increase the exhaust note
Awesome presentation.... best videos to seek knowledge about automobiles
It will be great to hear about single cylinder vs double cylinder 👍
You guys are top notch informative. Love your videos
How about a video on steering dampers, what are they good for, do I need one on my bike, etc. Thanks for a great channel, keep it up.
love this channel and they are making great video's. From previews to how to's.
your presenting skill is awesome
The ease of wheel removal and installation is enough of an advantage that I prefer SSSA on road bikes. I invested the money on a large socket to do the maintenance on a Triumph Sprint ST. I hate changing the tires on my Triumph Scrambler or Ural Patrol. It's so easy on the Sprint. So, here's another question, why don't more manufacturers use an eccentric chain adjuster on their bikes with double sided swing arms? That's just another thing that would make maintenance easier when adjusting chain tension.
This guy deservs more subscribers
i love learning more man its crazy
That KTM was looking mighty fine 👀 good video
The Ducati dealer told me my 1299 single sided swing arm was actually lighter than the double sided one on the 959. So I guess thats a major advantage ! BTW after i found a good deal on the rear wheel socket, taking that wheel off is awesome !! One bolt and thats it...crazy...
Chris Martin
That may be the case but it's certainly not a general rule.
The 959 is necessarily an exercise in cost cutting since they really must offer it at a significantly lower price than its big sister.
hey guys.
please can you do a video talking about engine configuration?
specifically, the direction crankshafts spin, how number of cylinders bore and stroke effect output and how design such as angle of rotation or mount position is important to designers. why does a 40 degree angle matter over a 32degree angle? why aren't engines mounted horizontally? is cross plane crank really that much of a big deal? etc etc, have read lots of stuff but would love to see your take on it all.
thanks
great video Ari could you do a breakdown on brake pads no pun intended and explain the different friction materials soon thanks
Ari Henning excellent thank you
I don't even ride, yet I find these videos interesting. :)
Jason Mizuno hope you get on 2wheels soon :D
i started riding last summer (at age 29).
now im 30 and im still keeping my baby ninja 300 2016 :') my first ever brand new vehicle, loving every minute on the bike!
What was the name of that BMW from the video? I really like it.
ive read regarding the rc30 single sided swingarm that racers didnt care for how adjusting the chain would altar ride height due to it being on a cam inside the hub.
Please upload a complete video on how to wash a fully faired Motorcycle properly including cleaning the inside of it without damaging the radiator
nicely explained, just one more question - why aren't these used in MotoGP?
Perhaps you guys could do videos or a series on riding techniques, seeing how you guys are very good riders and look like you know your stuff
Yes! That's an idea we've had, but it would be very time consuming to produce, and at the moment we're just too busy to do it. It's on our "future plans" list though.
Hi Ari.
Can you do a video about the differences and Pros/cons of 1, 2, 3 and 4 cylinder engines?
Both in V formation and straight.
Ari Henning How about doing some runs on a dyno, and then explain the differences on the grafs...?
Great & informative video. But how about a topic on sprocket to gear ratio. Changing the stock sprocket
Allways enjoying you videos, thanks for the informations, ! Greatings from the alps !
Take a drink every time Ari says swingarm
Can you make the next a video about the difference between 1 piston brake callipers and 2 or more pistons callipers please ! greatly appreciated
love these videos, clear and insightful!
You guys are the best!
great videos. informative and very clear. thank you.
Could you do Ways to clean rust pitting on Fork tubes?
What I noticed is that mono shocks are tend to stiffer and better in corners in dual shock it provide more comfort to pillion and slightly locking in corners
ya learn every day.subscribed.
I loved your video but please tell me you are going to do a review of the vanvan 200.
hey guys could you make a video on what to check when buying a used motorcycle
how are the forces balanced in the single sided swing arm setup...?
as in the case of double sided swing arms, we have two arms going in either directions, so how do we get that kind of balance...
Can you make a video on the Mv Agusta F3 , it has a single swingarm
Please explain about Types of frame used in Two wheeles/bikes/ motorcycles?
on the single side, if you just have to undo the axle nut and slide it off, wouldn't exhaust location on alot of bikes hinder that!? Like this one for example, or the stock diavel? just wondering, thanks! love your guys' channel
Really appreciate your tutorials. Do you know how to find Honda Honet cb250f6 repair guide book
Hey I have a Video Suggestion : How to clean air filters in motorcycles! There seem to be quite a number of different approaches to do this, I would love to see your way!
Ari Henning
Sounds awesome!
Love these videos. 👍🏻👍🏻
Hey I'm working on an personal project an I was wondering if you can safely flip a single sided swingarm to accept a right sided chain drive confirmation. If not do you know of any right sided single swingarm motorcycle
Interesting video, as usual.
I haven't been keeping up, (current 2012 KLR650 succeeded a 1987 K100RT six or seven years ago,) I would have guessed single-sided swing arms were "conventional" by now.
Great video mate,u make great sense, thx
hi,, would like to know, what does it mean by valve clearance? taking out carbon?
Hi! Just want to know what bikes were used to describe both single sided and double sided swingarm?
Great and very informative videos. Thank you. Just subscribed.
Single sided swingarms and no mention of my first bike. The "monster" '81 Yamaha QT50!
Pretty good channel man
Can you have a video of center-side monoshock and one-sided monoshock and dual-shock rear suspensions.. Thanks!!
hydraulic clutch vs cable clutch please
Great review
Al
the majority of these videos you make it all look easy. are there any jobs you yourself would bring to someone and not do yourself?
hey a widther rear tires are better for performance or not!? can you make a video for that. thanks.
i guess i have an mc garage addiction