broken swingarm

[fly400ex]

Just broke my swingarm MX racing, it broke off at the pivot. What aftermarket swingarm do you guys recommend? Has anyone bought a chromoly one for under $500?

Houser racing...baby...:D :D

[400MXer]

Laeger swingarms are right around $500. great quality.

[EX_RIDER]

I was going to get a houser,but they was on back order so i got a BURGARD +1 CHROME.

I paid only 524,but that was because they mad a mistake and told me they had the siler vein and they called the next day and said they will just give me the chome same price.
The chrome was like 120 extra and i didn't pay anything.I LOVE K AND K RACING.


This swing arm is awsome or XC racing as well as MX STUFF.I found out i can do bigger hills and keep my front end down more.

Originally posted by Rico
Houser racing...baby...:D :D

Id say go Houser, I have been around here long enuf to learn that it must be bullet proof if Rico uses it.......seen any of his jumping pics? if it can survive his 75'? doubles that look like hes 25' in the air, I think it'll work for you.

[Bspring]

Has anyone ever tried welding a broken swing-arm? My wife broke hers Sunday jumping a ditch. I had some success welding the one on my ’88 250R so I am going to give it a try before I fork up $500 for a machine I will sell as soon as Honda comes out with a 450ex.

[chris29]

No welding a 400ex swingarm will not work don't even try it. I have already thought of it and it will not work. I broke my swing arm in the same place and had to buy a new one. If you want a good swing arm go with houser. It is the stongest swingarm you can buy. It holds up better than Lsr, leagers, burgard all of them. Not trying to put them down there all good but houser is the strongest.

[Bspring]

I just got back from dropping it off at the machine shop and read your post. As I said, I had my ’88 250R swing arm welded and it never broke again. The 400ex is cast but the machinist said it did not mater. It’s worth $50 to try, and my wife is not quite as hard on her stuff as I am.

[chris29]

Yeah you can do it with the 250r's because it is made out of different matteral. It will weld together and look like it might hold but once you get it on and jump it, it will fall apart. But hell I could be wrong it might work it you had enough reinforcement. But after I broke my the guy at rocky ridge racing said he sees broken swingarms all the time and he's treid welding them and the materal that its made out of just won't hold. If you noticed on your swing arm those two holes at the top they shoud have been filled in or something but insted they just put some rubber peices in that sucks.

[Scott]

Maybe ask the machinist if there's room for him to add a couple gussets to try to brace it. I haven't tried tigging one, so I'm not sure how well it would hold. I'm also not sure what alloy the swingarms are cast from. If it's a standard aluminum grade, I don't see why you couldn't tig weld it...

[JabberJaw]

It's a good thing you don't play baseball!

[Scott]

JabberJaw:
:huh Huh??? What are you talking about?




I see said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw...

[JabberJaw]

He said he had a broken swingarm!

[Scott]

cute.

"smirk"

[JabberJaw]

I should just change my login to "S m a r t A c e"!

[Tommy 17]

that would be cool jabber...

everyone i have heard that has houser loves the products and thats all i will buy... he seems like a good person tooo....

[chris29]

yup, Houser is my number one choices. I love all their products, their really relaible, and not too expensive.

Houser is junk..:huh

[chris29]

don't start with me rico or Im telling franny that you don't need that red houser swingarm you been wainting!!!!!!

[Chef]

Cafd is good. I think kory ellis uses one on his 426 mx quad :D. I payed $525 for my +2

[Dave400ex]

Houser or Laeger. You can`t go wrong with either one.

[PhilMoore]

My friend broke his swing arm on the chain side, right near the pivot. He had it welded and gusseted. We went riding, and he broke it the very next time. Don't waste your money getting it welded. I also saw a couple broken/rewelded/broke again swingarms at the MX track.

[400MXer]

My friend cracked his on the sprocket side near the pivot bolt. He bought a chrome lone star +1 swingarm. The only thing he doesn't like about it is that he can't keep the chain tight very well. There are only 2 pinch bolts so he has to tighten his chain a lot.

[fly400ex]

Just so you guys know I bought a Houser +1 1/4 swingarm it looks really well made I havn't used it yet because my shock is at Elka getting resprung and revalved.

[Mr_400Ex]

I had my 400ex swingarm welded twice (while i waited for my burigard +1). The first time didn't hold, but the second time I did the prep work before I got it welded and it held about 2 weeks until I got my aftermarket one. If you get it welded make sure they grind a V in the crack. The swingarm is cast and has a crystal like crust on the outside and it WON'T hold when it is welded. It will hold much better once you grind down past that curst, but I doubt it will hold long.

Mine lasted (I gave it away) while I had it and I was hitting a 95' step up....At that time we'd only get about 90' of it and land almost flat before the step up went down. It WOULDN'T of lasted much longer.

Whatever you do prepair to get a new one.

Mr_400Ex

[Dave400ex]

Yeah, don`t waste your money on trying to Weld it. Just trash it. Get a Aftermarket one. You should never break it. I would get Houser or Laeger.

[Foxrage]

Houser all they way!!!!!!!!!!

[emiliano22]

I welded it one time, and put some aluminium bars inside for more strength like the pic below show.
Maybe it sound like too much effort but here, in Argentina, an aftermarket swingarm cost about $1000
It work very well for a while but in the last race I broke it again in a bad jump.
I will weld again :)
Did someboy know if honda put a better swingarm in the 2002 400ex?

[Dave400ex]

That looks really bad. You will have to replace it some time.

[emiliano22]

I know. I will try to change the quad for a newer one, 2001 I hope.
I'm waiting for honda new models, maybe they fix it in the 2002 model.

[fly400ex]

No the 2002 swingarm is the same. If you get another ex swingarm make sure to debur around the edges of the rectangular holes by the pivot. Any sharp edges are stress risers and all broken ex swingarms I've seen have broken from cracks starting at these casting holes. Torsional stress causes these cracks. I bought a Houser cromoly swingarm and I'm not rich like a lot of guys around here but I had no choice, I'm an aluminum welder by trade but when it breaks again (and it will) it could bend the shaft of your rear shock, and a new shock costs more than a swingarm. I live in Canada so I know how expensive parts can be when you don't live in the USA, I paid $1000 for the houser swingarm by the time I got it into Canada.

[Bspring]

emiliano22, If that is your second weld I would be suspicious of the quality of the weld. The weld should be stronger than the metal around it.

[Bspring]

The weld broke on the swing arm so I will get a new one. Where can I get a Houser or Burgard? We ride cross-country so I think any after market swing arm should hold. I am looking for the lowest price.

Houser-racing.com or call marcums I just read that Terry has better deals than just buyin straight from houser..

[Dave400ex]

Houser or Laeger is the way to go.