swingarm / rear fork needed - is anyone parting out a bike?

I am doing an electric project bike to convert my '86 Yamaha Riva to
electric using those brushless hub motors - but the current gasoline
motor *is* the rear suspension, so I need a swingarm to make a rear
suspension. I'm wondering if anyone can sell me a rear fork?

Thanks!
Patti

 

You ought to contact this guy to see how he fabricated his.

http://www.evalbum.com/835

Best of luck.

 

Thank you, Rob - I had seen that, and I remember once upon a time
finding an entire Forum full of people's projects, but I can't find it
any more. That fellow obviously fabricated his own fork, but I figured
I could maybe just grab an old rear fork from somebody's trashed frame
and adapt it.

I actually tossed a couple of them some years ago and now I'm kicking
myself! >:{ Surely someone has an old one in their garage they'll
sell me...

Patti

 

You're right... I actually had frames to an XL600 and a 70-something
Kawi triple from way back when that I tossed. I have an 85 XL600 but
I'm not quite ready to part that out. Partially I'm looking for ideas,
too. My Riva is the larger cc model than that picture:
http://www.evalbum.com/835
and I'm going to use a hub-motor anyway - I need to make a measurement
of th axle-to-pivot point and post that, don't I? I should also be
seeking a steel swingarm so I can get welding done on it, but I think a
dirt swingarm like my XL600 has, are big and strong and so would be easy
for a *good* welder to modify. I think a good welder could easily
modify almost any fork to add shock mount points and a disk brake
caliper mounting. It's just a scooter, after all. Shouldn't there
should be lots of scrapped 2-strokes out here in California?

That brings up another point - I need to find a couple of spring shocks
- my Riva has only one on the left side. I wonder if there are
motorcycle salvage yards around - or even online motorcycle salvage yards?

A really huge hub motor + wheel + disk brake and all electronics is only
$1,400, and batteries another several hundred - a comparable production
motorscooter is $7,000 - so that difference is a fair chunk of money I
could use to get some welding done.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Patti

 

By the time you've finished cutting and welding you've essentially
fabricated a swing arm, even if your starting point was another
swing arm. I'd strongly suggest that you contact the guy with the
electric Riva to get whatever information, dimensions and
suggestions he has to offer.

If it were me, I'd probably stick with a single shock if the
original scoot had only one. If you go with two, that's
more mods to the scooter frame.

A good starting point would most likely be something
close to the layout and dimensions of the original
engine/transmission/swingarm unit. You might
have to go to a double arm to support a different
wheel, but all the way through, you should be trying
to minimize the layout changes you have to make.