Planet Minis

patman

Anybody ever had one of these?It's a an Asian Concepts swing arm.I was thinking about a Kitatco but saw this on Egay.$100.00 less than the Kitatco.The bike does zero off road,no jumpimg etc.

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patman

Razzo said some their stuff is OK.Maybe he'll chime in.I don't need a swing arm that will survive a nuclear war as the bike is street legal and is used just to cruise the city streets.

patman

It's between Kitaco and AC.I'll probably break down and do the Kitaco,just thought I'd explore the AC option.I've bought several parts that people told me not to buy and they turned out to be very good parts.

FastMC

I think superness had one of the Asian Concepts swingers with the concentric axle adjuster. Maybe he'll clue us in on what he thought of the quality.

RAZZO

I bought that A.C. swinger from E. Used it on it a Z50 with an 88 kit. It was ridden all last summer and held up fine. NOT the quailty of Kitaco or G-Craft so don't expect it. I'm sure this swinger will break down sooner than later. It is a decent alternative.

I have found there shocks quite good. There seats good too. Rear sets are junk. Its the old "you get what you pay for".

patman

So what you're saying is,buy the Kitaco,right?Oh and just to let you know,right now I'm running a stock 1983 XR80 swing arm.

Z

If you are going to keep the bike on the streets and want to stick to a budget, the AC swingarm will be fine. Out of all the Japanese companies, Kitaco makes the worst swingarm from a quality standpoint.

From worst to best from the bigger players:

Kitaco
Regaspeed (I think some of Regaspeed's parts are made by Kitaco or they get them from the same supplier)
Takegawa
Daytona
Over Racing/Gcraft. Over Racing swingarms rival the quality of G-craft these days, but G-craft still rules the roost.

patman

Please explain your "Quality standpoint".I am not going to try to jump the Snake River Canyon,race with the Super Bikes,jump off 8 story buildings,subject it to dynamite blasts,shoot it with an M16,run over it with a dump truck,hit it with a sledge hammer,or even just push my bike over in the drive way "Just for the hell of it".Putting.Putting around the city streets.I might reach speeds of 50 MPH on rare occasions.Will an AC's or Kitaco swing arm survive it?If not I'll stick with my XR80 swing arm because I know it will.

Z

I've held all of the above swingarms in my hands and have run a number of them over the years on various bikes. Unless it's made of potmetal, the swingarms don't bend for street use. It's usually the bushings (or roller bearings on some swingers) that egg out and cause issues on the cheaper swingarms. The cheaper the swingarm, the uglier the welds and finishing.

You won't have any problems with any of the swingarms as long as they arrive to you square and are made properly. The Japanese stuff will be fine but I did receive a Kitaco swinger that must have slipped in the jig as I couldn't get the bolt through the pivot point without the swingarm being off center. Got a new one and didn't have those problems again.

With Asian Concepts, if the swingarm arrives square without fabrication issues, I'm sure it will be just fine as well. Kitaco uses alot of cast pieces on their swingarms that have been known to crack and fail with long-term use. Others have never skipped a beat with years of use.

Just remember, when dealing with Asian Concepts, shipping can get pricey, so make sure it's a good deal for you after you factor in overseas shipping costs. And they are slow..... They won't cheat you and stand behind their Thai and chinese made products.

patman

Well I've been messing with XR/CRF bikes for a few years but am new to Z's.So how would you rate Kitaco,AC,etc against BBR swing arms?I don't know if you have experience with XR/CRF bikes,bit if you do...

Z

Never seen a BBR swingarm in person. I can only speak what I know based upon my own personal experience.

Either one of your choices will be fine.

RAZZO

BBR are very nice swingers. Excellent quailty. Better than A.C. I would say slightly better than Kitaco. I have been useing Kitaco products before CHP (Lyle) new how to spell it. Never a problem with any of their items. JMOP. Swingers have stood up too much abuse. I'm 6'2" 225lbs and I am not easy on my dirt Z50's. Build it right the first time and you get to ride instead of fix. Once you step up up to G-Craft, Over Racing etc things start to get real pricey. Out of reach for the average working guy. And your not gaining much but bling and name drop factor. The average guy will not see a difference. It will not ride better or go any faster. Set your budget and build accordingly. Like Honda says, GET OUT AND RIDE.

patman

Thanks guys.I was just trying to get a feel for things.Some guys say G-craft is the ONLY brand to buy blah blah blah.I am an average working guy and I don't need the "best".I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't break the first time I sit on the bike.Haha.

I'll decide between the AC and Kitaco and get one ordered.I was just out riding my street legal mini again and it is possibly the funnest bike I have ever ridden.And people love it.

Oh and one more question,when you buy the Kitaco,do you have to order some sort of chain tighteners?In the picture it looks like something is missing.You know,where the bolts are for tightening the chain.Seems to me there needs to be some kind of collar or something on the axle bolt.

patman

These type of thingys.Do they come with the Kitaco?Or do I have to order them separately?They aren't in the picture on CHP.

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Z

Mike is right. Alot is in the finish and quality of welds and construction. The Triplesquare swingarms from Over Racing and G-craft will not flex as much, have thicker and better tubing and are leaps and bounds better then all other swingarms on the market, but you have to pay a premium for it...

Depending on your budget, you can go from mild to wild, so buy what suits what you want to do. Again, all the choices you are looking at will be fine. Just match the swingarm to the correct length of shocks and you'll be good to go.

That's the great thing about building minis. You can do exactly what you want to do that suits your state of mind. Don't sweat the small stuff...

patman

Right now I'm running a stock XR80 swing arm which is +4" compared to the stock Z swing arm,and I'm running Kitaco 330mm shocks.Works out well.

Z

Why change?

FastMC

You would be using stock chain pullers with the Kitaco...The thing that's a little disapointing to me is that most of them with the exception of the Daytona still use crappy rubber bushings instead of real swingarm bearings.

Z

G-craft now has roller bearings as an option on all of their swingarms.

patman

"Why change?"

Bling I guess.And maybe shave off a pound or so?