5 replies to this topic

[waderedsox TT Member]

Hi all i have an 02 crf450r and i recently broke the swingarm chain guide mounts off, i am trying to decide the best way to repair it, ideally i would like to get a used replacement swingarm, but they are expensive, and hard to come by, especially since honda made changes to the suspension between 02 and 03 and 04, though one of those years may fit, it has been suggested that if i take the linkage as well as the swingarm from one of those years i may be able to transfer it over, however the information about weather these will fit has been had to come by, does anyone have experience with this?

the other option i had thought of was fabricating and welding a new bracket on, however i dont have a tig, and would be a bit worried about fit however this could be an option

the third thought i had was to make a bolt on clamp style bracket to replace the old welded on bracket, this would be easiest however i have concerns about clearance and how well the bracket will hold on, i dont want to drill through the swingarm, and that is not an option to me even though it would probably work

thanks guys, any thoughts and opinions are apperciated

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Edited by waderedsox, 19 May 2013 - 09:04 AM.

[mrmoto35 TT Rusty Steel Member]

I am 99% sure the '02 and '03 swingarm are the same. The Honda part # is the same for both.  However,  the '03-'04 linkage is not the same so if you were to end up with an '03 swingarm you need to be aware that the '03 linkage will change the geometry of the rear suspension. The '03-'04 linkage will make it turn better but it will raise the seat about 1". I just installed '04 linkage on my '02 so I have first hand experience with this.

That being said I personally would remain patient and wait for a good swingarm to come up on ebay. Scarcity and abundance of CRF swingarms on ebay seemed to be a day to day change when I was looking for rear suspension parts just recently.

You could also post a pic of the underside of the swingarm to show what is left. If just the brackets tore away from the swingarn then it might be an easy fab/weld fix but unless you have access to the needed equipment and material it will probably end up costing you less for a swingarm off ebay. My 2 cents

[waderedsox TT Member]

so you would say that you liked the end result of putting the 04 swingarm and linkage on your 02? because i found an 04 swingarm and an 04 linkage on ebay, and i have always heard that the suspension on the 02 is a bit off, i have no issues with a higher seat height

[mrmoto35 TT Rusty Steel Member]

I only installed the '04 linkage, I did not install an '04 swingarm. I love the '04 linkage with my stock '02 swingarm though. I added the linkage, 20mm offset clamps, raised my fork 6mm,  and our Mod Shawn_Mc serviced my fork and shock as well as replacing the OEM high speed spring in my shock with a Factory Connection spring. The difference is night and day. Huge positive results. Before the mods it steered like a tank for me, it just didn't want to turn. Now I can turn the bike with far less effort and precision. I am not very fast so I struggle to begin with and these changes helped me tremendously. Just adding the linkage though should net positive results for you. It is a known mod I discovered here on the forum.

To be honest I don't even notice the seat being raised.

I am almost certain the '03 swingarm is the same as the '02. However, I am far less certain about the '04 swingarm bolting up to an '02 and working properly. See what others have to say about that.

Edited by mrmoto35, 19 May 2013 - 12:13 PM.

[waderedsox TT Member]

so does anyone know whether or not the 02 and 04 swingarms interchange?

[waderedsox TT Member]

bump?