well talked to my welder and he will be welding it tommorow, took it apart after work and cleaned it up. The plate that you were talking about is also on mine it is factory, but that isn't where it breaks. It breaks on the left side right at the axel. On the flh the shock is just behind the axel and perpendicular to the swingarm, that also might play into the problem. The plates should take care of it for good, also doing the sperical bushings or whatever they are called. Going with the HD ones because I also have a rear stabilizer which tightens up the rear of the bike. If anyone wants to know how to convert to a 2002-2007 swingarm, I can answer all questions. For me plates will be cheaper. There must be a lot breaking because it seems there is a big demand for the retofit kits.

This is just one of the many problems I have with the "ups and adds" MoCo uses for an additional revenue stream. Even niggling little pieces. For example, on bikes sold for their chromed appeal, the handlebar switchbox and hydraulic reservoir are black except on CVOs. Oh, you can buy the parts in their "custom catalog"...

(And why is there two front disc brakes on a Fat-Bob and not the Fat Boy? I guess Fat Boy riders are expendable.)

You have to react as a business man, so do I. Over the past few years I found out that the folding knives made in a foreign country, but bearing the name of a well known firearms producer, were literally falling apart. I dropped all the models. Car companies send out recall notices.

If there is a substandard trend on swingarms over a five year span, the parts should have been replaced years ago. The first such incident I heard of this was in your OP.

Thanks for the heads up on this swingarm deal. I think that the moral of this post is don't buy a harley older then '02.

Friggin' swing arms... always something

I have a 1983 with over 100,000 miles..no problems no where other than normal wear.

Unfortunately I think what may have happened is like in all production products, every now and again you get a lemon or a part or a part of the process that was substandard to begin with. Any number of yet to be understood reasons why.The bikes frame may have been tweaked unknowingly some how that directed the stress to the place where it broke? I'm just guessing. I don't think not buying a bike less then 2002 is fair or accurate.

I'm giving modern technology a try and if it becomes to burdensom I'm ditching my newer bikes and going back to strictly my 1983.

In 1983 the HP was about 48 HP or so, with the twincam they kicked it up to about 59 or so, not sure if the '83 swingarm is the same design but the tubing can't take th HP when used to it's fullest by someone as sick as me. If you look for parts for the upgrade to be able to use the 2002-2007 swingarm on the 99-01 chassis you will see that is happens frequently. I would never trade my twincam for any other bike that was built earlier. I intend to keep it till out the backdoor, I have done a lot of thought out mods that makes it a great ride thay none of the newer bikes can match. what it took to get 88.5 HP was easy and inexpensive. I also have a shovelhead dragbike, promod, that has a ton of money into the engine and total HP on that is 125HP. That shows the power of the new bikes but in some places HD did not upgrade componets as well as they did in the engine area. I could be wrong but I feel it is a monetary reason trying to cut costs. They give us something with power and I gess they don't expect to use it. If I can find how to attach a picture I will do it, remember this bike has 184,800 hard miles on it, so give it a break, it is a ridden bike. Don't think I suceeded it uploading the picture

well guess I had no luck posting the picture will try later

As much as I wonder about some of the bonehead decisions MoCo makes, your complaint is an industry standard. When faced with options in development, vehicle manufactures usually pick 'flash' over 'practicality.' The muscle car era is a classic example. After all, a muscle car is really the cheapest car in the line, stripped of just about everything, and then saddled with a huge engine. They handled like a wheelbarrow, and had brakes borrowed from a Schwinn.

We have come to believe that this is the nature of "modification." For every mod I do on my engines, I make a similar investment in the suspension. Sadly, the cutomer has to make that decision, because the manufacturer won't. If you buy MoCo's 120R motor and open the crate you won't find a second front disc brake in the packing peanuts.

But there's another issue. And that's this silly horsepower race. It's like the idea of a nuclear arms race. If your opponent builds a ridiculous motorcycle then it appears normal to push the envelope even farther. For example, my local shop has a dynamometer. One day I see one of the new V-Max bikes in the service writer's bay. The guy completely replaced the suspension and goosed the 200 BHP motor by at least 25 more ponies. I guess the very idea of a suped up Hayabusa was more than he could tolerate.

Oh, I agree we need a better Harley motor. But scalding EPA approved high-horsepower motors is not the right direction. My big bike is fast enough to kill us all and pass the slowest farmer in Wisconsin. It needs to stop better--and just about every current Harley made has the cheapest suspension in the entire world of motorcycles.

Granted, I represent the views of 'older bikers.' I understand that. Jamming huge motors into frail frames is a young guy's fantasy. And truth be told I often joke about selling Betty to a child of privilege with rich parents so the bike can go kill somesome else. But until we squeak about getting better bikes MoCo is going to keep ramping up motors to gain lost horsepower as the result of trying to build a 'green' 1936 motor.

If you tell MoCo that you dislike the swingarms in their current mind-set, MoCo will just hard-chrome an existing one, and then announce with great fanfare about their "new" outlaw suspension and give special doo-rags with each purchase. I talked to a salesman yesterday who agreed that the 'new' Sportster 72 is just a 48 with chrome. The dealership parked one by the front door so all clients could see the masterpiece...

Guess HM saw your post. He has just added an new post about uploading photos hope that it helps you. I am very interested in seeing your pics.

Here is the link. viewtopic.php?t=1182

I will try again later, right now frezzing the spherical bearings to press them in the swingarm and get it back together again, going to be nice again tomorow, I will be rideing unless a gremlin jumps up