81 RM Side stand bracket.

[John Smith]

Hi all,

The frame on my 81 RM250 is missing the small bracket that is a welded fixture on the left hand side where the sidestand bolts onto. Does anyone have a clear pic/dimensions or template so i can make one up ?

It looks like mine has been bent and either cut or ground off.

Thanks
JS

[John Smith]

Well after some detective goggling I've found a few good images - now to start the fabrication. Any troubles welding mild steel plate onto the CrMo frame or should I use something else ?

[Nathan S]

Not familiar with Suzuki steel, but I will be AMAZED if you can recognise the steel of the frame as being chromoly when you're cutting/bending/welding it.
The Japanese seemed to use a very generous definition of "chromoly".

[LWC82PE]

Sometimes i wonder if things got lost in translation. The RM250/370 manual i have describes the 76 swingarm as being made from 'chromoly' and then they go on to say that the new 77 model has a lighter and stronger swingarm made from 'high tensile steel' To me the 76 does feel and sound like cro-mo (different to a steel TS/DR/SP s/arm) but i wonder what their 'high tensile steel' is in the 77 then?

[rocketfrog]

You will be fine welding on a commercially available steel (say SAE1010) bracket.

It will be equal to or better than anything Suzuki used in the day. Plus it is easy to get, easy to drill and file/cut/machine/weld.

You would want it to be ductile and bend in a crash rather than transmit the loads to your frame in any case. It will support the bike very well if you choose an appropriate thickness - no less than 6mm I would suggest. Probably 8mm if you are tapping holes into the tag to mount the kick stand bracket.

The pivot hole wears out into an oblong hole after a while (where the side stand pivots), so when that happens, you can machine a stainless bush (say PH17-70) to restore the hole like I do on all my worn out kick stand brackets. The staino is hard, and so will resist wear - maybe something to consider.

The bolt will wear out instead so you just replace the bolt from then on.

RM frames of that era are terribly made, awful welding and very badly finished. I doubt Suzuki used anything too exotic in 1981. There may be exceptions but from all I have seen the machine welded joints are ugly and some only partially welded too!

[shelpi]

Hi all,

The frame on my 81 RM250 is missing the small bracket that is a welded fixture on the left hand side where the sidestand bolts onto. Does anyone have a clear pic/dimensions or template so i can make one up ?

It looks like mine has been bent and either cut or ground off.

Thanks
JS

Ive just had a look at mine, its 7mm plate with a sacraficial plate under it, it is also joined to the bottom chain roller, hole centres are 36mm
with chromoly best to weld with 16tc lo hi if not mig will do
let me know if you want a template still or what ever I can help with, as we may have a bit of 4140 laying around

[John Smith]

Hi Shelpi,

I would really appreciate if you could do up a template for me. That would make things way easier to fabricate a replacement.

What do you mean by a sacrifical plate?

Thanks
JS

[shelpi]

Hi Shelpi,

I would really appreciate if you could do up a template for me. That would make things way easier to fabricate a replacement.

What do you mean by a sacrifical plate?

Thanks
JS

yep no worries, sacrificial plate is the plate under the cleet, gusset, bracket so if it rips and tares it takes out the sacrificial plate not the parent metal in this case the frame
would prefer if you PM me ya email address to send pics as its a hassle here putting on photo bucket and stuffing around, will post template to you, take a pic send to my email and vise versa

[John Smith]

PM sent

[John Smith]

Haven't received anything yet shelpi?

[shelpi]

asked the wife if she had posted it and yep its on its way from the back woods of SA and have we had any luck with the emails yet?
hang in there, we wont give up this end, funny how anything to do with mail is biting us on the arse
cheers
oh by the way I'm on a brake down bucket elevator M151 has shat itself

[John Smith]

Been getting your emails not sure if you got mine ? No worries, i agree i hate waiting for stuff when your keen to get cracking !
Tks
JS

[John Smith]

Big thankyou shelpi - template arrived in the mail today. Guess what im doing this weekend ! Owe you a beer

JS

[shelpi]

Ha nothing nothing.......... every thing at once! yep that sounds about right, now we know that the emails are working we can send across some pics and what not
make that a coopers pale ale I havnt been weend yet
I'm with you I hate waiting around but some how always seem to be doing it, not so bad at work as you get paid for it