Stabilizing the body

Both shock towers needed strengthening which required removing the front aluminum fairing. This revealed that the front fenders had very little stability on their own with this version of unibody construction. The seat area was also quite weak on its own probably due to the missing under panel. The rear swingarm from the previous owner weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs – so it all had to go.

I decided this needed an undercarriage ladder frame to connect the rear wheel and an additional floor plate to brace the front wheels. The angle aluminum was welded to the square tube cross members. The front cross member also supports the bottom seat mount. The rear cross member allows the attachment of the rear swing arm.

And here’s the heavier gauge aluminum strut top – both sides were cut out and replaced.