f76
08-06-2014, 11:27 PM
I finally finished up my 350x rear end project and would like to share my findings with the 3 wheeler community, especially since I couldn't find much info on the subject.
First I started with a rough 85 350x I picked up in a trade. Ran decently well, everything was there, if it wasn't attached it came in a box of parts. It came with the chrome DG exhaust and a 400ex carb already so my go fast parts were already there for me! The annoying part was the fact that it came with a 300ex rear end including swing arm, shock, axle, and brake assembly. And to make matters worse, the axle was bent. For those that aren't aware, a 300ex swinger is roughly an inch shorter than stock. Well the 350x is a wheelie machine already, let alone take an inch away on the swinger and it couldn't keep the front end down. My goal was to find an extended swinger and extended axle to stabilize the riding.
198343
198344
After much searching and reading I came across what I believe to be a west coast +4 extended swing arm plus bearing carrier on eBay. I snagged it for a great price in my opinion. After receiving it, I bolted it up and everything fit perfectly. My first impression was yes it was longer, 5" more, and it looked like the ride height was lowered judging by shock mounting and eye balling it. My box of goodies from original purchase included two 350x shocks so I grabbed the better looking of the two and it bolted right up.
I found the swinger, meow moving on to the axle. For kicks and giggles I slide the 300ex axle into the bearing carrier, fit great. One problem, the rear sprocket was about 1/2" too far to the outside of the swinger.
198345
No way that was gonna work, tried both the 300ex bearing carrier and carrier that came with the swinger. I did the research and reading and found some examples of guys using an aftermarket 300ex axle. However not one mentioned the sprocket alignment issue and if they did, failed to mention how they solved it. An obvious solution is to simply use longer sprocket bolts and use washers or spacers to get the proper alignment. That solution was quickly discarded as there would be no pilot hub for the sprocket to line up on, thus allowing potential error for sprocket misalignment. I searched all the aftermarket companies and of course only durablue makes an extended +4" axle in their heavy duty series. That series only carries a 6 month or maybe year, can't remember which, warranty against bending or breaking. The eliminator series carries full lifetime warranty against bending or breaking. It is also adjustable in width using spacer on the splines of the wheel hubs. If I'm going to dish out big bucks for an extended axle, it was gonna have a lifetime warranty and be adjustable. The only company that still makes a 350x sprocket hub is durablue, at least as far as I'm aware. I called durablue, which by the way answers the phone only when the stars align and during low tides, they could press a 350x sprocket hub onto a 300ex eliminator series +4" axle! I remember reading about one other guy who had done this, only he bought a 300ex axle with a 300ex sprocket hub and had the alignment issue. He proceeded to get a 350x sprocket hub and put it on the 300ex axle he bought from durablue and he said it worked. So I painfully gave over my card information for a eliminator 300ex +4" axle with a 350x sprocket hub pressed on.
I decided to get new chain and sprockets, had to anyways after I remembered my swinger was 5" longer. Gave sidewinder a call and he set me up with a 40 tooth rear and 13 front. I chose aluminum for the rear as I wasn't sure I was set on that tooth count. The 300ex axle had a 38 tooth rear and with 22" ballon tires would do 65 mph. I figured with the extended swinger, more low end go would be desirable, I don't go 65 mph very often so losing a few mph's off the top wasn't an issue. I know the difference between the 85 and 86 sprockets as the 86 used countersunk bolts to clear the bearing carrier. Not knowing fully what I was gonna get in the mail from durablue, I asked for a 86 style sprocket with the countersunk holes, just in case. Well everything arrived and I started sliding things together for test fit. Sure enough with a 350x sprocket hub pressed on, the chain would line up nicely with the front sprocket. My only problem was that durablue supplies four hex head bolts for mounting the sprocket. The countersunk holes are not needed when using a durablue sprocket hub. I found some countersunk bolts to match the hub and cut them to length and solved my sprocket dilemma. So to clarify: if using a durablue sprocket hub, order 85 style sprockets and not 86. I did have to put two washers between the chain slide and swing arm to get that to line up, otherwise everything lined up.
198346
198347
198348
Next up was the brakes. The included stock 350x rear caliper was shot so I ditched the stock setup that I had all the parts for. The rear brakes from the 300ex was actually another front 350x caliper. Not sure if that is stock 300ex but I doubt it. I know they interchange with other machines. So I had a 300ex bearing carrier caliper mount, dual piston front caliper, 85 style linkage and 85 linkage mounting point on the swinger. I didn't want to modify the swinger, so I came up with chopping the front portion off the oem 85 350x caliper bracket and welding it to the 300ex caliper mounting bracket. Then I could use the 85 style linkage and connect it all to the swinger. I also used an extra front brake line since the storm length was too short. Just in case you're wondering, the front brake line is way too long, even with a plus 4 swinger. But it's what I had and it works. I opted for the durablue anti-fad brake hub/lock nut assembly, which is much simpler and looks great. Snagged it off eBay for a killer price too! I reused to 300ex brake rotor and it lines up nicely.
198349
198350
I finished bolting everything together and decided to start it up. Took way too many kicks but finally got it running, I'll have to look into that another time. Cut the chain and put it on, torqued the wheel lug nuts, and took it for a test run. It would still pull the front up in first but not nearly as easy. It was raining all day and during the test run so I hardly tested the new hardware. All in all I'm extremely pleased with the results. Looks great and I like the lowered ride height. I took a picture next to my latest acquisition, 85 200x. Ride heights are about the same. Can't wait to take it out and really ride it.
198351
198352
198353
198354
So in this rear end build I covered the 350x/300ex axle swap and rear brake conversion. I hope this helps anyone looking to upgrade their rear end. Please free to ask any questions, I will gladly answer and offer any help I can!
TEST RIDE UPDATE!
I finally was able to take the 350x out for a few test rides since I got back from a long weekend trip and it quit raining! First impressions is wow this thing is smooth! Obviously going from a bent axle to a straight axle greatly improved the ride quality. No more vibration or bouncing of any sort, just a very slightly feel of the engine purring away. I lucked out in the shock I pulled from the box-o-goodies, has good pressure and rides very nice. No pogo stick feel. I did tighten up the spring compression a bit to compensate for the longer swinger. I have the wheels set out as far as they'll go on the eliminator axle and wow what a difference that makes! Corning stability is greatly improved and the rear end will gladly slide with ease, even with ballon tires. On gravel a slight tap of the throttle going around a corner will kick out the rear and I can just ride it around the corner. I went out in a bumpy pasture and the rear end soaked up bumps well. Overall ride was very smooth and comfortable. With the extended swinger I can really lay down some throttle and keep the front end down. I can still pull a wheelie in lower gears but it takes some body motion and effort on your part, not just hammer it and the front end pulls up.
On a side note I cleaned my carb up while it was off, verified everything to be clean and accelerator pump works. I think I'm figuring out a good starting procedure for my machine. If I kick until it's a top dead center, then give it a slight tap on the throttle to squirt some fuel in, then give it a good kick, I can get it started in 3-5 kicks. I still need to check my valves and what not but at least I can't start it without kicking for 5 minutes. I also felt that the cleaning helped the carb out a bit, feels more snappy and responsive than before.
I dug through my box-o-goodies and found what was left of the case saver, which wasn't much. So I did cutting, bending, and welding and made my own. It didn't turn out too bad. I didn't get one of my tabs lined up correctly with my measurements so there is a bit of a gap between the case and the saver, but nothing to complain about.
199426
First I started with a rough 85 350x I picked up in a trade. Ran decently well, everything was there, if it wasn't attached it came in a box of parts. It came with the chrome DG exhaust and a 400ex carb already so my go fast parts were already there for me! The annoying part was the fact that it came with a 300ex rear end including swing arm, shock, axle, and brake assembly. And to make matters worse, the axle was bent. For those that aren't aware, a 300ex swinger is roughly an inch shorter than stock. Well the 350x is a wheelie machine already, let alone take an inch away on the swinger and it couldn't keep the front end down. My goal was to find an extended swinger and extended axle to stabilize the riding.
198343
198344
After much searching and reading I came across what I believe to be a west coast +4 extended swing arm plus bearing carrier on eBay. I snagged it for a great price in my opinion. After receiving it, I bolted it up and everything fit perfectly. My first impression was yes it was longer, 5" more, and it looked like the ride height was lowered judging by shock mounting and eye balling it. My box of goodies from original purchase included two 350x shocks so I grabbed the better looking of the two and it bolted right up.
I found the swinger, meow moving on to the axle. For kicks and giggles I slide the 300ex axle into the bearing carrier, fit great. One problem, the rear sprocket was about 1/2" too far to the outside of the swinger.
198345
No way that was gonna work, tried both the 300ex bearing carrier and carrier that came with the swinger. I did the research and reading and found some examples of guys using an aftermarket 300ex axle. However not one mentioned the sprocket alignment issue and if they did, failed to mention how they solved it. An obvious solution is to simply use longer sprocket bolts and use washers or spacers to get the proper alignment. That solution was quickly discarded as there would be no pilot hub for the sprocket to line up on, thus allowing potential error for sprocket misalignment. I searched all the aftermarket companies and of course only durablue makes an extended +4" axle in their heavy duty series. That series only carries a 6 month or maybe year, can't remember which, warranty against bending or breaking. The eliminator series carries full lifetime warranty against bending or breaking. It is also adjustable in width using spacer on the splines of the wheel hubs. If I'm going to dish out big bucks for an extended axle, it was gonna have a lifetime warranty and be adjustable. The only company that still makes a 350x sprocket hub is durablue, at least as far as I'm aware. I called durablue, which by the way answers the phone only when the stars align and during low tides, they could press a 350x sprocket hub onto a 300ex eliminator series +4" axle! I remember reading about one other guy who had done this, only he bought a 300ex axle with a 300ex sprocket hub and had the alignment issue. He proceeded to get a 350x sprocket hub and put it on the 300ex axle he bought from durablue and he said it worked. So I painfully gave over my card information for a eliminator 300ex +4" axle with a 350x sprocket hub pressed on.
I decided to get new chain and sprockets, had to anyways after I remembered my swinger was 5" longer. Gave sidewinder a call and he set me up with a 40 tooth rear and 13 front. I chose aluminum for the rear as I wasn't sure I was set on that tooth count. The 300ex axle had a 38 tooth rear and with 22" ballon tires would do 65 mph. I figured with the extended swinger, more low end go would be desirable, I don't go 65 mph very often so losing a few mph's off the top wasn't an issue. I know the difference between the 85 and 86 sprockets as the 86 used countersunk bolts to clear the bearing carrier. Not knowing fully what I was gonna get in the mail from durablue, I asked for a 86 style sprocket with the countersunk holes, just in case. Well everything arrived and I started sliding things together for test fit. Sure enough with a 350x sprocket hub pressed on, the chain would line up nicely with the front sprocket. My only problem was that durablue supplies four hex head bolts for mounting the sprocket. The countersunk holes are not needed when using a durablue sprocket hub. I found some countersunk bolts to match the hub and cut them to length and solved my sprocket dilemma. So to clarify: if using a durablue sprocket hub, order 85 style sprockets and not 86. I did have to put two washers between the chain slide and swing arm to get that to line up, otherwise everything lined up.
198346
198347
198348
Next up was the brakes. The included stock 350x rear caliper was shot so I ditched the stock setup that I had all the parts for. The rear brakes from the 300ex was actually another front 350x caliper. Not sure if that is stock 300ex but I doubt it. I know they interchange with other machines. So I had a 300ex bearing carrier caliper mount, dual piston front caliper, 85 style linkage and 85 linkage mounting point on the swinger. I didn't want to modify the swinger, so I came up with chopping the front portion off the oem 85 350x caliper bracket and welding it to the 300ex caliper mounting bracket. Then I could use the 85 style linkage and connect it all to the swinger. I also used an extra front brake line since the storm length was too short. Just in case you're wondering, the front brake line is way too long, even with a plus 4 swinger. But it's what I had and it works. I opted for the durablue anti-fad brake hub/lock nut assembly, which is much simpler and looks great. Snagged it off eBay for a killer price too! I reused to 300ex brake rotor and it lines up nicely.
198349
198350
I finished bolting everything together and decided to start it up. Took way too many kicks but finally got it running, I'll have to look into that another time. Cut the chain and put it on, torqued the wheel lug nuts, and took it for a test run. It would still pull the front up in first but not nearly as easy. It was raining all day and during the test run so I hardly tested the new hardware. All in all I'm extremely pleased with the results. Looks great and I like the lowered ride height. I took a picture next to my latest acquisition, 85 200x. Ride heights are about the same. Can't wait to take it out and really ride it.
198351
198352
198353
198354
So in this rear end build I covered the 350x/300ex axle swap and rear brake conversion. I hope this helps anyone looking to upgrade their rear end. Please free to ask any questions, I will gladly answer and offer any help I can!
TEST RIDE UPDATE!
I finally was able to take the 350x out for a few test rides since I got back from a long weekend trip and it quit raining! First impressions is wow this thing is smooth! Obviously going from a bent axle to a straight axle greatly improved the ride quality. No more vibration or bouncing of any sort, just a very slightly feel of the engine purring away. I lucked out in the shock I pulled from the box-o-goodies, has good pressure and rides very nice. No pogo stick feel. I did tighten up the spring compression a bit to compensate for the longer swinger. I have the wheels set out as far as they'll go on the eliminator axle and wow what a difference that makes! Corning stability is greatly improved and the rear end will gladly slide with ease, even with ballon tires. On gravel a slight tap of the throttle going around a corner will kick out the rear and I can just ride it around the corner. I went out in a bumpy pasture and the rear end soaked up bumps well. Overall ride was very smooth and comfortable. With the extended swinger I can really lay down some throttle and keep the front end down. I can still pull a wheelie in lower gears but it takes some body motion and effort on your part, not just hammer it and the front end pulls up.
On a side note I cleaned my carb up while it was off, verified everything to be clean and accelerator pump works. I think I'm figuring out a good starting procedure for my machine. If I kick until it's a top dead center, then give it a slight tap on the throttle to squirt some fuel in, then give it a good kick, I can get it started in 3-5 kicks. I still need to check my valves and what not but at least I can't start it without kicking for 5 minutes. I also felt that the cleaning helped the carb out a bit, feels more snappy and responsive than before.
I dug through my box-o-goodies and found what was left of the case saver, which wasn't much. So I did cutting, bending, and welding and made my own. It didn't turn out too bad. I didn't get one of my tabs lined up correctly with my measurements so there is a bit of a gap between the case and the saver, but nothing to complain about.
199426