MOT info, how picky?

[dansrockin]

hi, my pan european is due an mot next month, but ive noticed its suffering from the dreaded rot on the swingarm, and has got a small hole on the front bottom of the swingarm, almost right in the middle.
i cant afford to get this sorted yet, its going to cost £350 for a new swingarm! so im going to get it shot blasted and welded, but still going to struggle to get it done before the mot is due.
ive been told that mot testers cant remove anything from the bike during the test, so im thinking maybe if i covered it with something, like a piece of thick plastic around the front section of the swingarm, and i could say it was there to stop road crap getting splashed up on the metal. i already have a piece to make a swingarm and shock protector in front of the wheel to stop crap getting on there, im thinking if i do the same sort of thing around the swingarm it would cover the hole and give me a couple of extra months to get it sorted.
would they remove the plastic or say they wont give an mot unless its removed so they can see behind it?
also, when i do come to remove the swingarm, do i need new bearings or will the old ones be ok to put back in? at £50 a set they are not the cheapest things either!
cheers
dan

[angryjonny]

I've had an advisory on my car that said something along the lines that the tester couldn't check for rust in certain areas because the car has a bodykit on it so the bits it covered couldn't be inspected. The following year (different place) nothing was said.

[dansrockin]

so if i cover it the worst i could get is an advisory?
i hope so! that would make life a lot easier and cheaper at the minute!
dan

[Ste]

You can get swing arms for a lot cheaper than £350 from breakers yards or from eBay.

[Skudd]

[ollieholt]

try berties bike breakers. chorley. they always have loads of kit in the place is filled with parts. never failed me yet.

yes i thinkyou could cover it but it would have to be a comprehensive job to fully cover all the bits. just get a new swingarm fella.
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.

[dansrockin]

ive called around breakers and no one seems to have them, they show up on ebay very rarely, but normally in worse condition than mine, or the ones that are hole free but still rusty are over £200. the bearings i found on ebay are the cheapest i could see and they were £25 each side.
the damage isnt major, were not even talking a 5p sized hole, i think a 6" wide piece of plastic tied on with wire would cover the whole of the front swingarm section.
i really havent got any money spare to do anything as i need tyres too, so getting it done as cheap as poss will have to do.
dan

[Pete.]

For the MOT it'll probably work but if a swingarm has rotting from the inside it might be paper-thin in a lot of places.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[dansrockin]

yeah its supposed to be a common thing on pans. i'll definitly get it sorted sooner rather than later, i just cant really afford to do it before the mot.
as long as it passes that so ive still got usable transport then i can sort the rest after.
dan

[Skudd]

How much would it cost to fix the bike if the swing arm failed?
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[dansrockin]

i can get a new swingarm form david silver for £350, new bearings for £50.
if i getlucky and can get a used one in good condition then im looking at around £200 on what ive seen, but they seem to be hard to get hold of used.
ive got a friend who will blast and weld it but im worried about doing that and not being able to see the corrosion inside the swingarm and having it fail again in a few months.
i dont really want to go to the hassle of getting the swingarm off and back on if ive got to do it again soon anyway.
dan

[stonesie]

If you replace the swing arm then I would be very tempted to use some of this stuff on it...

https://www.bilthamber.com/dynaxs50.html

People on a car forum I use rave about the stuff.

[radical]

I have noticed that on a few of the MOT threads an "advisory " is mentioned, what is an advisory and does it mean that the bike can pass an mot even if it has a fault or does it fail? we dont get an advisory in N.I MOTs so does this advisory notice apply to all parts of the mainland or only England?

[multijoy]

It means that the item on which the advisory was issued has passed, but due to a defect or wear, it may not pass the next time if the wear continues or the defect gets worse- basically it allows the tester to point out issues without failing the machine.

If it's the same tester, they may check to ensure previous advisories have been fixed.

Common advisories would be pads, chain and sprockets, tyres and drive chain adjustment.

iirc, they apply across mainland britain, so Wales, England & Scotland.
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'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[radical]

Cheers, thanks for the info and I think its a better idea than failing a bike for the most minor of things

[27cows]

Never mind the MOT, would strongly advise you to get a s/hand replacement ASAP. If it's started to go, the chances are the swingarm is just waiting to fail. These things have a nasty habit of letting go at the worst possible time.
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The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[Blau Zedong]

Chicken wire, filler and hammerite.

Job done.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[dansrockin]

i'll be getting it replaced as soon as i can, i justcant afford to do it before the mot is due, hence looking for an easy cheap but passable fix to get me through.
cheers
dan