Hi all and a very Christmas. I am in the throes of Building a RE Crusader trials bike and having got all the parts off the bike that I don`t need I`m just a little concerned about the width of the frame at the point where the seat will go. Is there any practical way of narrowing that part so that I don`t have to go bandy-legged to ride it? I have tools and a welder I just need a good idea.

                                                Many thanks, Hazel

 

If you're meaning where the ruler is sat then the only way is to replace the top tubes with new ones that go in a straight line from the front of the shock mounts instead of running parallel before angling in to the front 

If you're a competent welder it shouldn't be too hard but you'll need to add a temporary brace to the lower tubes to keep the shock mounts in the right position 

Umm, the only problem there is that I`d have to wait til new year to get the tubes cos everyone is shutting down at the moment. I`m not back to work til the 8th and I need something to occupy me. Good idea though, thanks.

Having ridden a couple of bikes that used modified Crusader frames I think you're pretty much stuck with what you've got in order to avoid the rear units being canted too far inward, causing possible issues with the presumably longer tavel units you'll be using. A much narrower swingarm would help there of course.

 

Could you play around with the bottom shock mount position to move them inboard ?

I`ll probably have to mod or remake the swing arm anyway as the the hubs I am having made will fit the present gap like the proverbial p***k in a bowler hat, lol.

You’ll need child bearing hips to ride comfortably.....no welder can help you with that!   The old original Crusader seat would have been quite wide in this area but as the rider would have been less inclined to want to stand up the width issue would have faded away. 

Reshaping the top outer tubed to move inwards by about 2 inches either side but curving out to meet the original damper mount positions could give a better (slimmer) seat base area. Considerable cutting and reshaping will be needed, potentially new frame tubes required. Sifbronze welding would be better for strength.