Frame crack

looks like frame was picked up from that point and eggshaped tubing.id have them heat the tube a little and do some blacksmithing on it to make it semi round again,flat spot in frame weakens tube in that area.id also have them drill a small hole in each end of crack before they weld it back up,this will stop crack from reapearing make sure they weld up th holes though.

Looks like a ice crack to me also BUT.... That would be near impossible. For it to swell and split like that would mean the water had no where to go and THAT would mean the entire frame was full and frozen. My next guess would be someone jumped off a curb that was too tall and it bottomed out.

I do not have the time to take everything off the frame. I also do not have the money to have a welder do all that. My local welder charges $90 per hour.

Almost $300 of unexpected expenses: To the classifieds I go.

that aint that big of a deal,should be able to fix with motor still in frame.do you have any friends with access to a welder?get it to omaha and we'll knock it out in an hour!

I have an acetylene welder, but I am not good with it, and I do not have the experience to reshape the frame.

If it were my bike, I'd keep riding until it was convenient to get it fixed. IMO it's not unsafe if checked periodically. I've seen the same crack in radio tower legs that filled with water and froze. The clue is that it's split open without being pushed in and that there is a bulge around it.

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2006/08/21 13:48

So would it be safe to say that if the opposite side is also bulging, that it is water (ice) damage; but if the opposite side is pinched in, it is stress damage?

You have an acetylene welder.?
Well if you can't do it with that then you need to spend a little time looking for someone with a welder, or someone who can oxy-acetylene weld with your setup. They have videos and library books that will get you thru that little crack, why don't you take a chance and practice on some scrap steel first?

I would not sell my bike for a crack like that. Got any muffler shops in town? I pass 5 of them on my way home. I paid a guy $20 to weld up my car seat frame once.
What you have is not that big a deal to need to sell your bike.

OKC_Kent hit the nail on the head, it's no big deal and easy to fix, it's only mild steel tubing

Wether it's cracked from ice or from being hit/dropped, you're going to have to repair it eventually - water getting in is going to rot out your lower tubes. You can heat it up yourself and reshape it with hammers and dollys and get a local welder to close the crack. OR, cut out the damage and replace it with a piece of mild steel tubing of the same id and od, with a bit of sleeve in each end rather than butt welding. Whatever you do, close the hole to keep water out and after the work is done spray an autobody oil/wax type rust preventer/neutralizer inside the frame tubes, even if you have to drill small holes to get it in (and allow condensation out).

weld, prime and paint.

Minute,if you have a oxy/gas setup weld it yourself,i would'nt junk the bike,it's fixable !!! If the cheapest welders in your area charge 90 bones an hour i may pack my shit up and move up there,hell i can make a good living charging half that amount and still sleep at night knowing i never hosed anyone.Shop around dude it wouldn't take a good welder 25 minutes to repair.