Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Magnetic flux, used on auto engine heads and blocks to show cracks.dcstrom said:
Cracked Frame? Yes, definitely, and here are the fix pics.
- Thread starter dcstrom
- Start date
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Thanks guys.
Good to have another vote for no crack! But can't afford to let it go and just watch it, in case it fails at the worst possible time - somewhere on the Ruta 40 in the middle of nowhere. Roads are going to be pretty rough in some sections, so I hear. Will see if I can get a good welder in the next couple of days to test to see if it really is a crack.troll said:
Thanks guys.
Yamaguy55
No difficult problems, just difficult people
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
That and dye-penatrent.troll said:
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
One (a good welder) could carefully grind the edge of the weld with a small die grinder to see if it is just a cold lap on the edge of the weld or a crack in the frame tube. If this is actually a crack it will be hard to stop it from re-cracking without welding end to end on the crack. If there is any of crack left un-welded it will re-propagate.
Best idea... professional opinion while actually looking at the problem.dcstrom said:
One (a good welder) could carefully grind the edge of the weld with a small die grinder to see if it is just a cold lap on the edge of the weld or a crack in the frame tube. If this is actually a crack it will be hard to stop it from re-cracking without welding end to end on the crack. If there is any of crack left un-welded it will re-propagate.
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
dcstrom said:Yes, I think it really is cracked. I'm just about to start on the Carretera Austral through Patagonia before starting on the badly corrugated Ruta 40 into Ushuaia. Not a good time to have a cracked frame. Or to put it another way, lucky I noticed it before I got down there.
This is 40,000 miles into the trip, bike has been used hard over some bad roads, but I wouldn't say it's been abused. True, it's carrying a lot of weight and I sometimes go faster than perhaps I should on rough surfaces (considering the load), but suspension has rarely bottomed out - I can think of a few times at the front, can't think of any occasion the rear bottomed. This is with an Ohlins shock.
So what next? I'm not far from Puerto Montt, large port city where there should be competent welders. What sort of welding should be done? What to do to make sure it doesn't f*&%k the electronics (depends on what style of welding is done?). Do I need to drop the swingarm? And if not, am I going to have to worry about heat damage to bearings and seals? (I guess so...)
If it is cracked and you can't do a proper weld without removing the motor...clean it up and weld the best you can, and if there's room, you may want to try to add a gusset until you get to a place where it can be repaired or replaced properly.
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
I haven't worked in the welding industry for over 30 years... so am not current. TIG is probably best as Tabasco has mentioned but I wouldn't be afraid to MIG or stick weld my frame.
Yamaha is probably the only one that would know for sure, but I would expect it to be nothing very exotic. At best it might be chrome moly but probably a good quality mild steel. If you find a competent welder they will be able to tell by hitting it with a grinder, the type of sparks it produces will give some idea. Most competent welders using current technology won't think twice about welding on the S10 frame. Find the best reputable fabrication shop in a major city and you should get quality service.dcstrom said:
I haven't worked in the welding industry for over 30 years... so am not current. TIG is probably best as Tabasco has mentioned but I wouldn't be afraid to MIG or stick weld my frame.
squarebore
Well-Known Member
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Paint over it and ride on. What's the worst that could happen?
Paint over it and ride on. What's the worst that could happen?
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye_penetrant_inspection
From the photos, it does indeed look like a crack and it's in the place to expect one from the overload and pounding you've given it.
IF you do end up replacing the entire frame (2nd best case to this just being paint breaking off at a flex point), then remember that the VIN number change will probably affect your papers, including title, registration, insurance, carnet, etc.
The airport ought to have a mechanic with dye penetrant. I'd first clean the entire area with a wire brush and inspect it with a 10X magnifier.dcstrom said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye_penetrant_inspection
From the photos, it does indeed look like a crack and it's in the place to expect one from the overload and pounding you've given it.
IF you do end up replacing the entire frame (2nd best case to this just being paint breaking off at a flex point), then remember that the VIN number change will probably affect your papers, including title, registration, insurance, carnet, etc.
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Your book is getting more and more interesting and it's not even finished yet!
;D
Should be easily weldable steel without any high tech alloys. As somebody else wrote, touch a grinder to it and note the sparks.dcstrom said:
Your book is getting more and more interesting and it's not even finished yet!
;D
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Thanks Checkswrecks, good info about where to get the dye penetrant.
Unfortunately my welder didn't have any such "high tech" methods of determining whether it was actually a crack or not. He ran a file over it and declared that there was no crack, just corrosion. Myself, I wouldn't rely on this method - couldn't it be that the file would just smear a thin layer of metal over the crack? But what would I know... so I'm relying on his experience.
So we slapped some anticorrosive paint on it and called it good. I guess now I just keep a close eye on it. I suppose, depending on the brittleness of the paint and the amount of flex going on in that spot, that if it turns out that it IS cracked, the paint will crack there pretty soon.
If it does need welding, I guess there will be plenty of places with a MIG on the way south...
Thanks Checkswrecks, good info about where to get the dye penetrant.
Unfortunately my welder didn't have any such "high tech" methods of determining whether it was actually a crack or not. He ran a file over it and declared that there was no crack, just corrosion. Myself, I wouldn't rely on this method - couldn't it be that the file would just smear a thin layer of metal over the crack? But what would I know... so I'm relying on his experience.
So we slapped some anticorrosive paint on it and called it good. I guess now I just keep a close eye on it. I suppose, depending on the brittleness of the paint and the amount of flex going on in that spot, that if it turns out that it IS cracked, the paint will crack there pretty soon.
If it does need welding, I guess there will be plenty of places with a MIG on the way south...
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
If it is cracked you will see it again pretty fast. ::26:: ::26::dcstrom said:
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
So not confident about the diagnosis of ¨"no crack" I thought I would work on Checkswrecks suggestion of getting dye penetrant at an airport. Unfortunately the one near here is only a 2 hangar/ 1 strip affair, and not even any planes there at the moment. No mechanics either, but was able to talk to a guy who called the mechanic... no dye penetrant on site.
He sent me to his motorcycle mechanic who also said "no crack" - so I´m going with that diagnosis for now. It´s the one I want, after all!
Patagonia tomorrow - woo hoo!
So not confident about the diagnosis of ¨"no crack" I thought I would work on Checkswrecks suggestion of getting dye penetrant at an airport. Unfortunately the one near here is only a 2 hangar/ 1 strip affair, and not even any planes there at the moment. No mechanics either, but was able to talk to a guy who called the mechanic... no dye penetrant on site.
He sent me to his motorcycle mechanic who also said "no crack" - so I´m going with that diagnosis for now. It´s the one I want, after all!
Patagonia tomorrow - woo hoo!
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
The bike weighs 260Kg for a reason ::024::
Soldier On!!
** Warning Australiana following. ***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnsxh95BP_o
The bike weighs 260Kg for a reason ::024::
Soldier On!!
** Warning Australiana following. ***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnsxh95BP_o
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
would take a sickie at the drop a hat...
Thanks Graham - yeah, gravity doesn't do sick days. Marketing geniuses. Funny I was ready an article recently about aussies taking fewer sickies due to pressures of work etc. Many people go to work sick. Soldiering On. Jeeze it's not like the old days! Friends of mine (but not meGrahamD said:
would take a sickie at the drop a hat...
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
::026:: on the Soldier On! Enjoy the Ride
::026:: on the Soldier On! Enjoy the Ride
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
You gotta be happier when you get good news.
Nothing is unbreakable. (Titantic)
But it appears you still haven't broken your Tenere.
It's a true Beast. Maybe the toughest on the planet.
You gotta be happier when you get good news.
Nothing is unbreakable. (Titantic)
But it appears you still haven't broken your Tenere.
It's a true Beast. Maybe the toughest on the planet.
Duconce
New Member
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Maybe it's time to start a new thread, Cracked paint
Maybe it's time to start a new thread, Cracked paint
cosmic
Member
Re: Cracked Frame... help!
Holly shite... Any official response yet?
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Holly shite... Any official response yet?
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