frame welding

busa_cta

Registered
After a lowside crash i noticed a crack on frame weld on my busa. I check the wheels alignament using a string and seems fine.
A professional tig welder assured me this can be easialy fixed assuming this is a common problem for this generation of suzukis and he done this already on other bikes.
Whats your toughts should i start looking for a frame or should i try fix this ? I check and i was unable to find any more cracks except this one.

Right side
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Down-upside picture. No crack detected under.
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Left side - no crack
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if it were mine I would weld it, as I'd do it myself anyways, but some Guys are iffy when a Frame's been cracked.
I'd have no issue with welding it up and done
 
Cracking a weld in a crash isn't an inherent or common problem with a Suzuki or any other bike. :whistle:

It was welded their once so I guess it can be redone seems like a lot work though another frame for me
 
I've seen a one or two repaired frames, but there's no way I'd haul my butt down the road on one. It can be done, but I wouldn't do it unless you're going to take it apart and get the whole frame x-rayed for further damage.

That may be overkill, but that's my opinion.
 
Easily fixable, the "Frame" isn't cracked, the weld itself is. It will have to be ground out all the way through the weld (If you don't eliminate the crack completely it will just keep going.) and rewelded. I'd tackle it a few inches at a time so that I could keep warping to a minimum unless you have a jig to clamp it into.

I'd take it to a certified aluminum welder, go to an airport. Usually they have welders for hire and one rated for aircraft aluminum should be top notch. At that point you'll be able to decide fix it or get another and turn the frame in for scrap.
 
Seems like you could grind it down and weld it back up.
But it also seems like it would have been a pretty hard whack to crack it?

I know welds can be stronger than the two things or one thing welded together but I'm not sure Id trust it?
 
thanks for advices, gonna try to find a x-ray (im not sure where to look for). The welder is in a professional moto repair shop, he have a frame jig and i think hes good enough to do this kind of work.

Thanks, yea StrtRac3r, im a shy guy ;)
 
must have been a cold weld.Aluminum is supposed to be real clean and heated to a certain tempurature I think but thats weird to have a wel crack.I would have it fixed.
 
must have been a cold weld.Aluminum is supposed to be real clean and heated to a certain tempurature I think but thats weird to have a wel crack.I would have it fixed.

This is typical. Get someone that knows what they're doing. Old weld has to be removed. Get it done by someone that knows what they're doing :poke:
 
thanks for advices, gonna try to find a x-ray (im not sure where to look for). The welder is in a professional moto repair shop, he have a frame jig and i think hes good enough to do this kind of work.

Thanks, yea StrtRac3r, im a shy guy ;)

Try a search for Nondestructive Testing or Nondestructive Examination in your local area. I have no idea what that might cost though. It may cost more than a whole new frame... :dunno:
 
I just talk to the welder and he said he can reweld the whole neck to be sure everything is fine. He also said something about two welding layers (one for strength and one for nice look) and he will do both (the factory doing only the one for look). Im not sure i understand exactly as i'm new to these terms.
 
What he's talking about is two passes. The first one is done very deep and mostly fills in the gap, welding requires a gap to ensure a solid weld all the way through but you can only build up so much especially with common equipment. The second pass does add strength but can also be done much nicer and prettier since you're not filling an empty gap at the same time.
 
My buddy cracked the weld on his frame and had it welded back with no problems, he rode it for a pretty good while rewelded. I had a crack in the weld from a crash in 2010, in fact it looked a whole lot like the same crack you have. I searched around and found a welder highly recommended to weld mine. He to said he had welded these cracks before. He basically just cut a v into the old weld and rewelded it. Be sure to get all plastic, rubber etc. away from the frame because it is a very hot process. Side note: I haven't got to ride mine yet, but the welder assured me it would be fine...
 
Yeah, it can be re-welded. Aluminum isn't known for pulling much, but if the guy has a frame jig, that would make it even better. I've welded a bunch of aluminum (along with about every other type of metal) through the years, and yes, it is different, but not a problem if you have the correct filler, back groove it, get the parts clean (surgically), and have a good AC Tig machine with a high frequency box.
Most of the factory frame welds are done with a robotic welder, and if I remember correctly, Suzuki had some issues with the Gixxer 1k steering head welds a few years back. Having also dealt with a couple of robotic welders in the past, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this wasn't another passing case.
 
my brother had an 04 zx12r crashed it had a crack in the weld of the frame looked alot like your pics had it welded rode for a long time after it was fixed sold it and it is still going
 
find you a visible dye penetrant kit. grind it out, heat and let cool. then check with the dye pen kit. if no indications weld it up. service cracks are gonna be open to the surface, if theres gonna be some micro cracking the heat will bring it out. fwiw ive seen cracked material be repaired. it can be done fairly easily. its not really a big deal for a welder. id be more worried how straight the rest of the frame is.

i wouldnt mess with finding an xray company. you can if you want but they will charge you pretty hefty fee most likely. if you see some xray ray trucks hit em, they will prob do it on the sly for cheap.
 
I'm a welder in a navy ship yard for many years now. I can guarantee you 100% if done right, the weld is stronger the the two members being welded. The crack has to be taken out 100% and lots of times if you drill a 1/16" hole on the very end of the cracks, it will stop the crack from going any further. When welded you have to make sure that the weld is a 100% melt thru. This is to take out all edges of the crack. That's why you vee out the old weld. The original probably wasn't a 100%, maybe a Monday or Friday, or before or after a holiday bike in the factory. :laugh:
 
We agreed to reweld the whole neck not only the cracked weld. It will clean the old welding and do the two process welding part to be sure theres nothing to worry about.
Thank you all for answers, looks for me that this is the way to go. I will start removing the main frame.
 
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