20-08-2007, 11:55am
I can understand frames cracking and breaking in a prang. After all, there's 300Kg of stuff usually coming to a complete halt fairly quickly. The new frames are deliberately built to be stiff and not flex too much, so they break.
In the good old days of steel tubing, some of it maybe all of 30mm diameter, the frames bents easilty in a prang, and welding wasn't too much of an issue. Frames were brazed as well, just like push bikes.
But that Kwaka didn't hit anything from all accounts, it just failed, and that has to be a major fault in that bike at least. Whether it's across the range is another matter.
As for failing around the steering head on a buse, well that's what you'd expect isn't it?
All the prang force is directed at the front wheel, and tries to bend the forks under the bike. The steering head has to fail. The rest of the frame is reinforced by the engine and other parts so it's not going to suffer too much unless it's a side on prang and it hits something.
Louwai is right though, welding ally is a high tech job, so beware of repaired jobs!
Glad I didn't buy a kwaka though.
Oh and the bit about cracking bit's on a busa doing wheelies? Covered elsewhere and only ever applied to ally rear subframes. Steels OK?
My ally one seems to be lasting OK>
In the good old days of steel tubing, some of it maybe all of 30mm diameter, the frames bents easilty in a prang, and welding wasn't too much of an issue. Frames were brazed as well, just like push bikes.
But that Kwaka didn't hit anything from all accounts, it just failed, and that has to be a major fault in that bike at least. Whether it's across the range is another matter.
As for failing around the steering head on a buse, well that's what you'd expect isn't it?
All the prang force is directed at the front wheel, and tries to bend the forks under the bike. The steering head has to fail. The rest of the frame is reinforced by the engine and other parts so it's not going to suffer too much unless it's a side on prang and it hits something.
Louwai is right though, welding ally is a high tech job, so beware of repaired jobs!
Glad I didn't buy a kwaka though.
Oh and the bit about cracking bit's on a busa doing wheelies? Covered elsewhere and only ever applied to ally rear subframes. Steels OK?
My ally one seems to be lasting OK>