need advice - frame repair / inspection

[Macbusa]

i bought a cracked frame (99 model)

it had a head on, cracked both sides of the steerer tube.. it's been repaired by a professional welder..

just need to see if i can get it looked at (not sure who) to check it is all straight and etc.. looking at it, it all looks straight.. but i know a couple of degree out is not cool..

prefer brissy, but i might be able to bring it to sydney with me in a weeks time..


i want to use it as a race frame...

what should i do to get it checked out to make sure it's straight and safe?

heres a couple of pics, before and after..

thanks in advance

[Rocketrod]

Dont know about Brissy or Sydney,but Bob Martain in Melbourne do a fantastic job.

[Macbusa]

but Bob Martain in Melbourne do a fantastic job.

thanks, but melb is too far away..

[lee8sec]

Personaly i wouldn't use it, they aren't that much to buy from the wreckers undamaged. I think there is some one in brissy that can do them and there is one in sydney. I can bring the frame back from the Jambo to sydney if that helps you. Will find his name & number for you. Leigh

PS, Contact Dave Wolf, he may know who to use up there.

[lee8sec]

http://www.yellowpages.com.au/onlineSolu...037c&st=bn

Laurie Alderton, smithfeild. nsw. Leigh

[abusa]

Shit Grant hope you didnt pay much!!

I probably wouldnt use that frame looks a bit much to me, Shane used a guy on the Southside for his, I think his name was Bob Kellet. His had the welds seperated around the neck very minor. Forget the price, maybe $300 but he did require the motor and swing arm installed to do the job.

Alternatively see these guys they will sell you a cheap undamaged frame suitable for racing, ask for Stan or Terry.

http://www.importmc.com.au/

[Macbusa]

no worries, well looks like there is only one use for it..... learn how to polish frames...

thought it would have been ok, guys in the usa said not to use it as well.. na.. didn't pay to much for it..

[Louwai]

Grant, I agree with Lee8sec. I wouldn't use it. UNLESS the guy who repaired it was VERY familiar with repairing alloys. The head section is cast alloy & the two rails are extruded & then shaped.
These are two totally different types of alloy which require very specialised preparation & welding. In your "before" shot you can see where the frame has broken BESIDE the original weld. This is a normal characteristic for any weld (steel or alloy), as the actual weld is stronger than the parent metal.
This break has now put extreme stress into the parent metal on each side of each weld. From what I can see of the repair there is only 1 weld, which tells me that it was put together & rewelded. (albeit by a professional). The stressed section has not been removed & replaced with good fresh metal. Therefore you have re-welded parent metal which was already extremely stressed.
Now, having been re-heated to weld temp & cooled it will have weakened this area even more.
This is just basic metalurgy. I've been involved in the metal trades for 27yrs, but I am not a specialist in Alloys.
The fact that it's part cast & part extruded may require pre-heating before welding & possibly post heat stress releif after welding. I would also find out the specific spec for this weld & get it x-rayed. This can be done by ETRS or POPES. (Both out at Oxley near BOC gases)
Unless I was absolutely 300% sure that the weld had been done totally correctly I wouldn't use it. The fact that it will be a race frame & subjuct to higher loads than a street frame, I would probably add another 100% to that 300% & then check again.

Bryan

[Macbusa]

thank you for the detailed reply Brain, much apprecated. I got my answer now... well, time to move on and find something for suitable..

[xhiler8r]

grant i know where there is a frame for sale and i also know the guy shredder uses he is awesome in repairing damaged written off frames just like the one you bought lol he is in Randall street but cant remember the name of his busuiness something along the lines of motorcycle engineering

[Maj]

Most repairers wouldn't have repaired that, to break like that it would have been very distorted in the accident, if it were jigged and professionaly welded it may be ok but you want to know who did it and are they willing to put there name to it.
that break looks like one i have had here in some areas,mine had most of the break is thru the middle of the weld,except the anodised section where the weld came off like it was a cold weld.
The other thing to look at is the headstem bearing area that will not be round anymore , most big repairs i have seen needed welding up of the bearing area and remachining for position and round.

[Tony Nitrous]

I've had a bit of weld / frame repair on one of mine too.
Nothing too serious and im reasonably happy with it,

but........

If I had another frame I could get it coated black like the 07's
and use this one as a bit of a toy / project.

Question......

What would you expect to pay for a straight, legit, AU compliant frame,
(with no "write off" history) and NOT an import "race only" frame.

????????

[steventh]

Hi Tony,

When I recently looked at frames from wreckers prices were $1k to $1.5 (without swingarm).

Though I think you will find that most of these are "repairable Write-offs" meaning you can get them re-registered. Im assuming this because if the insurance co decides to repair the bike it would not end up in the wreckers. If they decide not to repair (for economical reasons or structural) they need to identify the bike as being a Repairable Write-off or Unrepairable Write-off (cant think of the correct term for the last one).

Steventh

[ausdragbike]

Dave Kellet at either Springwood or Slacks Creek (its the same area) take it in he will tell you either yes or no. Print the pics and take them with you too.

[NEMESIS]

Dont know about Brissy or Sydney,but Bob Martain in Melbourne do a fantastic job.

Hes stopped doing it...

Good reply brian!

I wouldnt touch that frame...
That to me,is beyond rooted.