Frame tabs broken! - Page 3

Steve Carlton · 11-16-2005, 11:41 AM

Well, got some very welcome news this morning. The dealer has the repairs handled under warranty and the parts will be in late this week or early next week. Whew!!! I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory thinking about coughing up $3K to fix this properly or doing alternative short-cuts.

Kudos to Diablo Kawasaki-BMW in Walnut Creek for stepping up on my behalf! It's a small, family-run dealership, and I've always felt like they were friendly and honest. Loyalty goes both ways, and they certainly have mine.

John Lyon · 11-16-2005, 11:50 AM

Steve- I take it that means they're replacing the entire frame? Did they offer any explanation as to how this could have happened and/or whether they've heard of it before?

JonyRR · 11-16-2005, 11:59 AM

I've heard of this enough now I just might reinforce mine before they break. I bought a henrob 2000 and it has proven to be as good as a miller 2500 squarewave, albiet not proven to my satisfaction on cast aluminum..yet. I think I'm going to find out. At least they stamp the VIN in the side of the frame as well as on that decal that's gonna come off when I repowdercoat the frame...and the more I think about it, the more I'm gonna reinforce that prone-to-breakage transmission mount also

Rapid Dog · 11-16-2005, 12:14 PM

o.k. Mr.Tech, what is ...
"henrob 2000 and it has proven to be as good as a miller 2500"

velders?

bikpaintr · 11-16-2005, 12:27 PM

Jony - Sent you a PM.

JonyRR · 11-16-2005, 12:37 PM

here it is:
http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/
so far, it's proven to be true: I've used it on stainless, thin 1020 mild steel sheet and a couple of 6061 forged alumionum bits. How well it will work on an unknown aluminum alloy that sems to be cast (the OEM BMW frame component) is unknown, but as with most welding,not only do you need the correct equipment, ya gotta be good on the torch (not that I'm claiming to be, but I took 5 semesters of welding when I lived in Alaska so I can usually candybar the part back together IE 'welds that look like a traqmpled clark bar')

wswartzwel · 11-16-2005, 12:39 PM

Are you using aluminum welding rod???

JonyRR · 11-16-2005, 12:55 PM

yes; for whatever media you're welding you, of course, need the correct rod. ya ain't gonna slap two pieces of aluminum togehter with stainless rod

wswartzwel · 11-16-2005, 01:04 PM

I have seen products advertised that are more like soldering than actually welding... I am sorry if I seem somewhat sceptical. This sounds like a good investment from what you are describing. How does it shield the weld?? Argon? Helium?

Steve Carlton · 11-16-2005, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by John Lyon
Steve- I take it that means they're replacing the entire frame? Did they offer any explanation as to how this could have happened and/or whether they've heard of it before?

Yeah, they're replacing the main frame and the body panels. Even asked if I wanted to change colors, but for $1,500 extra, no way. I don't think any analysis went into why it happened; they've only seen it before in collisions.

Since my clutch was engaging noticibly later in the lever travel, I'm putting a new one in while most of the labor is covered by BMW. I can't see how air in the clutch hydraulics or a leaking slave cylinder would cause that. I'll have them check the input shaft as well.

steve abella · 11-16-2005, 02:12 PM

steve
Make sure they order the dot compliance sticker with the new frame

JonyRR · 11-16-2005, 02:59 PM

what dot compliance sticker? the sticker on the side is for VIN, and, on mine at least, the VIN is stamped also into the frame on the RH side down near the bottom. I'm going to heatgun the sticker off when I do mine and I'm considering leaving it off as the VIN is stamped in.

Bill, I've been using shielded rod, although they have an argon bottle and regulator as an option.
I debated long and hard before spending the $450.00 for the deluxe kit (from eastwood) but I shopped for months for a used TIG and the cheapest real TIG with squarewave technology (for those perfect beads in aluminum) I found was $2000.00 I had 4 hunnert in mad money, but not 2K. I'm looking for an inexpensive end mill and lathe at the moment. I'm to the point in my life where I can spend some time in the shop again and I like to roll my own anyway, dammit

steve abella · 11-16-2005, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JonyRR
what dot compliance sticker? the sticker on the side is for VIN, and, on mine at least, the VIN is stamped also into the frame on the RH side down near the bottom. I'm going to heatgun the sticker off when I do mine and I'm considering leaving it off as the VIN is stamped in.

Go re-read it is is the manufactures DOT complaince sticker
I had my new S bike parked for several weeks waiting for a new sticker in AZ you will not pass Vehicular inspection without

wswartzwel · 11-16-2005, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JonyRR
Bill, I've been using shielded rod, although they have an argon bottle and regulator as an option.
I debated long and hard before spending the $450.00 for the deluxe kit (from eastwood) but I shopped for months for a used TIG and the cheapest real TIG with squarewave technology (for those perfect beads in aluminum) I found was $2000.00 I had 4 hunnert in mad money, but not 2K. I'm looking for an inexpensive end mill and lathe at the moment. I'm to the point in my life where I can spend some time in the shop again and I like to roll my own anyway, dammit

The decent TIGs That I have seen were over $2500.... But I WANT one... More than the CRF450X I was planning on getting next spring, Will see what I buy when the time comes...

SergioK · 11-16-2005, 08:34 PM

No vehicle inspection here in Cali... 20 million vehicles will do that to a state.

(unless the motorcycle falls out of the annual registration cycle)

JonyRR · 11-17-2005, 10:29 AM

Hey Bill;
I shopped TIG machines for a long time before coming to the conclusion that for a hobbyist (me) I couldn't justify the ROI for a new millermatic 2500. The henrob does what I need at a price I could live with. You own your own business and you can find all kinds of justification for a TIG, and amortize it at tax time to boot. MAKE your own trick BBR-type frame and stuff some 4-stroke motor in it. BBR can do it, so can you

...they started out as a backyard shadetree operation (and it still takes mass hours of practice even with the fanciest TIG money can buy, trust me, I know, I spent many hours in Alaska at a voc school practicing after-hours)
and on the sticker; I guess I'll carefully heatgun it off and save it. It's darn hard to read with white lettering on a silver background. Maybe I'll do up a pagemaker file and have a decal shop make my very own custom one

motoyoyo · 11-17-2005, 01:31 PM

I didn't get a price, but you can email Chris Fabre at cfabre@mainlinebmw.com and get more details.

Here is the info he gave me when I asked about it:

The kit for the rear sub frame mount is not a BMW part, and is
not used to strengthen the rear frame mount. It is mostly used to make it
easy to replace the tab for when the race bikes crash and to adjust the
angle of the seat. You would need to grind off the existing tabs off the
frame and drill two holes for each tab mount to bolt the new tabs on the
frame. We currently using them on our race bikes, and get them for a
companies in Germany. If you would like me to get you a kit lit me know.

Thank you Chris Fabre