1st stunt attempted... FAIL. Is this fixable?

[dcdruck]

Hi gang, I've been a member on the forum for a few months now, but this is my first post. I wish it didn't have to be under these circumstances...

Don't ask me why, because I don't have an answer, but for whatever reason I decided that last night would be the night that I try to get to front wheel off the ground for the first time. I've been riding for 3+ years now, and have never felt the urge to try before, but for whatever reason I did last night.

Anyway, I gave it way too much throttle and the bike went vertical in a heartbeat sending me off the back and onto the pavement. Other than a 1"x2" road rash on my hip, I'm in ship-shape. I was wearing a helmet, jeans, leather motorcycle jacket, backpack, and gloves.

Both sides of the bike contacted the pavement at some point. I had frame sliders which seems to protect most of the bike except. There are a few scratches and I need a new foot peg on the left side, but otherwise it's in much better shape than I would have expected. The only thing that serious broke was part of the frame; on the right side the portion of the frame where the bolt goes through into the engine block broke completely. I removed the bolt and frame slider, but now I'm wondering if this is something that is fixable by taking it to someone who is qualified to work on motorcycle frames to weld it back on or if the entire frame is trash. Here's a picture taken with my Droid to show you what I mean:

I want to know if there's a chance this can be repaired without compromising the structural integrity of the frame before I start buying the other misc parts that need replacing, like the foot peg.

I know this was a dumb thing to do, and I will think twice (and a third time) the next time an idiotic idea like that pops into my mind.

Edit: also I wanted to note that the bike still runs seemingly fine because I got right up, picked the bike up off the road, started her up and drove her the mile or so back to my house.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Fred]

Other people have welded their frames and been fine. You'll probably have to strip down the bike to get it done, so that's a pretty major job.

If it was mine, I'd weld it.

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

Here is a fix....
06 Yamaha FZ6 FZ 6 Frame BOS: eBay Motors (item 150415283132 end time Jun-17-10 13:21:54 PDT)

 

[maverick1970]

WHOA!!! Ironic because I have the same damage after a crash I had. I'm starting to wonder if the frame sliders made the problem worse than if they were not there. I don't think it would have happened to my bike if I didn't have frame sliders on.

Oh by the way, welcome to the FZ6 forum!!!!

 

[dcdruck]

@Fred: Yeah tearing the bike down won't be fun, but if it salvages my bike without costing me an arm and a leg than I don't mind. I haven't searched yet, but is there a decent tear-down guide available here or elsewhere online or should I just get the factory repair manual?

@YamahaMAXdRPMs: Thanks for the link. That's something I'll consider. I freaked out at first because I checked the price of the frame new from a dealer and it was something in the neighborhood of $1,200+.

@maverick1970: I think I agree with you that the frame sliders were the reason the frame broke there. However, I do also think the sliders saved other parts of the bike from enduring any more or any damage at all. Of course the only way to be sure would be to crash it again without the sliders, but that's one experiment I'm not planning to do.

If I'm going to try to get someone to weld it back up, what type of place should I look for? Just a place that specializes in welding aluminum or should I look for a place that specializes in welding motorcycle frames? I'm not sure how I'd go about finding a place like that, but I guess I'll start looking around...

Dave

 

[lonesoldier84]

Note to self: protect your frame...don't use frame sliders!

Even if I wanted to I couldn't. I crashed and munched up the bolt that goes through the frame there.

That is painful to see though. Glad you made it out alright, though your riding time will suffer while you repair this anyway. Hopefully you get it back up and running soon.

and WELCOME!

 

[macem29]

bummer, no lecture 'cause it sounds like you've already kicked yourself
in the arse for a stupid trick...I'm starting to wonder about those sliders
too, seems to be a recurring thing lately, I have 4 inchers on mine, no
wheelies for this guy but you never know when some cager is gonna cause
you to dump it

 

[dcdruck]

Yeah riding time will definitely suffer. I do have an '03 Katana that I was trying to sell. Maybe I'll re-register that and ride that around in the mean time. I'm going to start tearing the FZ6 apart tomorrow probably in an attempt to accelerate the repair process.

 

[Mutineer]

good luck with this man. Whatever route you choose make sure you do plenty of research before hand. Its like they say, "measure twice, cut once".

-M

 

[Evitzee]

Frame sliders are just a cosmetic addition, imo. Do you really think a delrin frame slider will protect your machine if you lay it down? Unless you are dropping your bike from a stop frame sliders aren't likely to do much. Having a 3-4" protrusion on the engine anchoring point is an invitation for it to dig in and wrench the mounting tab off, which is what happened in these cases. If the slider was attached directly to the frame without the engine mounting point being involved it may be acceptable, but exposing your engine mount like this is more trouble than it is worth.

 

[Wavex]

I don't think that can be fixed properly...... I'd look at getting a new frame.

 

[lonesoldier84]

Frames are pretty important. You dont want to hit a big bump somewhere on the road and have your bike split in two.

But I dont know much about these things. If it was mine, Id play it safe.

 

[jtarkany]

I don't think that can be fixed properly...... I'd look at getting a new frame.

Oh come on, I saw a guy on here a few weeks back that was cutting holes in his frame for ram air, structural integrity is overrated

On a serious note, OP, I would definitely consider picking up a sound used frame on ebay, good luck.

 

[FZ1inNH]

In the words of Red Foreman... Dumbass!

Hey, I totalled my 1st supersport many years ago doing the same... I learned my lesson and stunting on street bikes has been over since.

Get a frame, used or new... Or part it out and get a new bike.

Keep both wheels to the ground, ok?

 

[Kazza]

Frame sliders are just a cosmetic addition. Do you really think a delrin frame slider will protect your machine if you lay it down? Unless you are dropping your bike from a stop frame sliders aren't likely to do much.

Mate, this is your first post. Have a good read/search through this forum.

You will find that frame sliders have saved serious damage on bikes many times.

It's not a guarantee, but neither is a seatbelt in a car. Just that in a crash, the seatbelt might save you from serious damage.

 

[Motogiro]

Don't keep kicking yourself. You got this far okay! Alright! Next part of life...If I had to do the same recovery on the bike, I would probably get the new frame,especially if I could get it at $399- If you have to tear it down anyway to weld it might as well replace it.
Glad you're okay.

 

[Wh0M3]

I've seen a thread here about a memeber who is working on making tube frames and was looking for anyone who was interested in it. It might be the way to go to fix your bike up.

Sorry I don't have a link for the thread. :spank:

 

[dblaze]

A weld repair to the frame done by a competent welder would more than likely be a sound & cheaper option BUT if after all the hard work of stripping the bike down then rebuilding only to find the weld fails for whatever reason would be a real pig so a replacement frame seems like the better option to me.

I was thinking of getting frame sliders but having read your post I am leaning towards an engine guard Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2 - Engine Guard | Buy Online at Bici.co.uk, because aluminium is so brittle it may be better to spread any impact load over the three points of the engine guards fixings than just the one of a frame slider.

 

[macem29]

I was thinking of getting frame sliders but having read your post I am leaning towards an engine guard Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2 - Engine Guard | Buy Online at Bici.co.uk, because aluminium is so brittle it may be better to spread any impact load over the three points of the engine guards fixings than just the one of a frame slider.

same thought process here, agree 100%

 

[RJ2112]

Swap out the right frame half. Cast aluminum does not take welding well. This frame is two parts, bolted together. If the welded part is not aligned 100% correctly, you will put some sort of twisting force on the frame, which will add stress somewhere.

What point that goes to, who knows. We have a member in South Africa who cannot get Yamaha to replace his frame, that cracked along another point, and the claim from the Rep mentioned a loose mount somewhere possibly allowing vibrations on the frame that ultimately caused it to fail.

Don't risk it. Dump the broken part, and replace. Make sure everything is torque'd to spec.