All suggestions gratefully received....

[kingmunky]

Right, so this morning I went to park my V-Strom, put it on the side stand and just moved the handlebars to get the steering lock on when the side stand broke clean off the bike. It's not even the stand itself, or part of the mount, but the section of the frame that the stand is mounted to.

No idea how I go about fixing this, would it be possible to weld this together? Would it be likely to take the weight of the bike again if it was welded?

Hopefully the pics have attached properly.

[Guest Richzx6r]

That looks cast and cast is a complete arse to get a good weld on

[kingmunky]

That looks cast and cast is a complete arse to get a good weld on

 

Yeah it is cast. My mate said the same thing about getting it to take a weld.

[S-Westerly]

Specialist welding job; I'm no expert but if I remember correctly to weld a cast part the entire piece, both parts need to be pre- heated which can be a pain. I'm guessing a specialist work shop will be on the cards. What do Suzuki say? Surely your bike isn't the only one that had this issue.

[kingmunky]

Specialist welding job; I'm no expert but if I remember correctly to weld a cast part the entire piece, both parts need to be pre- heated which can be a pain. I'm guessing a specialist work shop will be on the cards. What do Suzuki say? Surely your bike isn't the only one that had this issue.

 

I've not checked anything with Suzuki, but that's not a bad idea, see if they can recommend an appropriate repair.

[kingmunky]

So I took it over to my usual mechanic who told me that basically, it's f**ked. It'd be an utter bitch to even try and weld it, even if the weld took well he reckons it would snap again straight away. ..

Next suggestion?

[megawatt]

Buy or make another sidestand and bracket that bolts to the centre stand or frame bracket?

[kingmunky]

Buy or make another sidestand and bracket that bolts to the centre stand or frame bracket?

 

That's not a bad idea, could get a plate fabricated with mount points and use 2 or 3 of the main stand bolts to hold it into place.

Beats the suggestion of the fabricators I talked to - strip it down completely, bring us the frame and the part and we'll weld it, but no guarantee it would hold long-term.

[Guest Richzx6r]

Things like that cant be a suck it and see job it needs to be done well and reliable, I'd suggest getting a replacement from Suzuki being the only definitive reliable option

[kingmunky]

Things like that cant be a suck it and see job it needs to be done well and reliable, I'd suggest getting a replacement from Suzuki being the only definitive reliable option

 

Suzuki suggested the only 'repair' they would do if it arrived in their workshop would be to replace the frame as they couldn't guarantee a weld being successful long-term.

[megawatt]

Most things are doable and safe, given enough will, ingenuity and cash. I did it for a mate. Made a clamp to a frame tube and welded the sidestand bracket to the clamp.. Not everyone can afford a new frame or a full stripdown.

[kingmunky]

Most things are doable and safe, given enough will, ingenuity and cash. I did it for a mate. Made a clamp to a frame tube and welded the sidestand bracket to the clamp.. Not everyone can afford a new frame or a full stripdown.

 

Good idea, but until I go back and have a proper look I'm not too sure that'll be feasible here. Doesn't look like there's anything for a clamp to bit onto. It's not a tubular section of the frame, and the engine is a tight fit on the inside face.

Pic below shows the bit that has sheared.

 

[megawatt]

What's that hanging down below the suspension bracket in the second picture?

[kingmunky]

What's that hanging down below the suspension bracket in the second picture?

 

That’s the centre stand and bracket.

[Guest Richzx6r]

Failing getting it fixed just use the centre stand

[Bender]

what does the large bolt do above the bit thats snapped off.

[MarkW]

[Guest]

Failing getting it fixed just use the centre stand

 

What Rich said!

[kingmunky]

I like [mention]MarkW[/mention]’s suggestion!

I know I can just use the c/s but it’s not as convenient and a bit of a faff always using the c/s. It’s a bit seized anyway so I’d planned on stripping and lubing it but that’s just been made much harder.

[kingmunky]

what does the large bolt do above the bit thats snapped off.

 

That’s the lower engine mount.

[megawatt]

Weld the sidestand bracket to the top of the centrestand and cut off the lower centrestand. You can use a paddock stand instead when at home.

[kingmunky]

Yeah that’s not actually a bad idea, or something along those lines, worth sketching out anyway.

[megawatt]

If I was closer I'd do it for ya. Or make a clamp to clamp sidestand to centrestand and make one leg removable.

[Bender]

bracket bolted to engine mount and the center stand, looking at tinternet they are prone to snapping, folks fit bigger pads to remove some of the lean and reduce stress

[Smithers]

Don't entirely give up on the welding. I worked in an industry where welding aluminium was common. It's often the case, the welded part is actually stronger than the parent material. Check out a good engineering shop.