Cracked Frame !Advice ????

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sp1012

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bike is 98 kawasaki zx6r

bought it about a month ago. guy said never been dropped and is been clean. I changed tires, frame sliders n lights here n there but until today morning i noticed a crack underneath the tank on the frame. it freaked me out. I researched a bit and few people have this problem with the bikes that is been used for stunts and stuff but I am a new rider and havent even got proper chicken strips on tires yet. here are the pics of it. I contacted Kawasaki corporate and they recommended to go through dealer. I have booked an appointment to get frame inspection tom, but i am just worried about today since i m riding it. is it something common that happens in bike this age , is it dangerous to ride and what should i do? Thanks alot in advance

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sp1012 said:
bike is 98 kawasaki zx6r

bought it about a month ago. guy said never been dropped and is been clean. I changed tires, frame sliders n lights here n there but until today morning i noticed a crack underneath the tank on the frame. it freaked me out. I researched a bit and few people have this problem with the bikes that is been used for stunts and stuff but I am a new rider and havent even got proper chicken strips on tires yet. here are the pics of it. I contacted Kawasaki corporate and they recommended to go through dealer. I have booked an appointment to get frame inspection tom, but i am just worried about today since i m riding it. is it something common that happens in bike this age , is it dangerous to ride and what should i do? Thanks alot in advance

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Did you buy it safetied or as-is?
 
Yikes! Who would safety that?
It looks like a stress/fatigue fracture in the frame. I wouldn't ride it until I had a qualified mechanic check it out.
 
Drill hole at each end of all of the cracks so it can't continue to telegraph.
Then have a professional and qualified welder repair the cracks.
Have the welder work in conjunction with a known motorcycle geometry expert.
 
kruzuki said:
Yikes! Who would safety that?
It looks like a stress/fatigue fracture in the frame. I wouldn't ride it until I had a qualified mechanic check it out.
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I was wondering as well, but my buddy who is been riding for 20 years and me checked it out before I bought it . we did not see that crack so i m wondering how could that happen. i actually ride slower and dont push as much previous owner did may be. I have fleet of car/truck mechanics at my work. one of them is actually is a rider. he recommended welding n the shop. He said weld would be much stronger too. I was thinking of going to snow city after work since its right behind where i work to see what they think
 
sp1012 said:
I forgot to mention that safety was done at kahuna powersports
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Is the safety still valid if you bought it a month ago?
If so I would take it back to them and see if they can give you a discounted fix.
 
jeffjones said:
Is the safety still valid if you bought it a month ago?
If so I would take it back to them and see if they can give you a discounted fix.
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A safety is not a guarantee. The validity period only indicates how long it's acceptable at the MOT for the purpose of changing ownership.
 
Safety Standard Certificate valid for 36 days from the issue date:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/faq/vehicle.shtml#ssc7

But the point remains: this should have been noticed in safety checkup. Either someone didnt think it was a big deal, someone neglected to notice it OR tell the owner/you about it.

Or it could have happened somehow in the last 30 days *shrug* (which is what they'll claim)
 
well i bought it from the guy who works at Kahuna powersports but we did not notice any cracks. he did safety as well. *fishy* any how I do know if something like this can happen in just 30 days
 
sp1012 said:
well i bought it from the guy who works at Kahuna powersports but we did not notice any cracks. he did safety as well. *fishy* any how I do know if something like this can happen in just 30 days
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If you were riding normally (it not racing/stunting) then the most that could happen in a month is that existing hidden cracks could spread to become larger more visible cracks, IMO. The safety certificate is the mechanic's testament that there were no cracks in the frame at the time of the inspection, so whether he lied or not, he will have no problem repeating the same story if anyone asks him now, a month later.
 
fastar1 said:
If you were riding normally (it not racing/stunting) then the most that could happen in a month is that existing hidden cracks could spread to become larger more visible cracks, IMO. The safety certificate is the mechanic's testament that there were no cracks in the frame at the time of the inspection, so whether he lied or not, he will have no problem repeating the same story if anyone asks him now, a month later.
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true
 
These cracks start on the inside and are not noticeable until they spread onto the outside and are visible...I have broke and fixed many Kawi frames due to stress cracking on stunt bikes....

If you simply weld that crack, it will come back through the weld...A permanent fix would require a plate welded over the cracked area

I would not worry about riding that bike as is normally just to get around in the mean time if you have no other transportation for it...As the crack is still hair line and hasn't started to spread open yet...

Now if you take that to a dealer, they are going to tell you that you need to buy a new $1000-2000 frame and pay to have it swapped
 
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JohnnyP636 said:
These cracks start on the inside and are not noticeable until they spread onto the outside and are visible...I have broke and fixed many Kawi frames due to stress cracking on stunt bikes....

If you simply weld that crack, it will come back through the weld...A permanent fix would require a plate welded over the cracked area

I would not worry about riding that bike as is normally just to get around in the mean time if you have no other transportation for it...As the crack is still hair line and hasn't started to spread open yet...

Now if you take that to a dealer, they are going to tell you that you need to buy a new $1000-2000 frame and pay to have it swapped
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thanks alot. coarse of action is go to dealer today just to see their opinion . but i already have a certified welder who takes care of our 500 maintenance trucks fix it for me . he mention it should be fine as well. that is on monday .
 
Also realize that once the crack is welded, you may have a very hard time ever seling that bike to anyone looking for a streetbike again. It may end up as a stunt or trackbike forever.
 
kruzuki said:
Yikes! Who would safety that?
It looks like a stress/fatigue fracture in the frame. I wouldn't ride it until I had a qualified mechanic check it out.
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lol there are plenty of mechanics around gta who don't even need to see a bike for a safety
 
omnivore said:
Also realize that once the crack is welded, you may have a very hard time ever seling that bike to anyone looking for a streetbike again. It may end up as a stunt or trackbike forever.
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I got it at decent price so I can prob modify it after I get some riding experience as long as it works but dont want to be in fear of frame breaking
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