Opinion on frame damage

[Gone in 60]

I'd say you've got two choices. Talking as a former insurance adjuster, a crack on a weld would probably warrant frame replacement, and would most likely total your bike. You could choose to take the settlement and buy the bike back with a salvage title, which will follow the bike for the rest of its life.

Or, you could take your chances by keeping the additional damage from the insurance company, and having a welding shop repair the frame. That is if a shop would even take on the work... they may not due to the inherent risk of repairing a damaged frame. If a shop says that they can do it and will, you'd keep a clean title. Clean up the weld, repaint the damaged areas, and go from there.

Tough choice either way, especially if you really love your bike.

[MxHansen_imp]

I'd say you've got two choices. Talking as a former insurance adjuster, a crack on a weld would probably warrant frame replacement, and would most likely total your bike. You could choose to take the settlement and buy the bike back with a salvage title, which will follow the bike for the rest of its life.

Or, you could take your chances by keeping the additional damage from the insurance company, and having a welding shop repair the frame. That is if a shop would even take on the work... they may not due to the inherent risk of repairing a damaged frame. If a shop says that they can do it and will, you'd keep a clean title. Clean up the weld, repaint the damaged areas, and go from there.

Tough choice either way, especially if you really love your bike.

That the meat of the issue right there. I absolutely love this bike and I'm not confident that insurance will pay out enough to buy another CB with the low miles.

[Frulk_imp]

If it was my bike and that was the only issue…cracked weld. I’d have no concern finding a QUALITY welder ( there are several aerospace aircraft workers around where I live) and having them weld that.

Maybe for extra measure pull off the exhaust behind it and weld a metal strap lengthwise to provide it additional support in the area. Get OEM touch up paint and then I’d ride it without a second thought. Bike is a jewel with an overbuilt motor as solid as an anvil

[max]

Looking at this from an electrical/electronic angle you need to be aware that if there is some welding work done the electronics on the bike ( ecu, meter panel, battery and rectifier just to name a few ) need to be disconnected from the frame ( and verified with an ohm meter).
The frame can act as a transformer in some cases depending how current flows and to have a good weld only to find out something is now not working anymore is something to avoid despite the fact that there are only two earth points in the system, i could be wrong but just something to consider which may not seem obvious, anybody?

[pekingduck]

Is the weld actually cracked, or is it just a deep indented gouge? Either way, I'd just weld it like Frulk and others say, and never worry about it again. Since they're going to touch up the other scratches, have them paint that spot too.

[MxHansen_imp]

Would anyone be able to let me know if the bolt/bracket circled in red is supposed to have this split in it? Thank you in advance.

[url=https://imgur.com/PICrKWa]

[SportsterDoc]

Yes, research counter-balance adjustment.

Looking at this from an electrical/electronic angle you need to be aware that if there is some welding work done the electronics on the bike ( ecu, meter panel, battery and rectifier just to name a few ) need to be disconnected from the frame ( and verified with an ohm meter).
The frame can act as a transformer in some cases depending how current flows and to have a good weld only to find out something is now not working anymore is something to avoid despite the fact that there are only two earth points in the system, i could be wrong but just something to consider which may not seem obvious, anybody?

Or braze instead of weld?
For those recommending welding, what is the expected failure?
No attempt at sarcasm, just asking.

[MxHansen_imp]

Is the weld actually cracked, or is it just a deep indented gouge? Either way, I'd just weld it like Frulk and others say, and never worry about it again. Since they're going to touch up the other scratches, have them paint that spot too.

It appears to just be a deep dent.

Looking at this from an electrical/electronic angle you need to be aware that if there is some welding work done the electronics on the bike ( ecu, meter panel, battery and rectifier just to name a few ) need to be disconnected from the frame ( and verified with an ohm meter).
The frame can act as a transformer in some cases depending how current flows and to have a good weld only to find out something is now not working anymore is something to avoid despite the fact that there are only two earth points in the system, i could be wrong but just something to consider which may not seem obvious, anybody?

Thank you for the insightful reply, I really appreciate it.
Mx

If it was my bike and that was the only issue…cracked weld. I’d have no concern finding a QUALITY welder ( there are several aerospace aircraft workers around where I live) and having them weld that.

Maybe for extra measure pull off the exhaust behind it and weld a metal strap lengthwise to provide it additional support in the area. Get OEM touch up paint and then I’d ride it without a second thought. Bike is a jewel with an overbuilt motor as solid as an anvil

Fair enough, thank you for the reply.

[jtopiso_imp]

I'd have it profesionally welded by someone who can certify the welding. Welding a structure is not like welding pipes.

You will need material specification of the frame, and depending on the material, the welder will tell you if it can or can't be done. Some high strength tubing (such as 4130, frequently used in aerospace and motorsport suspension or rollcages) requires heattreament after welding, as the metal becomes brittle after welding if it's not heat-treated afterwards. This means that, if it was 4130 (or similar), it would crack around the new welds under load.

I'd be surprised if honda is using a tubing that requires heat-treatment after welding (it would be very expensive for them to manufacture, and they would be selling a virtually "non repairable" frame), but I think it's worth checking.

[j3gq_imp]

Hello Mx, there are many shades of gray, and your frame is one of them. Many useful comments have already been made. But there is still one aspect which hasn't been worked out. You do not want to invest into this work without 100% insurance that a) the fix will last and b) the symmetry of the frame is preserved after the work is done.
My take, the bike's frame has to be striped of all other parts (that is expensive or time-consuming), another cradle (frame) needs to be build which allows to hold the bike's frame while welding AND allows sub-millimeter measurements of the position of a number of critical points on the frame. Whether your welder tells you this same story (or not) is one way for you to tell about his seriousness.

That crack looks like it's on a weld (middle photo). Is that the case? If so, it's probably compromised now, but maybe a welding shop could repair it. However, if that is indeed the case, your insurance company may elect to just total the bike based on a cracked weld on the frame, while they could see a scrape and minor dent as a cosmetic issue.

That crack is *right on* the weld unfortunately. The crash bar compressed the tube, kinda makes me wonder....what is the point of the crash bar if its just going to thrash the frame. Oh well, I walked away from the crash, grateful for that.

Thank you for the reply.
Mx