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Slight bend in frame great.

  • Thread starter Thread starter rockhammer
  • Start date Start date
R

rockhammer

Guest
Hello

I was looking closley at the gs850 I bought last week which looks great and I found the the down frame on the right side is slightly bent in. Upon closer inspection, which I should have done when I bought it, I see the highway peg joint on the crash bar looks pushed in a bit as if the bike fell over. So my question is this. Is this terrible news? Here are some pics of the left side and the right to give you an idea of the amount of bend.

View attachment 19582
 
Last edited:
Here is the other side.

IMAG0821_zpsf66f0c68.jpg
 
I would inspect the frame for any cracks and make sure your forks are not bent. Can't really tell from pics but frames can be straightened. Doubt it is worth doing unless you can do it yourself. How does the bike handle?
 
slight bend

slight bend

almarconi said:
I would inspect the frame for any cracks and make sure your forks are not bent. Can't really tell from pics but frames can be straightened. Doubt it is worth doing unless you can do it yourself. How does the bike handle?
Click to expand...


Rides great. No wobble take turns well. I did not notice it til today. If you look at the before you can see the down tube bent toward the motor by about half inch. the other side lines up with the exhaust. It look like it was dropped on its side maybe even from the center stand. There is no other damage.
 
slight bend

slight bend

almarconi said:
Then don't worry about it and just ride it.
Click to expand...


I am disappointed because I should have paid a lot less for this bike because of that and also because I want to make sure it is safe. Finally I had plans one really fixing her up nice.

Can this slight bend be bent back you think?
 
almarconi said:
Then don't worry about it and just ride it.
Click to expand...

I agree. If you see NO cracks in the welds and the bike handles "normal", I wouldn't get too excited. A few weeks ago, friend and I noticed a cracked weld on a bike that we were working on and... On closer inspection, the backbone was bent up. The longer we worked on the bike, the worse things got. It was decided to, after nearly 90 percent done... To swap all the parts over to a new frame.

Take a GOOD visual of the frame with all of the goodies removed and see how it looks. A string line and a square are a good idea.

Good luck.
 
rockhammer said:
I am disappointed because I should have paid a lot less for this bike because of that and also because I want to make sure it is safe. Finally I had plans one really fixing her up nice.

Can this slight bend be bent back you think?
Click to expand...

YES it can.

I'm working on a Honda three wheeler that will need the head stock, bent back into square. The trick is to have the frame tied down TIGHT ! ! ! And keep a close eye on the lines. When putting them back into place, you can feel when they start to move. DO NOT over do it or you'll be bending it back the other way. A little "tug" at a time and you WILL feel it move.
 
If the bike rides fine and isn't cracked I would just leave it alone, it would suck to end up bending something else trying to fix the original problem.
 
I would check the alignment and see how far it is out:
I like the string method.
 
A dead 850 with a straight frame can probably be had for $100 or so.
It comes with a lot of spare parts, too.
 
I would check the fit of all the engine mount bolts to see if the engine has moved in the frame. Then take off the engine mount by the bend and leave all the other engine mounts tight. Ensure that the removed engine mount bracket is straight and measure the amount of frame straightening required to make the engine mount fit as it should.
 
When I had my bike down to the frame during it's rebuild, the guy doing my swing arm fix noticed the frame was a bit out. I told him probably so, the bike has had two front end accidents and you can see on the down tubes near the steering head where the clamp bolts from the triple tree hit the tubes. He measured everything and turns out is less then 1/4 inch out. Everything lines up, front end, motor mounts all of it. So what you have is nothing to what I have lol. As the rest of the crew said, if it isn't cracked etc, don't worry about it, just ride.
 
Put the butt end of a 2X4 against it and have a buddy give it a few good smacks with a sledge..good to go.
 
Just ride it....
Gotta remember, people actually rode these bikes. Crashing is a part of riding, like it or not!

People dropped, crashed and ran from the cops on some of these older machines.
 
frame

frame

Well it rides great so at this point there are other things that I am working on and I don't want to take it apart to fix this, summer and good weather are here. Maybe during the winter when I take her apart for paint. I appreciate the responses gentlemen, your responses help me get over my obsession about the frame.

Cheers
 
rockhammer said:
Well it rides great so at this point there are other things that I am working on and I don't want to take it apart to fix this, summer and good weather are here. Maybe during the winter when I take her apart for paint. I appreciate the responses gentlemen, your responses help me get over my obsession about the frame.

Cheers
Click to expand...

So why not check the wheel alignment at least? That will at least bound the frame straightness issue quantitatively.
 
this may have been mentioned but should you try and fix it you MUST MUST MUST make a frame jig, simply strapping it down is not the proper way. If you don't know what that means please pay a shop with documented frame experience.
 
If it is your daily ride and not a show piece, it rides straight hands off and has no bad manners in the corners, leave it be, I can assure you there is no danger of the thing coming apart on you, I have T boned a car so hard on my 850 it lodged the frond wheel firmly between the header pipers and up against the motor, not the slightest bend or twist on the steering head or any cracked welds.
Can't say the same for me though, came out of hospital with a lot more steel than I went in with., my doc keeps telling me to loose weight, I tell him, its the steel inside me that is so heavy.

These bikes are built like brick sh1thouses, but the one thing to look for is under the tank.
If you lift the tank off, you will see the two pipes running rearwards, either side of the main spine.
Put your fingers under those two pipes and feel for any kinks, if you feel kinks under there, you are in trouble, I means the steering head has moved and the bike is not straight.
Be aware, there is a pretty tight radius turn where the pipes bend down, don't kak yourself and mistake it for a kink, that is normal.
If it is bent, as Tom said, your best bet is $100 junker as an organ donor.
 
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