| Author | Message | ||
     Medi |
has anyone tried welding these pieces together? it's the bracket that holds the headlight assembly .... Thanks   | ||
| Reepicheep |
I've never had much luck welding anything cast, but people claim it can be done. Is that even aluminum? I think parts of the R bikes is magnesium or something... | ||
| Uly_man |
It is extremely difficult to weld cast aluminium and probably impossible with something that thin and damaged. You could try some sort of mechanical repair but I would say you need to replace the part. | ||
| Medi |
yeah the new part is really expensive. I would settle for shady welding job since this part just needs to hold the headlight.... As long as it doesn't fall apart... | ||
| Teeps |
The way I see it, you have nothing to lose by just taking the pieces to a welder and ask if they will try. Would probably be best if the parts were installed on the bike. | ||
| Poppinsexz |
try brazing maybe? | ||
| Nillaice |
mine has a big ol windshield on top of it that I can hide behind, so it does more than hold the headlight.  I'd say to: rivet them together with a backing plate braze solder (ive used 'aluma-weld' for non-ferrous metals) or replace with new cuz I doubt you'll find anyone who actually welds magnesium. so ... how did it break? | ||
| Etennuly |
If it were mine I would weld it. If it holds up a win! If not.....well ya need a new one anyways. I have welded a lot of cast aluminum. There are tricks to it. | ||
| Uly_man |
I very much doubt that it is magnesium given the cost of these parts which is huge. I am VERY happy for a cheap fix but in this case I would not try welding. Apart from anything else you should be able to source a used part fairly easily. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Yes it is possible to weld it ,I have used a tig for welding one of the ears that holds the instrument panel. I don't know how your welding skills are!? ,ask a person that does welding aluminum parts for living. The cast parts are very expensive ,but the quality is far from perfect! A lot of these cast parts of the xb series have lots of small air bubbles in them. | ||
| Reepicheep |
If you do try and weld it, it will crack when cooling. When I saw somebody weld a cast steel porsche brake caliper, he just MIG welded it, then threw a welding blanket on top of it so it would cool slowly. I tried doing it (before I saw that trick) on a cast steel brake drum. As much to see if it was possible, not so much because I thought it would work. I did it with a oxy-act torch. It welded OK, and then cracked when cooling down (cracked next to weld, not through weld). | ||
| Tootal |
A good aluminum welder might be able to fix it but since I'm not that good I would try making a sheet metal patch plate and screw or rivet it an area that doesn't affect the mounting of the light housing. Another possibility is using JB Weld either by itself or with a patch plate. | ||
| Froggy |
Holy hell I looked up the price. I bought one a few years ago brand new for $46, the price today is $326.55 I was just gonna say buy another one as a decent weld job is likely to cost more than the $50 for the part, but wow! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Are there any on eBay? | ||
| Nillaice |
the extra 55 cents is there to make you think that $326 is a legit cost. ... I wonder what the price will be in 2017 | ||
| Tempest766 |
Don't try to weld anything magnesium. I've seen videos of people burning down their garage by attempting to weld a magnesium oil pan. Magnesium is an ingredient in thermite for a reason. :^D | ||
| D_adams |
If it's actually aluminum, typically the filler rod will be 4043, 4047 or 5356. They're the most common types and what I have handy. http://www.alcotec.com/us/en/support/upload/ALC-10 030C_AlcoTec_Alloy_Selection_Brochure_Tabloid.pdf Magnesium? AZ101 magnesium filler rod would be a good bet. You may have to hunt around to find it or special order it from your local welding supply shop. | ||
| Ourdee |
If it was mine, (Big IF), I'd make an aluminum sheet that fit inside and outside the cracked area, Epoxy the cracked parts together. Then epoxy the aluminum patches to both sides. Then after it all cured, I'd rivet the sandwich together with epoxy in the rivet holes. Then smooth the whole thing with a coating of epoxy. Paint it and ride. Spend the extra money on tires. If you have to spend 300+ bones, find someone to make molds from your broke one and start selling them out of carbon fiber. | ||
| Medi |
Froggy I know. what sucks is I was right at the cusp of when the prices flipped. I ordered the part for 50 bucks from a few HD shops but they all canceled my order because they didn't have it in stock and new pricing came in at over 300... Ourdee, that's a good idea, I know somebody who can make custom parts, I just hope they can do something this complex. thanks everyone for all the welding tips, I'm no welder but I'm trying to find somebody who can. So far nobody wants to touch this, maybe if I mention your tips they'll try it.. | ||
| Xbimmer |
I ordered the part for 50 bucks from a few HD shops but they all canceled my order because they didn't have it in stock and new pricing came in at over 300... I discovered this too recently, I was considering buying a left side piece to modify and use for my fairing project so I could save my original. That shocked the crap out of me and made me realize that within a couple more years we're all going to be riding (if we still own one) true exotics... HD price gouging at its best. I'm keeping my Uly because I've got nothing to gain by selling it and I love riding it, but my next bike is going to be an R1100RT where expensive parts are expected (if needed). And I never thought I'd see the day when I would start looking at GL's but 1500 Wings suddenly look interesting. Somebody hit me please... | ||
| Teeps |
Xbimmer Posted on Saturday, September 12, 2015 - I'm keeping my Uly because I've got nothing to gain by selling it and I love riding it, but my next bike is going to be an R1100RT where expensive parts are expected (if needed). And I never thought I'd see the day when I would start looking at GL's but 1500 Wings suddenly look interesting. Somebody hit me please... No hit.... Would you become REbimmer if you get the RT? 'Wing good, just not inspiring or as much fun to ride as either Buell or BMW. | ||
| Rdkingryder |
I know nothing about welding and can barely solder. But I've seen cast pieces brazed. Wouldn't the lower heat lessen the chance of cracking while cooling? | ||
| Rnrjim |
My 1200 XL Carb float bowl had a piece broken out of it and was leaking gas. I used an aluminum brazing rod and propane hand torch to fill the hole. I used a product similar to Dura fix and practiced some before working on the float bowl. Stripped it, cleaned it, clamped it, used minimum heat. No warping and no leaks. If you go for it make sure the joint area is shinny bright and clean. Clamp the parts. Tack the parts together on the visible side with small spots of rod. Flip, clean, clamp and braze the entire backside. Allow to cool before unclamping. Don't forget to practice on some similar scrap to develop heat control. Good luck. Google "aluminum brazing". There are a lot of brands out there. http://durafix.com/index.html | ||
| Xbimmer |
That Durafix looks good. Thanks for that link, I can think of lots of things to do with that stuff. Looks like an answer to Medi's issue too. Teeps a Wing likely to be rarely used except for interstate trips to see relatives, the Uly does well but just isn't as fun loaded up to GVWR. I'm wanting a tourer for the wind protection and the extra weight to soak up the wife's "freeway fidgeting". Sorry for the hijack Medi.. | ||
| Uly_man |
The high price of "not bought often" parts for out of production bikes is very common here in the UK as is that "flip point" on price. I always found it went - normal price, then a little more and then the STUPID price. The XBs have been out of production for five years now and the price seems to be about right even if it is NOT right, if you see what I mean. This is, relatively, a non stressed part but given that it is smashed to hell, it is thin die cast ally and with the vibs you get from this bike I do not think welding would last. If it was me I would try and source a used part but I think that it may well be difficult. Apart from that I would do a mechanical repair. | ||
| Sagehawk |
The wife's freeway fidgeting! Now that's funny as heck. Best accessory I ever bought for my road king was a 1996 sporster sport. Took care of all that fidgeting on the rear end. |
