Frame Cracks

[Whiskerfish]

My dresser. Near as I can figure this is from me overloading the back boxes with tools and such when I go on the road.

I discovered the cracks in the web about a week ago while I was still playing with the new engine and then today while I was tearing it down to address those and remove the tank I found the crack in the main pipe just in front of the web on the right hand side. I can not see any problem with the pipe on the left hand side

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[SnoBrdr]

Can those be safely welded?

[RB]

most likely yes..reinforcing with pipe inside not a bad idea..too. A good weld is as strong or stronger than original steel in most cases.

[Whiskerfish]

Yea I am gonna scab some shaped flat stock on the outside of the pipe. I should cut that section of pipe out and put a bar inside it but it is a bad spot to try and do that.

[Whiskerfish]

Long HOT Day in the shop. I think we hit 102 and the "Feels Like" was over 110.

Anyway the right hand side is mostly done. Not pretty but once I do some more dressing with the grinder then some putty and paint it will be fine. Left side is still in work

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[Whiskerfish]

Repairs are all done. Added probably 3 or 4 pounds of steel to that area. It should be stronger than new now. Test fitted the side cover and the seat and the clearances seem OK so far. Eased some of the edges with some bondo but did not waste any time on that. Not a real visible area. Got some paint on it and letting that dry. Should be able to reinstall the gas tank and start building it up tomorrow.

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[Whiskerfish]

Gas tank is back in and the rear tour pack is starting to take shape again.

Might get ambitious and go back out after lunch but more likely I will wait for tomorrow morning

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[rudolphwolven]

I have similar very, very small cracks in that area on both sides, with both the same length, on my 1975 GL1000 K1 with 12.000 mls....
I never drive / drove with bags and only a couple of times with a lightweight person.....etc.
They are so tiny / short that (in my case) I do nothing and keep an eye on it......
Moreover I believe that almost every GL1000 has those cracks in that area and only few owners are aware of that......
Even after a couple of 100.000 mls it will not break down imo but will not go further than a certain extend......
I can imagine and understand that you repair it.

[Whiskerfish]

That is interesting. I have never heard of it before and thought this was a first.

[SnoBrdr]

I have similar very, very small cracks in that area on both sides, with both the same length, on my 1975 GL1000 K1 with 12.000 mls....
I never drive / drove with bags and only a couple of times with a lightweight person.....etc.
They are so tiny / short that (in my case) I do nothing and keep an eye on it......
Moreover I believe that almost every GL1000 has those cracks in that area and only few owners are aware of that......
Even after a couple of 100.000 mls it will not break down imo but will not go further than a certain extend......
I can imagine and understand that you repair it.

Why would you think almost every one has them?

If the frames were prone to cracking in that area as a natural thing, would Honda have recalled them?

[rudolphwolven]

Ref: ........Why would you think almost every one has them?

When I noticed mine in 2014, during a "restauration" I wondered about it because after 31 years dry storage and only 12.000 mls the very minor cracks only could be caused due to framestress (even in non-load condions?) or during a couple of years driving......they actually occured already on an almost new K1.....
In those circumstances I hardly could believe that my GL1000 would be the only one amongst a couple of 10th thousands build GL1000's......
Could be .......that Honda was aware about it (as a result/matter of the production process/as a result of a >10.000 mls operation?) that time and knew it would be limited and not hazardeous.........
Moreover in the '60-70's the consumer protection was very low; Ralph Nader was just started with his campaign against unsafe vehicles (Ford Pinto's exploding/burning after being hit at the back/numerous people died/burned that time and Ford was never played guilty)........probabely all this was weighing in the decision of Honda.........however it is non-based supposition of me....

[SnoBrdr]

Ref: ........Why would you think almost every one has them?

When I noticed mine in 2014, during a "restauration" I wondered about it because after 31 years dry storage and only 12.000 mls the very minor cracks only could be caused due to framestress (even in non-load condions?) or during a couple of years driving......they actually occured already on an almost new K1.....
In those circumstances I hardly could believe that my GL1000 would be the only one amongst a couple of 10th thousands build GL1000's......
Could be .......that Honda was aware about it (as a result/matter of the production process/as a result of a >10.000 mls operation?) that time and knew it would be limited and not hazardeous.........
Moreover in the '60-70's the consumer protection was very low; Ralph Nader was just started with his campaign against unsafe vehicles (Ford Pinto's exploding/burning after being hit at the back/numerous people died/burned that time and Ford was never played guilty)........probabely all this was weighing in the decision of Honda.........however it is non-based supposition of me....

But it it could be proven that Honda knew about the "cracks" even today they would be open for a class action suit.

This is why a number of years ago Toyota started recalling and replacing the frames on old Tacoma trucks. Toyota knew, many years after production, that the frames were bad and could snap. They got out in front of it and made it right.

[Sugs]

You guys got me curious so I checked my '79 out since the seat is off right now, 21k miles and no cracks.

[rudolphwolven]

Aha.........great....
Mine is a 1975 build one.....

[82aspy]

not sure from the pix/info, was the fuel tank pulled with the swingarm in place?

when i first saw the backend of bare frames, i was amazed at what little was actually there vs the gobs of additional stuff\weight that could be or was added, prob the area was beefed up(?) starting with the 1100 frames....

i'd say the cracks on the early low miles naked bike is problematic tho first i'm hearing about it at all,

the main support for any\everything at the back comes from 2 upper mounting points ~ 10" apart, on an end piece no less, with zero additional triangulation support,

norton commando owners have had back end frame issues with fixes including a bolt on triangulation piece