Hey everyone. New here. I need some advice.

[1sonofabitch]

Hey!

So I'm new to this forum/ page and I love to ride and work on my own bike.

A bit about myself.
I'm on my second bike. Both were customs and spent more time being worked on then on the road. Yet I love my garage time.
My current Bike (see pick) is called/AKA Frankenbike. When I first got it it seemed to have been assembled with odds and ends. Mostly from junk drawers and scap heaps I think.
The frame is a soft tail daytech with a 38 degree rake.
Despite being a soft tail it has a solo springer seat. first glance you'd think its a rigid frame.
The motor is EVO with REV-tech heads.
The drive is a BDL open primary.
I have HD drag bars and triple tree forks.
The carb is an S&S Super E.

I typically keep to myself. I'm not a big people person. I prefer to ride alone when i do which seems a rare occasion these days.

So- what brings me to this site if I'm such a loner? I'm currently having a bit of a crisis and not sure where to turn. I did a bunch of google searches but didnt really satisfy my thirst for knowledge or solid opinions/good advice.

My crises is this. A few days ago I pulled my fat-bob tank off my bike to do some rewireing and I found a really bad break in the frame. Not just a crack. A break. Its in the backbone between the upper motor mount and the neck. Its at the base of a support tube. Ive been in a state of freakout since. I feel like I found a tumor and awaiting test results. Can this be fixed? should I fix it? Is it worth it?

(maybe this is too much info or too soon seeing how we just met). I need some help.

~JOHN

[UncleMonkey]

The big thing is to make sure the frame is still straight. Find a local shop that has a frame jig and get them to weld it up or replace the whole backbone. . I'd go over the frame to make sure there are no other cracks or weak welds. Something stressed the frame enough for it to break so you have to figure that out or else it could happen again. Daytech are usually a pretty good frame. If you shop around you can find a whole new frame (softail or rigid) for under a thousand so balance that against how much it will cost to fix.

[1sonofabitch]

Thanks Man,
That helps. Its such a bad crack you'd think there'd be obvious damage somewhere but I couldn't find anything. Everything else seems straight. just that section of backbone is not lined up at the crack. It looks like its been that way a long while.

[1sonofabitch]

pic of break in the frame

This sucks!

[farmall]

That's an odd location but quite repairable. I'd remove all the paint around it for a could of inches and inspect to see if any cracks radiate from it. Even then a simple slug could be turned and welded in place. Steel is nice like that.

A frame jig is preferable but a skilled welder could align the tubing sections, tack to hold it straight, then perform a proper butt weld which is stronger than the parent metal. A proper butt weld on tubing is legit and holds millions of high pressure tubing joints throughout industry. BTW leave the full weld in place and dont' grind it flush with adjacent tubing.

I'm ignorant on that frame brand but a backbone crack ain't fucking impressive. If that bike has a state-issued stamped VIN that would make a future frame swap easy. Replace frame then whip out the numbah stamps. If it cracked there, where else will it fail? That crack is not at a weld so it isn't a fabrication failure. Poor quality material or insufficient thickness (saves lots of money on steel) could be to blame.

Cheer up, it didn't fail like the welds on the infamous Big Bear chopper frame and spit you onto the pavement. It's only metal and you caught it in time.

[1sonofabitch]

Dude. Thanks for giving me hope.
I'm waiting to take it to a guy now.

[goofyfoot2001]

That looks brittle almost.

[Grantman]

If it were mine (and it ain't) I'd get a different frame and fold that one up before I sold it for scrap metal. But I'm superstitious and scared of some of the crap that has been mass produced just to make a buck, and not just bike stuff.

[KevinN]

Just looking at the one pic provided it looks like you have a diagonal tube that joins underneath. The crack could have started from an undercut weld in the HAZ(heat affected zone) and worked it's way around the back bone. Thats repairable but I would inspect the entire frame thoroughly and then inspect the back bone often after a repair.

[deathmetaldan]

yeah, im guessing that area was way too brittle. You have the support from the neck right next to where the engine mount was welded on. Too much heat too fast.

[1sonofabitch]

Thanks guys. You're all helpin loads! 👍 Much appreciated.