Best Ways to Weld All Types of Motorcycle Frames

ShinDoctor > Blog > The best ways to weld motorcycle frames that you need to know

What is the best way to weld motorcycle frames? There are several different processes that can be used to weld frames most efficiently. These processes are called gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). These welding methods are excellent for connecting the tubes that make up the motorcycle frame, and we use them in our service (city of Dolgoprudny).

While GMA and GTA are considered two of the best options for motorcycle frames, several different methods can be used depending on the needs of the project. The key is to make sure you have the proper equipment, work space, and safety gear before making any changes to your shredder.

#1 - MIG Welding (GMA)

MIG welding goes by several names, such as argon metal arc welding (GMAW), although MIG stands for metal inert gas and is its more common name.

The attractive aspect of this welding process for DIYers is that it is one of the simplest forms of welding that can be performed successfully by beginners.

This is a very fast process that involves gas shielding a specific type of filler metal. The gas protects the filler metal from corrosion and harmful elements of nature. This indicates that GMA is not the best type of welding outdoors. However, since you will most likely be working on your bike in the garage, this shouldn't be a problem.

After selecting a job site and preparing all the frame elements to be welded together, the following breakdown provides a brief explanation of how the GMA welding process works to join motorcycle frame tubes:

The welding machine has a spool of consumable wire that is fed through the welding torch rod.
The welding torch creates an arc or heated flash that melts the fed wire at the tip of the tube.

When injected into the base metal, the filler metal, or molten wire as it is called, helps connect the various elements of the motorcycle frame. As the wire passes through the hole, the welder can control the speed and create smooth, straight welds along the bike frame.

Due to their versatility and simplicity of the process, GMA welding machines are among the most popular and easiest to sell on the market; we work with them in our workshop on Dmitrovskoe Highway. Additionally, GMA is well suited for connecting your motorcycle's frame tubes, regardless of the thickness of the metal you'll be working with.

How to weld a car frame or.

This article will not be of interest to owners of passenger cars, it’s a completely different story, but owners of trucks, dump trucks, and truck cranes will find this quite useful. Everyone knows that it is supposedly impossible to weld a frame. But if these “talkative experts” had seen how much we had digested in our time, they would have changed their minds or mumbled something incomprehensible. Although in some ways they may be right, because the frame is a non-welded structure and if it breaks they say that it needs to be replaced. But who would agree to lose profit and time, because there are no spare frames lying around on the road and hardly anyone has any in stock.

In my practice, this most often happened with KrAZ trucks and it was not necessary that they were old. It’s just that in the days of self-financing and “ton-kilometers” everyone wanted to earn money, and they had to build, materials were required, and the roads were mostly winter roads. Not everyone knows what it is. So the painters put containers in the back of the car to carry diesel fuel, and they also carried road slabs, and the especially zealous ones took a double load and were with us after the flight. the frame is cracked. Most often, frames broke in the area of the second pair of wheels, approximately the center of the car; this is the weakest point for fracture. Of course, the frames of other cars also broke, but less often. Equally, only the Kirov trawls, mainly the ganders, broke. Well, they've already broken it, now we need to repair it.

First, you need to free up as much space as possible where the welding will take place. Roll out the wheel, if necessary, remove all tubes and anything that may interfere with a full repair. If the frame has fallen apart, then it’s more difficult, because you have to put everything back in place, and so that the car doesn’t go sideways. These are all precautions and necessary. Now, actually, preparation for welding.

No. 2 - TIG Welding (GTAW)

TIG stands for Tungsten Argon Arc Welding (GTAW). The main appeal of the GTA welding process for motorcycle frames is that it is extremely clean as no filler metal is used and does not leave unsightly spatter or bonding lumps at the weld site.

This leaves your finished motorcycle with a smooth frame, no matter how many welds were required to connect the tubes.

Like GMA welding, GTAW is best done in a garage (GMA). Since this is one of the few welding processes that does not require a filler metal, it is necessary to use gas to facilitate welding of the seams. Therefore, protecting the weld requires an external reservoir to maintain gas flow during the GTAW welding process, so this gas must be kept inside and away from the elements.

The downside to GTA welding is that it is one of the more difficult welding processes because welding without filler metal is not as intuitive and requires more practice to get it right. Thus, it will be more difficult, but we are ready to help (non-cash payment is available).

MOTORCYCLE PHYSIOLOGY: METAL FRAMEWORK

Like toys on a Christmas tree, all the components and assemblies of a motorcycle are strung on a single base - the frame. The load-bearing function is the main one, but not the only one. The frame sets the geometric characteristics of the motorcycle, ensuring parallel movement of the wheels (not only statically, but also dynamically, due to its rigidity, resisting attempts to lead the wheels “astray”), setting the angle of the steering column (a parameter that directly affects handling - see "Moto", 2002, No. 3, p. 42). Since the design of the frame determines the layout of the machine, it directly affects the location of the center of gravity and center of mass.

It is clear that such an important component appeared simultaneously with the birth of the motorcycle. In fact, even earlier, since the bicycle served as the model for the chassis of the first motorcycle crews. An unexpected exception is the very first motorcycle in the world with an internal combustion engine - Gottlieb Daimler's Reitwagen, built in 1885. Even his contemporaries were shocked by the extremely archaic design of the wooden (!) chassis, copied not even from bicycles, but from their ancestors - scooter runners of the early 19th century. The current engineer is shocked by something else. The configuration of this frame is the same as that of modern sportbikes: two powerful elements running diagonally from the steering column to the rear wheel and covering all the most important components of the motorcycle.

But this is only an exception, and it is caused by the fact that Herr Daimler was not at all interested in the development of bicycle technology. The overwhelming majority of motorcycle creators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries quite adequately accepted both the bicycle frame design and the method of its manufacture (not by the usual electric welding, but by soldering). What attracted them? Firstly, proven production technology. Secondly, this classic design, formed by two tubular triangles, successfully combines low mass with high rigidity (flexural, but not torsional).

Transmission

All-wheel drive is not mandatory, but in conditions of constant snow drifts or deep mud it is very desirable. It is convenient to leave the gearbox that was equipped with the selected engine, but you have to make the transfer case for the 4x4 drive yourself, since the car unit will be too important and large. As transmission shafts (to each wheel or between units), you can use standard automobile CV joints with covers. Experienced turners and welders can reduce the length of shafts without disturbing alignment.

Even if you need a vehicle exclusively for off-road use, it should have body kit elements, at least to protect it from dirt and water flying from the wheels.

Seam treatment after welding

All seams must be properly processed after completion of welding work. Metal must be protected from the negative effects of the environment. The connection area must be washed, then sandblasted, degreased, primed and painted.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that welding a truck frame is a process that requires concentration and care. In order for the weld to be as strong and high-quality as possible, the welder must have some experience. Because the frame is an important part on which the safety of driving a car depends. Do not forget about safety and when welding, be sure to wear special protective clothing. If you follow all the rules and requirements, then in the end you will get the highest quality connection.

Frame from scratch

Summer is coming to an end and it’s time to start new projects. Many people here ask how to make a frame from scratch? So I decided to write a short article on this matter. In principle, there are different ways to do this, I will describe the method that I use and so far, it has not let me down.

I usually start by selecting units for a future project. By components I mean - (front fork, wheels, tank, engine, gearbox, shock absorbers) After that, I take measurements of all these devices and draw them to scale on drawing paper. Of course, you can do this in different programs, like Pavel Obozov from https://www.brayvo.ru, but I’m still not good at modeling it, since he and I do everything on graph paper. In principle, when starting to make any boxer, you can take the engine drawing from any book about these motorcycles as the basis for the layouts. Such a book is taken and a drawing is copied from it (so as not to spoil the book), after which this copy is pasted onto whatman paper and cut out along the contour, preferably with maximum accuracy. Now you can start calculating the scale. Since in books the engine drawing is given without distortion (checked), we can safely measure a couple of parts on the engine and on the drawing, after which, to obtain a scale, we divide the dimensions taken from the original by the dimensions of the drawing. We get a number that is scaled (1:5). Of course, there will be errors, but they will be very insignificant, no more than 5-10 mm. In our case, this is not such an error that we should pay attention to it. It would also be nice, if you are making a frame for yourself, to make a model of yourself, also to scale. This helps a lot with frame layout and for the best fit. So, now we have something to start from, that is, an engine, there is a scale, and there is someone who will drive it all (also on a scale). Next, we measure all the extracted parts and calculate their sizes on a scale. Now you can start drawing the frame. First you need to make a side view of it. This will make it much easier to work with, and you will immediately understand what to put where and what it will look like. After the side view is constructed, you can draw the bottom view, top view, front and rear views. I don’t do this, because for me, in the process of drawing a side view, all the other views in the sketches are formed and this is enough for me, especially during the welding work, since something new will definitely come up.

Now I want to talk a little about the materials (pipes) from which to make the frame. Many people are looking for solidly drawn pipes, but as practice shows, this is not at all necessary, since foreign car manufacturers make them from seamed pipes (tested by cutting imported frames). I use pipes of the DIN 2440 brand, here they can be found in Russia - https://www.metaltorg.ru (this is not an advertisement) For the frame I use pipes of two diameters - 33.7 mm, wall 3.2 mm and 26.9 mm, wall 2.6 mm. You can also use corners of the same brand; they are very convenient for making sharp 90-degree turns without racking your brains about how and where to bend the pipe so beautifully. Smoother bends are made using a simple pipe bender. I would also like to note that in load-bearing areas it is necessary to make inserts at the joints of the pipes and leave a gap of 3-4 mm between the pipes for the welding seam. It is better to bend pipes according to templates made in full size from cardboard or plywood. Now that the pipes have been purchased and bent, you can proceed to assembling the frame on the slipway. The construction of the slipway was laid out on the opposite side and if anyone is too lazy to look, here it is - https://www.oppozit.ru/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1040

Of course, before assembly you need to stock up on all the parts you want to have on the frame. Namely, the steering column, all kinds of brackets, and so on. Of course, it is better to weld the frame using a semi-automatic machine, but if someone does not have access to such a unit, then it is possible to use electric arc welding. Cooking with gas is not a very good option, unless of course it is argon.

Soldering using high temperatures

Types of solders for welding bicycle frames, which one to choose?

Nickel

This solder is excellent for welding bicycle frames, it has a wide temperature range from 500 to 1 thousand degrees, the seam after such welding with nickel will be inconspicuous and durable, it is widely used in factories due to the low cost of the material.

Bronze

This type of soldering is suitable for materials that can withstand a wide temperature range of up to 1 thousand degrees, for example, chrome-molybdenum steel.

Bronze soldering is used for welding sports frames that are installed on stunt or mountain bikes. Another plus is the low cost of the material, in contrast to expensive silver.

Silver

Silver has the lowest melting point and flows better into small gaps when joining, which significantly increases the efficiency and possibly permissible load limit for such frames. Silver is used extremely rarely and only for expensive bicycle models or when it is necessary to strengthen the frame.

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