Damaged frame repair

[katanarider]

I recently came across another Katana thats been wrecked with frame damage. I would like to have another bike to beat on but I'm uncertain about welding the frame back together since I've never done it before.
So, I'm wondering can I weld up a Katana frame ?
Also, is it possible to bend portions of the frame back into place like alot of automobils can be done ?

[phil823]

......this sounds unsafe, and i would HIGHly recommend a place that is used to motorcycle frames, such as a custom build shop....you could always look for a good frame

[katanarider]

One bike has a crack next to the main upper fairing stay/just behind the stem. However its completely cracked across the bar. It looks weldable but I dont know?
The other bike I've yet to see. Both cheap and in running condition.
I'm not looking to hear whats most safe for the general public kind of answer. I am fully aware of the condition of the bike and the risk before I take on the project. I just want to know if the metal itself is a weldable metal and if anyone has ever done it before?
THANKS

[Kreylyn]

One bike has a crack next to the main upper fairing stay/just behind the stem. However its completely cracked across the bar. It looks weldable but I dont know?
The other bike I've yet to see. Both cheap and in running condition.
I'm not looking to hear whats most safe for the general public kind of answer. I am fully aware of the condition of the bike and the risk before I take on the project. I just want to know if the metal itself is a weldable metal and if anyone has ever done it before?
THANKS

It's steel, so yes... easily weldable. That's how it's constructed to start with. The concern with a dmged frame like that is not the cracks you can see (and weld back... welded parts will end up stronger than orignal actually)... it's the cracks you can't see or are hidden under the paint. Without the equiptment to seak out and find those cracks, your putting yourself in danger of a catastrophic failure of the frame...

If there was enough of a force to visably crack the steel frame, then there will be many other stress fractures you can't see. This is why a frame with visable damage is normally considered unsafe and not road worth even if you did repair the visable cracks.

Krey

[katanarider]

Thanks, thats why I ask questons . I didnt think about it that way.
I know when machinist inspect for cracks in engine blocks they use a process called "Magnaflux". I'm not sure if its possible to Magnaflux a entire bike? Or if the magnaflux will work on a powder coated surfaces?
Are there ways to inspect the bike for such damage?

[katanarider]

I also found these videos to be more indepth than my first thoughts.
Part one:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFmlOFDH6dY&feature=related"]YouTube- Old Motorcycle Frame Squareness Check/Test Part 1[/ame]


Part two:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kk2_n6W7Co&feature=related"]YouTube- Old Motorcycle Frame Squareness Check/Test Part 2[/ame]

I now understand there is more to a wrecked bike than meets the eye.