Paulwhite Posted March 23, 2012 Posted March 23, 2012 hi all im in the process of rebuilding the bobber whilst inspecting the frame for painting iv noticed some rust which would be cause for concern. considering my bike is 8 years old and was in a good garage for 4 of them i thought i best mention it. the seat bracket was corroded underneath, no holes or cracks, but needed a wire brush on a drill to clear it, so could go in time. on the bottom of the frame, where the kick stand bracket is welded. there was a hole about the same size as a 5p and a crack going round the tube effectively compromising the structure of the frame when i grinded it back there was a hole (3inch by 1inch), which i patched and welded with some 3mm steel. but without the patch (or welding the crack) the bottom left part of the frame would of broke when going over a speed bump. its a safety concern for me but id say wouldnt hurt to have a look to see if anyone elses has corroded.
RatBob Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 I found the beginnings of some corrosion on mine, which left untreated would've become quite serious. I sanded it back and sprayed it with hammerite, but it's since started to come back so I'm currently trying to find a more permanent fix. I'm guessing from what you've said that the majority of your serious corrosion is on the bottom of the frame. If so I'd say you probably have nothing to worry about in the sense that there's not going to be any corrosion hidden from view that can screw you later on. It's all going to be down low where the kicked up stones and water are doing their worst. Welding it will have sorted it but obviously the heat of the weld will make that part of the frame more vulnerable to rust in future. You just have to be vigilant in future I think, and just keep rust to a minimum. So long as you keep wire brushing it back to bare steel and painting it over you should be fine. The only worry I'd have is if the frame was rusting from inside out, given that the tubes are hollow. I'm not sure how likely that is, and I've certainly never heard of it, so that might be for someone else to clarify.
Paulwhite Posted March 25, 2012 Author Posted March 25, 2012 dont worry im in the process of re-painting the lot and getting rid of any rust i find. im going to coat the frame in some special stuff at work (similar to epoxy resign but better) my main concern was that my bike has only been on the road for 4 years from new so i was quite surprised to find a hole that size after such a short period of time. as to rust being in the frame, it is possible but also can be prevented by spraying waxoil into the frame.
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