More of the rat bike

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Decided to go hardtail and Im having my local shop weld up the strut... wanna be sure its strong.Here is what I did tonight. Its for he solo seat springs. I think Im starting to get better, but some advice would be awesome. Its flux core mig (Harbor Freight) Attached Images"The credit goes to the man who's actually in the arena..."
Reply:Is that a row of, staples???Seems ok, maybe try something first besides a bike part.Tim Beeker.
Reply:a hardtail is more than just a suspension bike with a solid strut replacing the shock assembly, designing a hartail frame is an art, just because there is no suspension doesn't mean the frame itself does still absorb & transfer impacts depending on how it's designed. the frame becomes compliant to a certain extent, I'd expect something like what your building is not going to be anywhere near as stable or comfortable & you will be adding stresses in places they shouldn't be, I'd say chances are high that you will experience stress related issues eventually, your putting stresses on the swing arm it's not designed for & your putting a lot of impact stress on the strut mounting points... even though these points are designed to carry the weight of the bike they do not see anywhere near the amount of high stress your going to subject them too, the shock would have absorbed a lot of what will now be transfered to the frame...  look at a hardtail frame design & geometry then look at yours again...miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:I'm not the first guy to go hardtail with a strut on a bike. Especially with the Virago's frame and swing arm being designed the way it is, throwing in a strut and supporting the strut the right way can bring the Virago frames dimensions almost the same as a hard-tail built bike.I've been listening to alot of people give me guff about going hardail since I started posting about the bike. Its my bike, Im going hardtail.  I was looking for was opinions on how to. The origional Mono-shock is an air assisted shock, and its shot. Rather than replace it and spend a few hundred bucks, I would rather call in a favor at the local shop and have me weld up a DOM strut.Now, what do you guys think of the welds on the seat mount?"The credit goes to the man who's actually in the arena..."
Reply:weld travel speed is to fast by the tell tell Vs and not Cs on the weld from the plate to the tube there is very little tie in to the tube at the toe of the weld it appears you just ran a bead all the way across wonder how much warpage you have thereMiller Xmt 350Lincoln Ln-25Ahp 200xSmith Gas Mixer AR/HTig is my Kung FuThrowing down dimes and weaving aboutInstagram http://instagram.com/[email protected]
Reply:Originally Posted by a.james.smith1Now, what do you guys think of the welds on the seat mount?
Reply:Thanks guys. I did run through it really fast. Honestly I think I freak myself out. Alot of times I get nervous about burning through the metal so I scare myself into running the bead fast as sin. And thinking about it, I look back and I do spend more time on one piece of material than the other. I need to get out of that mind set that Im "gluing" one piece to another rather than joining the two.I do feel like It's getting better though.And yes, there was a tiny bit of warp. Made it fit a little snugger. Thanks guys. Guess its time to go back to the scrap pile and get more practice in. Side note... for hobby welding and little jobs, could I run straight CO2?Thanks for helping out a rookie."The credit goes to the man who's actually in the arena..."
Reply:Originally Posted by WeldingWookieweld travel speed is to fast by the tell tell Vs and not Cs
Reply:if you are traveling to fast gun angle is not going to change that higher amperage and wire speed would thoSlow down and let the weld pool form when you start seeing C C C form at the witness line and not VLast edited by WeldorWes; 03-12-2011 at 08:27 PM.Miller Xmt 350Lincoln Ln-25Ahp 200xSmith Gas Mixer AR/HTig is my Kung FuThrowing down dimes and weaving aboutInstagram http://instagram.com/[email protected]
Reply:So your recomending I bring the amperage down some?"The credit goes to the man who's actually in the arena..."