Jacking and Powder Damage
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From: Vermont
Jacking and Powder Damage
My friend called all distraught this morning. He had his bike up on a jack to change the rear tire. He accomplished the goal and then lowered it and looked underneath to make sure all was in order and noticed the powder coat at the weld junction between the thin rear cross member plate under the oil pan and the frame tube was cracked and could be flicked off in flakes. I took a ride over to see what he was talking about. I see that the cross member rounded edges close to where it is welded to the frame tubes hangs down just slightly lower than the frame tubes. The rear jack pad is resting against the cross member plate rather than the frame tube, When you start jacking the thin cross member plate flexes up under the weight until the jack pad is against the rigid frame tube stressing the welded joint between the cross member plate and frame tube, hence cracking the powder coating. Now that I'm home, I'm looking at my 10 Street Glide and the cross member plate is in the same position, the rounded ends sit just slightly below the rounded frame tubes. The long flat jack pad that slides under will inevitably rest on the rounded ends of the thin cross plate until it flexes up with the weight of the bike as its jacked. Thoughts? Anyone else notice this? Sorry if its confusing, its hard to describe without witnessing what I'm referring to.
Last edited by Rickr01; Feb 16, 2014 at 10:12 AM.
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From: Saskatchewan
I have been very careful keeping an eye on where my jack meets the frame. My Electra Glide balances best when the jack is way from the joints on the frame. My cheap Canadian Tire jack does have steel rods welded to both sides which I did worry about hitting the frame. I used some 1/4" rubber fuel tubing on each of these to prevent any metal to metal contact.
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From: Vermont
I have been very careful keeping an eye on where my jack meets the frame. My Electra Glide balances best when the jack is way from the joints on the frame. My cheap Canadian Tire jack does have steel rods welded to both sides which I did worry about hitting the frame. I used some 1/4" rubber fuel tubing on each of these to prevent any metal to metal contact.
Last edited by Rickr01; Feb 16, 2014 at 10:39 AM.
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From: Santa Cruz
If the jack pad is bending the crossmember ya need some spacers or something??? First rule of jacking/lifting, Always check your jacking point.
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From: Santa Clarita
Distraught? Over normal wear and tear on the bottom of the frame? Hmmmmm... welp, there's an easy fix...just touch it up with black paint. This is the stuff I've been talking about with powder coating, it gets damaged too, it's just a much faster way of finishing metal, not necessarily any more durable, but it's gotten the reputation of being the end all to beat all. No biggie. A little touchup paint, and your pal should be just fine...
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From: Vermont
First off, this wasn't intended to be a thread about being fussy or how easy it is to touch things up. It was meant to be informative and also a question. I think that if I were to have damage occurring based on something I was doing and if I could do it differently, I'd like to know? Also, for those who don't take a looksee under their bikes, it might be worth it? Its not a question of can it be touched up as I said. If the powder were to be damaged and expose metal, it wouldn't be long before the rust would get under whats solid and make a good mess. To each his own..