15 Crf450 cracked frame...repairable?

TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 11/9/2015 6:42pm
11/9/2015 6:42pm
Jamie Campbell at Raceco can fix it. He's welded up everything from Baja 1000 winnig to Dakar racing Hondas.

Raceco

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avidchimp
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avidchimp 11/9/2015 7:10pm
11/9/2015 7:10pm


Radical
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Radical 11/9/2015 10:14pm
11/9/2015 10:14pm
40Plus_922mx wrote:
The welds between the arrows are junk. They are doing nothing but laying on the metal. And the cracks are in the bad weld. This is...
The welds between the arrows are junk. They are doing nothing but laying on the metal. And the cracks are in the bad weld. This is not from casing jumps or flat landing off a freestyle ramp. This is a factory defect. Since it is a 2015 model it would be in Honda's best interest to give you a new frame. You just have to bring your photo to the right people. Keep us posted.
Agreed 100%
It can definitely be fixed. It would be best to have it welded by someone who welds aluminum all the time. Aluminum is more difficult to get right than steel, or so I've been told.

That said, the weld is defective and Honda should pay for it.

If they won't, I'll bet you can find a good welder to repair it for $150 max, probably less.
Uncle Tony
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Uncle Tony 11/10/2015 4:56am
11/10/2015 4:56am
Back around ten years ago Honda had a recall with the new generation goldwing frames cracking at the lower cross brace, most Honda dealers had to find qualified aluminum welders in their area (I had the lucky job of disassemble and reassemble of said goldwings) just go to your local Honda dealer and ask who they used to weld up the frames, these guys were certified by Honda and know what they're doing

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Roscoe33
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Roscoe33 11/10/2015 6:00am
11/10/2015 6:00am
Uncle Tony wrote:
Back around ten years ago Honda had a recall with the new generation goldwing frames cracking at the lower cross brace, most Honda dealers had to...
Back around ten years ago Honda had a recall with the new generation goldwing frames cracking at the lower cross brace, most Honda dealers had to find qualified aluminum welders in their area (I had the lucky job of disassemble and reassemble of said goldwings) just go to your local Honda dealer and ask who they used to weld up the frames, these guys were certified by Honda and know what they're doing
Honda fixed all the frames with problems under a secret warranty regardless of age or warranty left.

Don't give up Honda fixes things at a snails pace...
RJMX834
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RJMX834 11/10/2015 5:44pm
11/10/2015 5:44pm Edited Date/Time 11/10/2015 5:45pm
aedwards07 wrote:
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on...
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on calling Honda but from what I heard Honda could care less when it comes to issues like this.

I work for a local honda dealer as a service advisor. My DSM (district service manager) came in today and we were talking about honda recalls. I had randomly asked him after a few minutes If they had experienced problems with the down tube welds on the 2015 Crf450R. He had said no why do you ask. So I jumped on vital and showed him this thread. He said "wow". He jumped to his cell phone and made a call. While it was on speaker phone he called some guy with honda that is a designer that would know more. He told the designer what he was looking at and the guys words were "is that picture on vitalmx?" And my DSM said a mater of fact it is. He said yes, I've been trying to get a hold of that gentleman. We've encountered a few of these problems. Wondered if you've actually heard from Honda trying to contact you. If not, I hope they do soon. They had heard about this somehow! Goodluck!
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kopfjaeger
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kopfjaeger 11/10/2015 5:58pm
11/10/2015 5:58pm Edited Date/Time 11/10/2015 6:01pm
Who says Vitards ain't got no clout?!?! Seriously though, good to hear. GuyB another example of your quality work. And ML and OC and whoever is around these days. Is Nerd ever around anymore? Just wish my iPad worked better on the site
nascarnate326
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nascarnate326 11/10/2015 6:02pm
11/10/2015 6:02pm
Hopefully OP's bike can get fixed and fixed correctly. Who knows how many cracks are out there that people don't know about.
aedwards07
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aedwards07 11/12/2015 4:57am
11/12/2015 4:57am
aedwards07 wrote:
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on...
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on calling Honda but from what I heard Honda could care less when it comes to issues like this.

RJMX834 wrote:
I work for a local honda dealer as a service advisor. My DSM (district service manager) came in today and we were talking about honda recalls...
I work for a local honda dealer as a service advisor. My DSM (district service manager) came in today and we were talking about honda recalls. I had randomly asked him after a few minutes If they had experienced problems with the down tube welds on the 2015 Crf450R. He had said no why do you ask. So I jumped on vital and showed him this thread. He said "wow". He jumped to his cell phone and made a call. While it was on speaker phone he called some guy with honda that is a designer that would know more. He told the designer what he was looking at and the guys words were "is that picture on vitalmx?" And my DSM said a mater of fact it is. He said yes, I've been trying to get a hold of that gentleman. We've encountered a few of these problems. Wondered if you've actually heard from Honda trying to contact you. If not, I hope they do soon. They had heard about this somehow! Goodluck!
You know I have not heard anything from them yet at all. I sent the picture to where the bike came from(triangle cycles) and they contacted Honda but haven't heard back yet. If somehow anyone from Honda sees this my email is austinedwards275@gmail.com
zlowery
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zlowery 11/12/2015 8:56am
11/12/2015 8:56am
TIG welded this frame a few years ago... 2012 Honda. In this instance, just die grinded it down thru the metal thickness and built weld back up. Didn't have issues with getting a pre-heat right, just warmed it up a little bit. Result of a violent Daytona 2012 crash you might have seen on tv...



colintrax
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colintrax 11/12/2015 10:01am
11/12/2015 10:01am
zlowery wrote:
TIG welded this frame a few years ago... 2012 Honda. In this instance, just die grinded it down thru the metal thickness and built weld back...
TIG welded this frame a few years ago... 2012 Honda. In this instance, just die grinded it down thru the metal thickness and built weld back up. Didn't have issues with getting a pre-heat right, just warmed it up a little bit. Result of a violent Daytona 2012 crash you might have seen on tv...



Jeff Gibson?
zlowery
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zlowery 11/12/2015 10:19am
11/12/2015 10:19am
zlowery wrote:
TIG welded this frame a few years ago... 2012 Honda. In this instance, just die grinded it down thru the metal thickness and built weld back...
TIG welded this frame a few years ago... 2012 Honda. In this instance, just die grinded it down thru the metal thickness and built weld back up. Didn't have issues with getting a pre-heat right, just warmed it up a little bit. Result of a violent Daytona 2012 crash you might have seen on tv...



colintrax wrote:
Jeff Gibson?
Yes Sir!
aedwards07
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aedwards07 11/12/2015 11:53am
11/12/2015 11:53am
Had an email from American Honda. I will update with what I find out.
aedwards07
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aedwards07 11/17/2015 4:20pm
11/17/2015 4:20pm
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new frame on it. Took it in yesterday and had the frame ordered today. American Honda and Craig @ Deptford Honda have been great in getting this fixed! Honda does stand behind their product!
2
jtiger12
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jtiger12 11/17/2015 4:55pm
11/17/2015 4:55pm Edited Date/Time 11/17/2015 4:56pm
aedwards07 wrote:
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new...
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new frame on it. Took it in yesterday and had the frame ordered today. American Honda and Craig @ Deptford Honda have been great in getting this fixed! Honda does stand behind their product!
I know where I'm ordering my 2017 crf450 from.
mxb2
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mxb2 11/17/2015 5:03pm
11/17/2015 5:03pm
aedwards07 wrote:
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new...
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new frame on it. Took it in yesterday and had the frame ordered today. American Honda and Craig @ Deptford Honda have been great in getting this fixed! Honda does stand behind their product!
According to some on vital, honda is the devil, quit lying lol
Hallzilla
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Hallzilla 11/17/2015 5:19pm
11/17/2015 5:19pm
aedwards07 wrote:
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new...
Just wanted to give everyone an update. Randy at Honda has taken care of the situation. Bike is currently at the Honda dealer getting a new frame on it. Took it in yesterday and had the frame ordered today. American Honda and Craig @ Deptford Honda have been great in getting this fixed! Honda does stand behind their product!
jtiger12 wrote:
I know where I'm ordering my 2017 crf450 from.
In !

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Sargent Rock
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Sargent Rock 11/17/2015 7:49pm
11/17/2015 7:49pm
Charper732 wrote:
Not to turn this into a huge flame contest, but it's easy as hell to file a suit in small claims court. It'll cost you ~$80...
Not to turn this into a huge flame contest, but it's easy as hell to file a suit in small claims court. It'll cost you ~$80 and you can claim for damages up to $15,000. I have done this a few times to large companies. 99% of the time they will send you a check to make it go away. Just look up the registered agent for the company(honda) in your state. Your local government website will have a form for small claims court.
Excellent suggestion!!!!
SwapperMX
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SwapperMX 11/17/2015 8:20pm
11/17/2015 8:20pm
Sargent Rock wrote:
Excellent suggestion!!!!
You really should have bothered to read the last half dozen or so posts in this thread !!!
tmauto769 11/19/2015 3:44pm
11/19/2015 3:44pm
so how does this work, do you surrender your old title with the frame and they give you a new title with the new frame? Or is the vin bare and they restamp it with the vin you already have?
aedwards07
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aedwards07 11/19/2015 8:44pm
11/19/2015 8:44pm
I know they had to order the frame. I believe it comes with the vin stamped and then they destroy the old one.
mdv78
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mdv78 5/11/2021 4:25am
5/11/2021 4:25am

Hey all I just picked up this used 2015 crf450r, from the original owner, and notice while cleaning the bike it has the exact same crack, thought I would post it up here, seeing as though there is clearly a defect in a line of frames on the 15s i will be contacting my dealer to see if there is any honda support for this issue
4
Robbirob25
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Robbirob25 5/11/2021 6:42am
5/11/2021 6:42am
aedwards07 wrote:
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on...
So as I was installing a new radiator today and looked down and saw 2 cracks on the frame. Is this something weldable? I plan on calling Honda but from what I heard Honda could care less when it comes to issues like this.

RJMX834 wrote:
I work for a local honda dealer as a service advisor. My DSM (district service manager) came in today and we were talking about honda recalls...
I work for a local honda dealer as a service advisor. My DSM (district service manager) came in today and we were talking about honda recalls. I had randomly asked him after a few minutes If they had experienced problems with the down tube welds on the 2015 Crf450R. He had said no why do you ask. So I jumped on vital and showed him this thread. He said "wow". He jumped to his cell phone and made a call. While it was on speaker phone he called some guy with honda that is a designer that would know more. He told the designer what he was looking at and the guys words were "is that picture on vitalmx?" And my DSM said a mater of fact it is. He said yes, I've been trying to get a hold of that gentleman. We've encountered a few of these problems. Wondered if you've actually heard from Honda trying to contact you. If not, I hope they do soon. They had heard about this somehow! Goodluck!
Yup... Go to your local dealer, and for them to contact the District Service Manager. Ask about the next time he will be in the area and have your bike there the night before, or be prepared to be there the next time he is in the dealership you work with...
mdv78
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mdv78 5/11/2021 7:31am
5/11/2021 7:31am
Will do, will post progress..
Richy
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Richy 5/11/2021 7:54am
5/11/2021 7:54am Edited Date/Time 5/11/2021 7:55am
gpracer36 wrote:
it is easy to repair. Grind out the cracks, pre-heat the frame with oxy /accet bottle. Weld it up. Its just metal. Ive welded almost everything...
it is easy to repair. Grind out the cracks, pre-heat the frame with oxy /accet bottle. Weld it up. Its just metal. Ive welded almost everything you could imagine. Not a bid deal. Also, blaming Honda on a weld cracking is like blaming Dunlop for a flat. It happens. Try going thru a-arms and frames on a Trophy truck after each race. You will find all sorts of stuff to repair. Not a big deal.
Take a good look at that weld and compare that to someone getting a flat tyre... that's bullshit man.

That's a duff weld all day.

Honda obviously agreed and fair play to them sorting the situation out for the guy.
motodad312
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motodad312 5/11/2021 8:55am
5/11/2021 8:55am
Easy fix. I'm not a welder but my son completely snapped his frame at the weld a couple of years back. Found a good welder in the area and he made it good as new. Couldn't even tell the frame ever broke and we never had a problem with it after that. Cost me maybe $75. Not worth fighting with the manufacturer. If you can't weld, just pay someone to fix it and go ride.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 5/11/2021 9:24am
5/11/2021 9:24am
Jeez that sucks. I've already cracked the subframe where the pipes mount twice on my 15. First time just welded over the crack but the last time I actually had it reenforced. Will keep an eye out for that area. Would Honda still take care of that now that the bike is six years old? Seems like aedwards had good luck but his was new. Good luck.
2/5/2023 4:17am

Yes, there repairable fix it up with a good tig weld, and back in business, Generally it will crack on either side of a welded repair with aluminum, we use to fix industrial doe mixer spoons for a bakery that's some tough stuff there were $500. a pop lasted only 6 months before it snapped again. never on the repair tho. Depending on how they welded from the factory looks like it was on the stop-start of running into the other weld, seems to be a bit off in an angle, or could be from the heat of the exhaust system as well with stress. Silicone will harden over the years, same as concrete give it 30 years it will turn harder than steel, taking a jackhammer to a milling bed taking concrete off and I hit this old stuff on there never even scratched it lol 😂. Might want to add a small heat shield to the exhaust, just to keep it cooler there, some heat wrap, etc. something to consider in the repair process.

1
TeamPropainTurbo38t 2/5/2023 5:04am
2/5/2023 5:04am

Aluminum is not the same as steel. An aluminum weld should not crack along the side as the weld metal is softer than the parent metal. The weld should crack down the center. With steel if the weld cracks down the center that's a shitty weld.If steel cracks along the side it's usually one of three things...design flaw. wasn't welded right and the heat affected zone is not right from incorrect weld/preheat temps or fatigue.

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