Welding broken engine mounts

[BruKen]

...that repair job looks suspect and that engine mounting system on the frame.... is positively a heathrobinson affair (so it may very well be an original hinkley job, but I doubt it) and could well be why your casing mounts keep cracking. If you are going in for repairs, dont repair an emergency RTW  "get me back on the road asap" botch job, return it to original or you could be facing the same problem in the future.

I´m not sure what you mean here Bruken, but I suspect you misunderstood something. The brackets you see is that last repair we did ourselves while on the road, not something out of Hinckley. We won´t be fixing a repair done on the road, all that will be removed and the original mount will have material removed around the cracks and refilled/welded. In addition the mounts will be increased in size to strengthen them further.

Good, that's what I was advising. ( there is always going to be something lost when both parties are translating to a third common language)

[Rocinante]

Engine´s out. Looks like something´s slightly wrong with the engine mounts, and now big wonder I´ve felt shaking in the left foot peg. Next thing is to investigate the frame for cracks.

Wonder why Triumph made those mounts that tiny and fragile...

[Mustang]

is it only the two bottom rear mounts that are busted ?

cuz if the upper rears look like that also I would no way in hell weld that back together .....phone call to triumph-ant for new motor  would be my route of repair . but you already know that :roll:

[Rocinante]

Only the lower mounts are affected and no cracks can be seen on the frame.

A point here is that the damage was done while traveling two-up at a weight of about 480kg over a period of 60 000km. The stress on these mounts I believe must have been extreme and higher still than on the other mounts due to the direct connection to the rear shock through the shock linkage, especially horisontal where the whole frame can flex more than it can vertical. The linkage comes in at about 45 degrees. A slight flaw in the construction not to make them fatter and sturdier, maybe.

Anyway, if the welder still thinks he can make the mounts stronger than the originals, I´ll go for it. Otherwise I´ll call long distance...

[Mustang]

if the uppers are good ..a good weld job should make the tigger like new .

[BruKen]

Ask your welder if he can machine and bush them so there is a better spread of load across the weld joints. A good welder should be able to repair those. Check the weld join afterwards. Any porosity (looks like sand dropped in the weld pool) or any black flakes, reject the job. Check for weld penetration. To get good enough penetration on a first pass on those mounts is going to take some serious amps and a big tig welder so don't be surprised if you see about 3 or 4 runs.

[CoolHandLuke]

Btw, how much work is it to remove the engine? From what I´ve read in the handbook, it seems relatively straight forward.

Get someone to help you.  I have helped lift a couple of triple's back in and it is easier, as Bruken said, to get a jack and raise it into place.  Put the back bolts in first and then the front.

The break looks amazingly similar to the break on my aluminium swingarm, where the torsion bar bolts on.  And I am wondering whether the cause is the same.  In my case, it was created by an impact, when the disc bolts worked their way loose and hit the calliper carrier, fracturing the aluminium.  Is it possible that the engine had an impact of some kind?  I would hazard a guess from the right hand lower side (as you are sat on the bike).

[Rocinante]

Thanks for the tips Bruken. I think he knows what he is doing, and he said it was good it was a long way to the nearest rubber gasket because of the heat needed.

Coolhandluke, thanks for the hints. I will get help and a proper hydraulic lift.

Regarding the cause; When we were traveling we dropped the bike now and again, and it´s possible that an impact could have caused the cracks. But I doubt it, since it happened twice. It´s of course possible that a number of small impact on the lowest part of the shock linkage could be the cause.

In any case, I think the lower mounts looks fragile considering all the punishment they receive from the shock linkage. And I´m sure few Steamers in the world has done as many miles as heavy loaded as Rocinante. That could be the simple explanation.

[Rocinante]

According to the welder who received the engine today, this is a piece of cake and the mounts will be a lot stronger than original when done.

On an interesting note, a Norwegian guy on a Facebook offroad group I´m part of said the same thing happened to his 97, and when it did he heard about several others and that it was a know issue. Strange, never heard that before.

[Nick Calne]

maybe it's the cold climate...?  :roll:

[Mustang]

I'm thinking fubar'd bearings in the shock linkage is going to put a hell of a strain on those bottom mounts .

[Rocinante]

Cold climate? Chile?

Maybe you could be on to something, Mustang. I will check the bearing. However, when it happened to these bikes, they were pretty young.

He also said it was known to happen to hard ridden Tigers. He might have a point.

[Rocinante]

The lump came back today. Here are a couple of pics. It looks fat and solid to me.

Now,  :oops: , Mustang,  :oops: , the shock linkage bearings? Well, how could I grease something when the nipple is gone?  :oops:  :oops: Fubar´s the word. All of them sort of. :roll:

I know, I should´t be in this business. I am not, really...

[BruKen]

Mmmm, misery-guts me is not particularly impressed.  :lol:  but I'm sure you'll be fine... got a hat?  

[Mustang]

BEARING LOOK LIKE THIS DOES IT ?