What kind of life can I/we expect from our beloved (aluminum framed) FZRs and YZFs?
All of the old, classic bikes have steel frames which should last practically forever. However, more and more manufacturers are making bike frames with aluminum. Even BMW and Harley are starting to make their frames with aluminum. What kind of life can we expect from these frames? I want to keep my FZR1000 forever; even after I stop riding because it is such an interesting design. But I am always wondering if the aluminum frame will fail after so many miles/years.
I also have an FZR600 which I intend on keeping forever. But since the frame is made of steel I don't worry/think about it as much.
Life of Aluminum Frames?
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Aluminium frames usually crack for reasons unrelated to age (e.g. stress and corrosion, vibration fatigue, crash damage). Eventually they will become more brittle but we're talking about a matter of 30-50 years before it is even noticeable.
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'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"
'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"
Yeah, wasn't getting full depth penetration especially in the steering neck area, a few cracked and they pulled others apart and found more. I forget what year that was exactly. 2002-2003?FZRDude wrote:Wasn't the GSXR issue with a weld ??
As I recall they made aircraft propellers out of aluminum, as early as the 1930s, and I see a lot of vintage aircraft around here. I'm willing to bet quite a number of those props are original. I'd be more concerned about a hollow steel frame (internal rust) that I would about an aluminum frame. Aluminum only gets surface corrosion and takes a long time to corrode even in the worst acid rain conditions. Aluminum also only gets brittle when flexed, just like any other metal. But being a non-ferrous metal, is not subject to rust or carbon loss like other metals.