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Snapped forks...

notasweetman

notasweetman

Cruisin' Guzzisti
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
110
Location
Redditch, Worcestershire, UK
I had a fork seal leak recently which led me to look more closely than usual at my forks - and I realised that both forks had snapped pinch plates. Since I am well out of warranty, and I'd ridden at least 1000 miles since my last front wheel change (when I imagine the bolts were over-tightened and too late to get the tyre fitters to pay for the damage) I went onto the forum for advice and I'm looking at £600.00 + tax for each leg, which I don't have. Deep depression.

But I live in the West Midlands of England (cradle of the Industrial Revolution, etc, etc.) and I wondered if any of the hundreds of small engineering companies that we have here could weld my forks, instead of replacing them? I found a chap nearby who welds aluminium and alloys and asked him if he could repair my forks. "Oh, yes. No problem."

It cost me £25.00 cash - about $30.00 US. Since the repair I've done about 500 miles at all speeds and on all (tarmac) surfaces with no problems. The guy used 5356 welding wire and made sure the welds slow cooled in air. I left the outside welds proud and only ground out room for new M6 allen bolts - like the later legs should have. My original bolts were the collared 10mm nuts.

So far, no problems. I'm off to Italy in September so I'll keep you posted.

Unfortunately I took no pictures of the unpainted and un-Dremmeled forks, so I hope you can see how he did it from my poor mobile shots.
 

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This should be a warranty issue. Check with your local dealer or Corsa Italiano, or call customer service. Post back when you speak with someone.
 
I'll do that, but in the meanwhile I need to keep riding! Mine's a '09 that I've had from new - does the warranty extend that far back? From what I've read on this forum MG only honours claims within the 2 years. I had a new front (my 4th) last February, which is when the spanner monkey must have snapped my forks... :S
 
More like an extreme case warranty. Or how about a life or death issue. With more than 20 years of welding experience I have to say that even tho it is prolly an excellent weld, (only an xray would tell for sure) the location would have me more than careful about it. Inspect it frequently and carefully. :!:
 
I agree that welding that part seems scary. But keep in mind his and many others cracked and in many cases they continued to ride the bike with no serious issues until they discovered the crack. Even with that part cracked/broken as long as the bolts stay tight the axle and wheel are not going to fall off without further catastrophic failure.
But I would push for warranty, dangerous defects like that tend to be resolved well beyond the warranty period as it looks bad to have people die on your product. I am pretty sure I have heard of people getting that fixed long after the warranty expired. It is a known issue.
 
notasweetman said:
I'll do that, but in the meanwhile I need to keep riding! Mine's a '09 that I've had from new - does the warranty extend that far back? From what I've read on this forum MG only honours claims within the 2 years. I had a new front (my 4th) last February, which is when the spanner monkey must have snapped my forks... :S
Click to expand...

My brother, Steve, had his done under warranty middle of last year, it's a 2008 bike.. Stoke-on-Trent area..

windy
 
I've seen this on two other forums, it seems to be more a problem caused by tyre shops with airtools over tightening what is a potential weak spot for many bikes. In spite of the "free fitting" I always take off and refit my own wheels, it's also a chance to check the bearings, brake calipers and pads and so on. The welder sounds like a top man, remember you frame is held together with weld so I wouldn't over worry about it!
 
When i found mine broke i contacted a main and told them about the fork snapping ,they took my details and said they would coctact the factory,they later contacted me and said that because my bike was a 2008 model with 30,000 kms it would not be covered be moto guzzi .
 
I have an '09 Stelvio. I noticed a crack at the bottom of my left fork. I called piaggio in New York and asked if there was a recall for it. They said "no" but there is a different recall - the center stand. I took my bike to the shop. They are going to replace the center stand as the recall states and Piaggio agreed to have the left fork replaced at no charge. Thank goodness!
 
Hi all,

I went to Italy and back, nearly 3000 miles on all kinds of roads including many cobbled streets, potholes, mountain roads etc. The fork welds are still fine. As suggested I check them every ride but so far no problems. My local dealer in Worcester has seen this problem several times and has had no luck with outdated warranty claims, so I'm happy to carry on with the welded forks for as long as they last...
 
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