KX250 with Broken Frame

19Brendan81 · Apr 27, 2005

Hi Guys,
A mate of mine rides a KX250 which goes like a fat kid on a cake and looks fantastic too. He has only had the bike for a few months and got it pretty cheap. Anyway after a very gentle ride last Sunday (no air, no crashes) we noticed the frame had snapped completely in half on the uprights roughly at the level of where the pipe exits the motor :ohmy: Have you heard of this happennig before? I can only assume it took a pounding on the Motorcross track in a previous life. Is this fixable, can we weld it back together or is the bike stuffed now. Thanks guys.

desec · Jun 13, 2005

KX60 Broken frame

I don't know about a 250 but I've got the 2nd broken frame on a KX60 in 4 months, bought brand knew.

bikepilot · Jun 14, 2005

I pounded a 1993 KX250 in moto, dunes, supercorss and then harescrambles. It never had a problem. In general, the KX perimiter frames seem to be the strongest MX bikes on the market. Kawasaki is known to let some very shoddy welds slip through from time to time though. Perhaps this was your problem, was it broken on a weld? What year is the KX? In general, you should be fine welding it up provided it is done correctly and the new weld has proper penatration etc.

cheers

kx250kev · Jun 14, 2005

19Brendan81 said:
Hi Guys,
A mate of mine rides a KX250 which goes like a fat kid on a cake and looks fantastic too. He has only had the bike for a few months and got it pretty cheap. Anyway after a very gentle ride last Sunday (no air, no crashes) we noticed the frame had snapped completely in half on the uprights roughly at the level of where the pipe exits the motor :ohmy: Have you heard of this happennig before? I can only assume it took a pounding on the Motorcross track in a previous life. Is this fixable, can we weld it back together or is the bike stuffed now. Thanks guys.

What year?

19Brendan81 · Jun 15, 2005

1992, not broken on a weld...just in the middle of the section of tube steel. Right near the exhaust exit there is two bits of tube steel...both are cracked right through in the same place.

bikepilot · Jun 15, 2005

That's unusual, the 92 has the same frame as my 93 which held up amazingly well, despite my lack of judgement and tendancy to overjump and land flat.

btw, this is my on my 93 and I missed the down ramp and landed flat here. I didn't feel too good but the bike was fine:)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/jminix/hangtime.jpg

I'd get it welded up or look for a used frame on e-bay. Also make sure to check all the motor mounts. The motor is a stressed member and if the mounts are loose it can put a lot of stress on the frame.

cheers

19Brendan81 · Jun 15, 2005

Man, that is some air!

Green Hornet · Jun 16, 2005

Hey-Piolt. What was going through your mind when you were up there???? :yikes:

Sunny State KDX · Jun 16, 2005

DOOOOOHHHH I overshot It. This is gonna Hurt :ohmy:

bikepilot · Jun 16, 2005

Actually on that jump my front wheel landed about 2ft short of the landing ramp, another bike lenght + 2ft and it would have been a smooth landing. I didn't crash but I bottomed hard enough for the bike to bounce back off the ground and left me with a sore back, legs and feet for the rest of the day.

I was thinking "It looks like I might just make it the downslope...uhh mabey not...uhhh this is going to hurt *brace for impact* THUD, bounce thud.....yep that hurt....nothing broken...time for a rest...headed back to the pits"

Budd's Creek has a couple of similar table tops, though I seem to over jump them often as they have much more space before them and require that you slow down just prior to take off inorder not to over jump. The jump in the pic (hangtime SX track, NC) is about 3 bike lengths out of a tight left hand turn and it would be very difficult to over jump it. I've actually done all the budd's creek table tops on my KDX with stock suspension:)

Sunny State KDX · Jun 16, 2005

I'll trade an overshot flat landing or a short flat landing on a table top any day versus coming up short (and I not talking about a measly case it landing) on a 70 foot triple. Full on nose first into the face of the third jump. Broke every bone in my left wrist and still have limited mobility 12 years later and broke both bones in my right forearm. My left had a cool 45 degree angle going the wrong way and the right arm had that bitchin floppy effect LOL

bikepilot · Jun 17, 2005

Definately!!! I only do doubles/tripples if I know for sure I'm going to make it to the landing ramp, I'll take my chances with a table though, much more forgiving.

carlbielke · Jun 17, 2005

Weld it!

Just get it welded back together, it's not a big deal.
My '99 KX 250 also had a crack when I bought it in '03, it has been holding up just fine.
Some recommendations...
Try to have it MIG or TIG welded instead of stick welded, those welds hold up much better, and they don't heat up the surrounding metal as much.
Also the welds look a LOT more professional, specially if it's done by a good welder.
I've seen a lot of welded machinery break again, but it's almost always near the weld, never the weld itself.
That's because excessive heat tends to stress the surrounding metal.

Good luck!

19Brendan81 · Jun 19, 2005

Thanks Carl,
It was welded together and took some abuse last weekend...seemed to hold up just fine. The bike is rough as guts all round though, so I dont think it matters what it looks like so long as it stays together! Thanks Again everyone.

KX250 with Broken Frame

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