cross member for side stand bracket

[Sull]

i have somevmanaged to bend the crossmember for the side stand bracket on my 97 standard does any one have an idea were i can find  or fabricate a replacement?

[gordonv]

You're in luck. It's been done. Not an item you can buy, but either the person who fixed one and documented the job.

BigBF. He's a top notch mechanic for the Valk. Here is the link for the pictures. No write up.

http://bigbf.com/bigbf_shop/crossmember_damaged/

[JimmyG]

Sull,  I fixed mine this past winter. It was bent pretty bad when I bought the bike, but I rode it that way for 4 years or more.
 It really is not that hard of a job to do. If you plan to tackle it, look at BigBF's picture book on it.   When you have questions, I'll be glad to help answer them.
  Just as a preview, once everything,(rear wheel, swingarm, etc.),  has been removed, measure carefully all clearances and then cut off the old one. Measure again after cleaning up the cuts. If you have a jig to keep the distance constant, it is just a matter of cutting the replacement the correct length, marking where the kickstand will be and boring the holes accurately, then welding the new one back in place.   I wound up using a solid piece of bar as a replacement. I think it would hold up the Titanic on that bar. Since my son is a master welder, he got it glued back in perfectly and everything is exactly where it should be. I can actually park it anywhere now and it leans over just right. Before it sat to upright and I had to be careful where I parked, or it would want to fall over.   Good luck, holler if I can assist. 

[Sull]

Jimmy G thanks and I will. Workaholics I was thinking the same thing how thick was the flat bar you used?

[JimmyG]

1/2 " thick and same width as the old material was.  Had to double check that.

[JimmyG]

Are you a good welder?

[Fazer]

I had a permanent lift adapter (like the one on eBay) on my bike that attached to the side stand support you are dealing with.  Bob Smith (Attic Rat) warned me that running with one of those on the bike can cause a bent frame if it gets hung up on anything.  Speed bumps can grab it.  I took mine off and now use the home made wood lift adapter.  Not as convenient but what Bob said makes sense.  Maybe one of those adapters was on your bike at some time.

[Paladin528]

The Valkyrie leans over pretty far and is a heavy machine.  Sitting on the bike with the stand down makes it worse.  It is a weak link.
The PO of my bike added a machined aluminium "foot" to the side stand that adds about 3/4 of an inch or more to the length of the side stand making the bike stand up better.  This places less stress on that member as well.  It also serves as a load spreader for gravel and hot pavement so I never need a puck.

[george223]

I had that happen to my bike a few years ago. I was going over a speed bump that had a slight depression on the other side. My kickstand bracket hit the speed bump and messed up the crossmember. I wasn't sure what to do and my bike ended up sitting idle for 2 years. I had to loosen the kickstand bracket bolts so it would stay upright in the garage but could not ride it like that. I was going to buy a frame off of Ebay when I ran into someone who owned a motorcycle salvage shop and said he could fix it.

So I stripped my bike down to the frame and brought it to his shop. He heated up the crossmember with an acetylene torch and was able to twist it back in to place. He then filled in all the imperfections with weld and made it look like new. I was so happy to get it back on the road. It wasn't something that I expected would happen. I'm careful about going over speedbumps now.

[9Ball]

Some have caused damage to the crossmember when putting the bike on a trailer.  The bike can essentially get “high centered” if the ramp angle is too steep.

Post some updates with pictures during the repair if possible.  Would be a good guide for future reference.

Good luck...