My guess is that the fluid is from the plating process bathe or trapped water that has created corrosion on the ID of the tubeLooks like there is an inner tube to reinforce the fabrication at the stress point!

 

quote:Originally posted by AlanH

My guess is that the fluid is from the plating process bathe or trapped water that has created corrosion on the ID of the tubeLooks like there is an inner tube to reinforce the fabrication at the stress point!
This wouldn't have caused the crack would it? I'm guessing vibes. The inner tube didn't seem to have the same diameter as the outer part. A little smaller.

 

Never seen that before. I'm quite concerned, as this is the same sissy bar I have.

 

quote:Originally posted by RaySDF250

Never seen that before. I'm quite concerned, as this is the same sissy bar I have.
What sux is I bought it March 1st, haven't even had anybody ride on the back yet. My wife hasn't built up the courage yet. Nobody has leaned against it. Hate to think, what if....? But, that's why I'm asking if it's happened to anyone else. Seem a lot more people got this sissy before I did. That's what I'm curious about.

 

Doesn't copper colored fluid mean rusting. And just because you bought in in March doesn't mean that it was made in March. It could have been made two years ago. I'm kind of with Alan; corrosion coupled with thinner walled material, and the vibes this beast makes, could make it crack. Plus, it doesn't help that design is already a weak one. Every bit of the stress is focused right on that one joint. I can't say much though, I built one that copied the same sissy bar, but I did build it out of 1/2" solid round bar, so it's just a tad more heavy duty.

 

whoaaa, mine cracked just the same way. i noticed as i was getting ready to go on a pretty long ride with my wife riding on back. ran over to the shop and welded it so she would not fall off (very bad to loose wife off back!). i called mc and they were nice, but more worried about whether it was still in warranty than that their stuff was breaking (breaking stuff in or out of warranty would certainly get special attention around my world). they offered to fix (not replace) it, but because i had painted it, i decided to fix it my self. i added some solid bars and will post a pic later when i get to the shop.

as has been said earlier, i suspect that this is just an "poor" design in the engineering sense, with too much stress and vibration being concentrated on a very small and brittle area of hollow (thin), welded (heat brittle), chromed (chemical brittle) material.

 

That looks like a defect to me, no penetration on the upper piec, very poor welding. It should be built with the knowledge that its for Vtwin and designed to withstand normal usage. As new as it is, If they don't make it good I'ld be surprised. I'm sure lots of people here will be awaiting the outcome on this one! Good Luck!

 

Hasn't even been on the bike.. and teh wife hasn't leaned on it yet..

Yeah, I think I'll stay away from this one...

Glad to know that you found teh crack/break BEFORE your ride rather than DURING...

 

Yikes![:0] I've got the same backrest. The copper colored "fluid" definitely sounds like rusty water. I wonder how the heck any water could get in there???

I can however say that I did lay my bike down last fall, and the backrest took a serious hit. Ended up getting it replaced because it got all scuffed up, but that was it...no cracks. Maybe simply a few of these went out defective...who knows. M/C Enterprise should seriously take a look into this. It's definitely a safety hazard.

 

Dang i got that one too ,im gonna have to keep an eye on that,thanks for letting us know.

 

Yikes!!! I am not sure if the wife is on today but she follows my threads. I will keep an eye on this part closely, Thanks

 

I am on and I am now skeered! With my stock 'hard' seat, I use that bar to move around sometimes - now what?? hmmm..new seat?? /emoticons/emotion-1.gif

 

quote:Originally posted by DeathStar
......I'm guessing vibes. The inner tube didn't seem to have the same diameter as the outer part. A little smaller.


Not to flame you too much, but the inner tube is inside the outer tube. I don't think it would fit in there very well if they were the same diameter......[/emoticons/emotion-4.gif]

 

Seriously though, I'd say your crack was cause by the vibrations, but the brittle material allowed it to happen. It's pretty obvious that load had nothing to do with it, otherwise something would be bent. It also seems really odd the way it broke like that. If it was just because of brittle material & vibration, I would expect to see it crack at the weld around the brace bar (the back end of the horizontal piece), not around the upward portion. That's not even a weld seam around that is it?

That sure does look like rust in there, but judging by the looks of the broken end, I'd say that didn't contribute to your break.

Am I the only one who thinks it strange that they would construct this thing with another bar in the center like that? That's just weird.

 

the contact info for mc is as follows

http://www.mcenterprisesusa.com/contact.html

this is a picture of the support bars that we welded on the sissy bar to keep the wife firmly attached to the bike. (the 4" diagonal bars are the ones that we added)

Insert Image:

55.68KB

note the location of the radiator overflow bottle on the back of the sissy bar.

 

quote:Originally posted by bugei

note the location of the radiator overflow bottle on the back of the sissy bar.


Nice......[/emoticons/emotion-2.gif]

 

quote:Originally posted by ridingrules

quote:Originally posted by DeathStar
......I'm guessing vibes. The inner tube didn't seem to have the same diameter as the outer part. A little smaller.


Not to flame you too much, but the inner tube is inside the outer tube. I don't think it would fit in there very well if they were the same diameter......[/emoticons/emotion-4.gif]
You punk!! [/emoticons/emotion-2.gif] LOL!! What I meant, it wasn't a snug fit! The INNER TUBE you'd think would fit flush with the inside of the OUTER TUBE! It wasn't flush! Go ahead and now make fun that I said flush! He said "flush"!! Butthead! [/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif] LOL!

 

So, I called M/C Ent this morning before I shipped and told them of the copper fluid. Confused the lady Teri who deals with returns. I informed her I was a rswarrior member and there were some other members with this sissy who were concerned and we'd like a reason. She called back!! [:0] She informed me when they are done welding they then dip it in the plating and then polish. The fabriction guys informed her that if there is the smallest hole after welding and they dip it in the plating, some of the fluid can get in and then seal itself. Other times she said people could see it "oozing" out. She said this would be a defect and could ruin the integrety of the bar. She informed me without seeing it yet that they are sending me a new one and they'll make sure it's good. How they can do that, I don't know? But, great customer service so far from M/C Ent!! [/emoticons/emotion-1.gif]

 

I've the same sissy bar. Glad to know they stand behind their product and seem so interested in finding/fixing the problem.

 

I have the same bar. I use the Tombstone back rest bag on it so if it breaks it will be me that falss off[:0], I think I will go out and check it over! Nice to hear about their customer service![/emoticons/emotion-1.gif] Thanks and good luck.

 

That sux! Personally I won't buy any M/C enterprise products. I've put on a set of heel/toe shifter with long floorboards on my buddy's volusia and took them back off a few hours later. Craftmanship isn't top notch IMO

 

The sissy I made out of solid aluminum cracked and broke twice due to the vibrations. Both times I gusseted it thinking that it would make it strong enough. I think it is now, but I wish I had make it out of steel instead. I am surprised that they didn't make them out of solid. I guarantee that all of yours will break at some point in time.

As you can see in the pic, the first modification of the original is the V shaped extension. Originally it didn't have this and it
cracked and broke at fender stay mount. The next summer it cracked just above where it was welded at the point were it meets the upright. So I made and welded to two curved gussets from the V to the upright. I think it is much stronger, but with all that vibration, I am expecting it to fail again. I had a full load on the way to a from BO BASH II, and it held up with out a crack or bend, so we'll see.....





Insert Image:

86.61KB


Insert Image:

58.6KB

 

I've used mine (04+ model) for over a year and no problems. Before, I had a (02-03 model) with no defects. Works fine with the wife and all. I think this is an isolated thing going on here.

 

Are ya'll sure you arent just riding some BIG 'OL girls on your bikes? LOL. Those sissy bars aren't made to support but so much weight. [/emoticons/emotion-5.gif]

 

Now here's customer service:Check this thread out: [/emoticons/emotion-2.gif]
http://www.rswarrior.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39730