What metal to use for a motorcycle stand

Date 07-15-2003 15:30

Im trying to vision this apparatus...you could go up too 1 1/2-2 inch square stock. Use Mild Steel A36 with 7018 filler metal if you using stick. I would think that 1 inch square would be too small unless you had a lot of stiffners. Plus that small of tube usually has a thin wall and may be tough to weld up with out blowing through it.

just my 2CENTS

David

By DGXL

Date 07-15-2003 16:21

Carbon:
I've made several bike stands with 1 X 1 tubing. My first was with 0.035" wall tubing. It was kind of squirly for my old TT500, but it worked.

Made another using 1 X 1 X 0.065" for another bike (XR600) and it worked much better without all the flexure, particularly in the handle.

Made a saddle for my floor jack to lift my old Ninja 1000R. NICE.

All the above were GTAW. Minimal stiffners are required depending how it is designed.

Good luck and stay upright.

*Dave, the intent is to keep the weight down.

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 07-15-2003 17:26

I've used a saddle on a floor jack too and I thought it worked fine.
I've seen the lift/levers made from round tubing too, but it might be harder to fit up and weld than square tubing with four flat sides.
John Wright

By Carbon_Unit Date 07-16-2003 03:06

Hello Again,

Thanks for all the comments!

It's good to here some of you have experience in this area.

It sounds like the 1x1x0.065" tubing will work since it worked well for your XR600, DGXL. Plus my bike is only a 250cc.

I'm still in the design stage, and I have some wild ideas for using wheels and what not, but I'm not sure how fancy I want to get with it.

I'm not an expert at welding by any means, but I do like to do it when I need it. I've got a MIG welder at work that I use for a lot of stuff and I think it will be pretty convienient for this project too.

Would any old iron tubing work for this or is there a certain kind I should use for an application like this? DavidP66 mentioned A36 steel. I want to go as inexpensive as possible here, but still not having to worry about stress fractures and such.

Sorry about the book.

Thanks,

Carbon

By DavidP66 (*)

Date 07-16-2003 11:18

Yes, A36 steel.

Its a mild carbon structural steel. It is cheap.

By DGXL

Date 07-16-2003 14:58

Carbon:
The tubing is very cheap. The stuff I used came from the scrap piles at work. If you have it cut to length at a metal supplier, the cutting charges will cost more than the material itself. Some of the home Depot's sell short lengths (48").

Please note tubing comes in many different specifications. The specs. are too numerous to list. A 36 is a spec. for plate/shape materials.
A 500 (Gr. B) is used for structural applications but is not available in the size according to the ASTM.

C1015 and C1020 are the most common TS products in the size & shape your looking for, but it is not a big deal for this application. Easily welded by the GMAW process.

My only word of advice on the issue is make sure it is balanced correctly. You should be able to sit on the bike while it is on the stand without it tipping. A friend made one years back that looked really slick, but if a fly landed on the bars - it tended to roll forward. Guess who ruined their custom gas tank...

"Build it and you will ride"

By Carbon_Unit Date 07-20-2003 19:27

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!

This is all very great help!

I plan to make a pretty wide base on the thing as not to cause a roll. Thanks though.

One question though. I'm not a welder so I'm not sure of the lingo. What is the GMAW process?

Thanks again,

--Carbon

By flashburner1 (*)

Date 07-20-2003 22:50

Hi Carbon,
GMAW - Gas Metal Arc Welding, the same as the Mig (Metal Inert Gas) welder you use at work.
GTAW - Gas Tungsten Arc Welding - also referred to as Tig (Tungsten Inert Gas).
Welcome to the forum. There are alot of people here that know welding, professional inspectors, educators, welders, etc. It is a great place to get information.
Brian

By thepowerofblue (**)

Date 07-26-2003 23:54

The one I made for my Dirtbike is made out of carbon steel.It's really like a jack so just think of a jack but that's all I can help you.
John