Question for RD04 Hepco Becker owners (Whealie?)

[Whealie]

Just a quick bump to see if anyone else who might not have seen this had any advice about the strength of these welds vs the unwelded pipe before I fit them and risk it with heavy boxes.

Still not sure if I should be sending these back and asking for them to be changed.

Did you ever get a chance to have a look at your bike whealie?

I don't need photos, but it'd set my mind at rest to know that I'm not alone and other hepco becker racks are like this (particularly ones that have been ridden offroad like yours).

Sorry Zen, got overtaken by events with my nephew dying.

Hope to get out to the garage tonight so will take photos.

[Zenarchy]

Sorry Zen, got overtaken by events with my nephew dying.

Hope to get out to the garage tonight so will take photos.

I'm really sorry to hear about that mate. If I'd known I wouldn't have been bothering you (sorry about that). Seriously don't worry about photos of the bars - I can see you've got far more important things to be concerned with than a stupid weld on a bit of tube at the moment.

Hope you're OK and your family coping OK.

[Zenarchy]

I think they will all be manufactured the same.

the tube on the other side is joined below the gusset.

wherever there is a weld there is potentially a weak point, due to heat affected zones etc. this is lessened by various heat treatment/annealing processes for critical applications.

if they had carefully ground the weld off it would be barely noticeable but would be weaker.

Bottom line; . . . its not how i would have done it, . . . . but i can't see it being a problem.

if your still concerned contact the supplier/manufacturer.

Thanks for your help . I dropped hepco becker a line and they say it's because there's an inner tube to strengthen the tube in that place and the weld there is to stop it rattling around inside. Seems a bit odd when there isn't a weld in that place on the other side, but I think I'll fit them and see how they go. I'm probably worrying over nothing by the sounds of it.

[Farmboy]

just checked mine and there is no weld there.

Cant imagine it being an issue though, If your ever in the situation where they break the chances are the last thing on your mind at the time will be your weld line

[Zenarchy]

Thanks mate. I was thinking it was a load of balls that it was a design feature (couldn't see it on any of the photos of them myself online either - unless it's something new they've started doing but I haven't read any reports of people saying there's tube rattling around inside so can't think why they've needed to start that).

I'm gonna keep them and hope for the best anyway (assuming they actually fit OK - still haven't got around to that yet as work keeps getting in the way). All the rest of the mounting hardware seems really sturdy (probably more than it needs to be) so hopefully that'll prevent any problems if I drop it or with vibration etc.

Are you back home already? Did you come back early, or has the time just flown by that quickly (if it has it's frightening! - I feel my summer slipping away from me )

[Farmboy]

back a bit early due to the bike turning into one cylinder a long way from home,

It made it back though as did I so everythings good

[Jacqueslemac]

Not close ups, but do they help?:

[Zenarchy]

back a bit early due to the bike turning into one cylinder a long way from home,

It made it back though as did I so everythings good

Ah..man..Sorry to hear you had to cut your trip short. At least you got back OK. Hope the bike's OK and it's nothing too serious.

I'll be keeping an eye out for your ride report

[Zenarchy]

Not close ups, but do they help?:

Thanks Jaques. They're the propper honda bars so are slightly different from the stock hepco beckers (your bars seem better to me infact in a few areas - in an ideal world I would have got some exactly like yours but they seem very rare and I gave up looking). They don't seem to be welded where mine are either (though as I say, they're slightly different in other ways too so this might be to be expected).

Those photos might be really handy when it comes to fitting mine however as the mounting points etc. look the same and the design is still quite close

[Jacqueslemac]

I bought mine secondhand from eBay in Germany (thanks to a tip off from one of our Germany-based friends) a couple of years ago, so don't know how old they are.

Here's a few more photos in no particular order:










And one more of the finished article (you might be able to make out Stonehenge in the background):