CRF 450 2017 Busted frame

[rob450thumper]

 

Hi guys

Just thought I would share pics regarding my 17 and where the frame has broken and something for fellow 17 & 18 model riders to keep an eye on.

The bike has 15 hrs on it mostly made up of desert race and 3 hrs of moto. I am a 50yr old intermediate week end rider. There has been no major hard cased landings, the linkages are tight and move freely so myself and a few others are not sure what happened at this point. I only saw this last night but the pics show whats happened.

Basically where the pull rods bolt onto the frame has busted on the kick start side. Im not bashing Honda as I have owned Hondas for 20 yrs and nothing like this has happened to me before but its a tad frustrating

I am working with some people hoping Honda will supply me a new frame [emoji53]

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by rob450thumper

[HRC27]

Probably because you put those blue hubs on it....J/K  I bet Honda does right by you. ?

Actually, I like those in blue.  Everyone who goes aftermarket goes w/red it seems. Nice to see something different. 

Edited November 8, 2017 by HRC27

[Eddie8v]

Did you ever disassemble the linkage at those frame mounts to grease the needles?

[HRC27]

4 minutes ago, Eddie8v said:

Did you ever disassemble the linkage at those frame mounts to grease the needles?

Good point.  Honda is hit or miss on the grease.

[rob450thumper]

Yes they had been greased up. My first thought was I had not put it back correctly. But after rechecking it everything seems as it should have been.

[Eddie8v]

Just now, rob450thumper said:

Yes they had been greased up. My first thought was I had not put it back correctly. But after rechecking it everything seems as it should have been.

As long as they were tightened to the correct torque without any parts missing when reassembled you should be good.  Disassemble them completely and look for ovalized holes.  If you see any evidence of slop, it's likely not a manufacturing error but loose linkage.

[rob450thumper]

In all honesty Ed i have never used a torque wrench on the suspension linkages and never had an issue. Will have a closer look but given that part of the frame that broke off is still tight in the lonkage pic I reckon its a frame issue.

[Eddie8v]

4 minutes ago, rob450thumper said:

In all honesty Ed i have never used a torque wrench on the suspension linkages and never had an issue. Will have a closer look but given that part of the frame that broke off is still tight in the lonkage pic I reckon its a frame issue.

I hear ya', but a failure there would be atypical as that's a pretty robust area.  You should bring it to a materials engineer that understands failure analysis and have him/her look for signs of material and/or mfg defects that may have lead to the failure.

[turbo dan]

That makes at least two different bikes that broke in the same exact place.  There is no way this is anything but a defect. 

I've never seen linkage mounts ripped off of any other bike.  Hell, I cased a jump hard enough to bend the upper shock mounting bolt on my 05 KX.  No frame damage there.  This should not happen under any circumstances.  The linkage mounts on the frame should be stronger than the linkage and the wheel/hub/spokes should blow up before anything else lets go.

I wonder if this is an issue with tolerances causing uneven loading of the linkage mounts.  If one is bearing the majority of the load, it will be overloaded and likely to fail.  That appears to be the case here.  I don't know what Honda was thinking to do away with the traditional design.  One bolt going through the entire pull rod with two big mounts on the frame prevents this from occurring.

[rob450thumper]

I hear ya', but a failure there would be atypical as that's a pretty robust area.  You should bring it to a materials engineer that understands failure analysis and have him/her look for signs of material and/or mfg defects that may have lead to the failure.

Right now I just want a new frame.
Honda can worry about the above.

[Eddie8v]

2 hours ago, rob450thumper said:

Right now I just want a new frame.
Honda can worry about the above.

Yep, but my guess is they'll perform their own eval before helping you with a brand new frame to be sure this didn't happen as the result of neglect, improper owner workmanship, vehicle accident, etc.  Or they'll ask you to bring it to a certified professional for said analysis.

[wingman111]

9 hours ago, turbo dan said:

That makes at least two different bikes that broke in the same exact place.  There is no way this is anything but a defect. 

I've never seen linkage mounts ripped off of any other bike.  Hell, I cased a jump hard enough to bend the upper shock mounting bolt on my 05 KX.  No frame damage there.  This should not happen under any circumstances.  The linkage mounts on the frame should be stronger than the linkage and the wheel/hub/spokes should blow up before anything else lets go.

I wonder if this is an issue with tolerances causing uneven loading of the linkage mounts.  If one is bearing the majority of the load, it will be overloaded and likely to fail.  That appears to be the case here.  I don't know what Honda was thinking to do away with the traditional design.  One bolt going through the entire pull rod with two big mounts on the frame prevents this from occurring.

Where is the other one you speak of turbo dan?

[needforspeed78]

Here is another one:

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/17-CRF-linkage-snapped,1326777

[Hoover388]

Yikes....this needs more exposure. Wad considering a leftover RX but this doesnt look good.

[Firestone]

We should keep an eye out for the new 250R as Dirt Rider claims it has a similar frame to the new 450.

[DRZRider07]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-10/kobe-steel-untraded-amid-deluge-of-sell-orders-on-data-scandal

This could be the problem. So I don't know if a new frame can be trusted or not? This is not a cool situation.

[hitman hart]

+ one 450rx in new zealand,we had to go out and get it after an enduro,it had done the same thing and made a real mess,low hours owned by a honda mechanic, he couldnt recall any big hits or case outs,it just let go...

i had photos but you couldnt see clearly,they are heavy things arent they!!!

[rob450thumper]

Yep, but my guess is they'll perform their own eval before helping you with a brand new frame to be sure this didn't happen as the result of neglect, improper owner workmanship, vehicle accident, etc.  Or they'll ask you to bring it to a certified professional for said analysis.

Honda Australia will be sending me a new frame. I do have to return my current frame once its swapped out.

[nesc103y]

maybe it's the picture but I'm not seeing the steel seal collar

 

Edited November 9, 2017 by nesc103y

[rob450thumper]

9 hours ago, nesc103y said:

maybe it's the picture but I'm not seeing the steel seal collar

 

I had a look on a parts exploded view and it doesn't list one only the dust seals