Crack in foot rest support on 2015 ST-L - importance of replacing?

[Columbia]

On a trip to the Oregon coast a short while ago, stopped in Eugene for gas and rode across a parking lot with a few bumps/dips. Nothing significant. Low speed.

Crack sound was from a crack in an aluminum piece, #375 in the attached schematic from a parts store. Crack is visible as a wavery white line in the other two photos.

I thought I'd bottomed out, but saw no sign of same. Kept riding, noticed the crack that night. Kept riding since it's not the bike's frame, but a mounting piece for footrests which is attached to the frame.

Question: With the crack where it is, how important is it that I replace the aluminum piece? It hasn't moved or wobbled, neither have the foot rests attached to it. It's sort of resting on itself, the rearmost portion against the front-most, on an angle that keeps things in place.

Thoughts, Ladies and Gentlemen?

(Part availability is sketchy. One place which does say it's in stock says $350.00)

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Never know what we're gonna find on here.

Has the crack completely travelled all the way from one side to the other, yet? It doesn't look like it from the pics. If not, then the first thing that I would do, because it is questionable just how soon you'll be able to replace / repair that, is to stop drill that crack. Because, if the crack continues to propagate and that aluminum piece cracks into two separate pieces, then the rear piece that supports the passenger footrest will only be held on by that one bolt all the way in the rear corner. Good chance that it could rotate down and contact the road surface. If it's already cracked into two separate pieces, then I guess that won't be necessary.

With a piece of aluminum that thick, and a crack that wide, maybe use a 1/4" drill bit. Maybe any A&P mechanics on here might have more input on that. Align the hole so that the crack is just entering the area of the hole that you're drilling. The idea is that drilling the hole will relieve the stress - whatever stress is left - and stop the crack from spreading. That would buy you time to find a replacement or remove it and repair it from the back side.

And yeah, At this point, I don't trust those sites when they say that it is in stock...not for a new one, anyway. You might have better luck on a salvage one or getting that one repaired. Good Luck.

[Bfromla]

Discontinued list at that if possible to verify (place hand on part b4 payment) ya would get replace & then damaged piece finding a weld shop or something that would possibly take longer without the down time. Aluminum rarely cracks in just one spot & how cracked if didn’t bottom out on that side very well might been manufactured defect if any warranty to speak of, or your relation with dealer hopefully other years fit

[Woodaddict]

that really unusual. i just took apart brake side plate after semi retread broke off my floorboard. you have 3 bolts going thru main boss, 2 vertical and 1 horizontal. then 2 more farther back past passenger floorboard, so the crack in in between 2 secure areas, which could make it move. you need a new one or take it off and drill some flat plates on back side with bolts holding both pcs together. to get off remove all plastic surrounding this big plate.
mine is chrome, i looked on a site, came up with $730, of course right side has more machining done cause of extra brake components

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Never know what we're gonna find on here.

Has the crack completely travelled all the way from one side to the other, yet? It doesn't look like it from the pics. If not, then the first thing that I would do, because it is questionable just how soon you'll be able to replace / repair that, is to stop drill that crack. Because, if the crack continues to propagate and that aluminum piece cracks into two separate pieces, then the rear piece that supports the passenger footrest will only be held on by that one bolt all the way in the rear corner. Good chance that it could rotate down and contact the road surface. If it's already cracked into two separate pieces, then I guess that won't be necessary.

With a piece of aluminum that thick, and a crack that wide, maybe use a 1/4" drill bit. Maybe any A&P mechanics on here might have more input on that. Align the hole so that the crack is just entering the area of the hole that you're drilling. The idea is that drilling the hole will relieve the stress - whatever stress is left - and stop the crack from spreading. That would buy you time to find a replacement or remove it and repair it from the back side.

And yeah, At this point, I don't trust those sites when they say that it is in stock...not for a new one, anyway. You might have better luck on a salvage one or getting that one repaired. Good Luck.

...Mostly ..... I would use a 1/8 bit, and if you can't see the other side with a mirror ( on a stick ) assume it goes all the way through ..... I doubt this metal is Aluminum, it is way to hard to form. It is more likely the metal that BRP uses in the ( failure prone ) windshield arm ..... If it were me I would get some JB weld ( not the 4 min. cure type ) Clean out the crack with solvent and pressure blow the solvent out .... let dry ( ie. use heat ) then force the JB weld into the crack and let sit for 24 hrs. ... sand and then paint ..... good luck .... Mike

[Isopedella]

I would investigate further. Pull all the panels off and look for damage to the frame. Thinking maybe something flexed, like the frame causing it to fail.

With regard to a repair, I would take it in somewhere and get it welded or locate a new part.

[SpyderDK]

I'm with YOU, BK, that's some great advice and would fix on the right $$'s . JB WELD HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND WOULD FIX THIS ISSUE FOR SAME,
Good Luck COLUMBIA, from a fellow Oregonian

[Columbia]

Thanks for all the feedback. Most of it I understood; some less clear.

I plan to take it to my local 'cycle shop today or tomorrow and get the opinion of a former CanAm mechanic.

it is an odd break. I suspect a poorly manufactured part, but material science is not my area of training or education. A mystery.

I wondered if perhaps it wasn't aluminum; thanks for confirming that it may not be. But it may still be! Another mystery.

A more mechanically-inclined friend has offered to drive 4.5 hours to give me a hand. I have good friends. His advice is remove it, see if there's a competent welder in the area and ask if it's "weldable."

Thank you, all of you, for your ideas and suggestions. Keep 'em coming.

[Woodaddict]

with that part off my machine, i can confirm it's a cast stainless steel or cast pot metal.

[Isopedella]

My burning question is why did it crack. I assume it was bolted up to the chassis and can only think that the chassis flexed. Dunno.

[Mikey]

I would give that frame a good look at! Granted, pot metal if finicky, can be welded but I would not trust it! New part would be my choice! If there's no structural factor to that plate then the JB weld would work also!! Good luck anyway!!!

[Columbia]

Gentlemen and Ladies

Again: thank you for your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks for confirming it's not aluminum.

The fracture is not yet top to bottom; there's approximately 30% yet unbroken, rough estimate. A stress relief drilling job might be in order (thanks for that tip. Upon reading up on the subject it appears like a perhaps beneficial treatment.)

I wonder how it happened as well and would hate to do a fix of some sort only to miss the cause and have the fun of doing it again.

I was riding solo, but the bike was well-loaded. Two Givi 35 liter side cases and a Givi 52 liter top box.

The top box had lighter weight stuff in it: sleeping bag, clothes; nothing heavy like stove fuel.

The left side case held the "kitchen," i.e. all things cooking except for fuel. Right side case held white gas, (less than a liter,) CPAP machine, miscellaneous small items.

Strapped on the passenger seat (insert advertising for Rok Straps here) was tent, sleeping mat and collapsible aluminum camp chair.

(Less weight than my wife by a long measure. Less total weight than a long trip she and I took last fall.)

(I didn't weigh anything so I don't know precisely how much load was in panniers, top case and on rear seat.)

Did the weight stress the frame, and so a small bump at low speed torque the frame sufficient to crack this piece? (I certainly hit larger bumps at speed on the highway earlier that day doing no harm)

Does CanAm and its mother company tend to use materials of questionable ancestry? I refer to the "pot metal," of which this piece might be made. Might that be the sole reason for this fracture: less than quality material?

My mechanic encouraged me to repair the piece, saying welding is the best option; a metal plate screwed in on the back side is second. If the latter, I'd get a piece of steel plate a fair bit longer than the immediate area around the crack, tap some holes in the broken piece of mystery metal, and use JB Weld plus the steel plate + bolts to hold things together on the back side.

Comments? Questions? (Gentle) remarks about what I failed to consider? This type of work isn't my strength, but I'm not at all afraid to give it a try and see how I do. Not locating the part anywhere on the interwebs does give me pause, however.

At the risk of sounding redundant again (!): Thanks to all of you!

Steve

[Columbia]

Another thought: The fractured piece isn't part of the frame; it's bolted to the frame.
It IS stressed a bit, however: Rider and passenger foot pegs/platforms both bolt to the fractured piece. So when I mount the bike my full 192 pounds + boots/clothing/lunch is going onto ONE foot platform.

And questions: What should I look for to determine if the frame is tweaked? Is that something only the dealer can do?

[Woodaddict]

one thing to check. there are 2 bolts above passenger floorboard that could have came out that might of helped the crack spread. that schematic doesn't show both. they bolt thru plate into frame or frame brace
its possible if vibrated out, the only thing holding plate to frame is on that main boss, that road vibration could have started that crack without proper holding on last half of plate. thats a long shot tho, to have 2 bolts ( 6mm or 8mm) get loose

[Columbia]

Well, it's Friday afternoon and the dealer in Bend just sent me an email saying the part has come in.

I saw the same part on fleabay, and clicked "Watch." Then I ordered from the dealer. Then the fleabay dealer said he or she would give me a discount. Lesson learned: let fleabay work a few days before ordering from dealer.

It's only money, right?

I've been reading the factory manual and scoping out info here and on YouTube. The wife is leaving to visit family next week, so I'll have uninterrupted time to pull the body panels, remove the luggage rack etc etc before getting to the broken piece.

My floor jack died a year or so ago, so I've no way to raise the bike. Do you-all advise elevating it any? Would a 4x6 under the left and rear tires make a significant difference in getting to the piece?

I used to do as much wrenching as I could on all my vehicles. Now my body yells at me getting down and up, muscles are thinning out along with my hair, but I'm going to tackle this job and learn a bit more about the Spyder's Tupperware and its removal.

A couple of you suggested I check out the frame for any damage. Not sure how I'll be able to do that, apart from a cursory glance. Ideas, anyone?

I've never done any tapping, so I intend to get a piece of steel sufficient to bridge the crack and, after applying a judicious layer of JB Weld, tapping the broken piece for six or so 8mm bolts attaching the plate to the cracked piece. Learning still, I hope.

Grateful for you who took the time to offer ideas and suggestions.

Steve

[Woodaddict]

You said about ordering part from dealer, then talking about fixing cracked piece?? I took my footrest support off from tires just being on floor. But if you want to raise Spyder up some, run front wheels up on car ramps. Then jack up rear with jack and place hardwood between jack and rear shock bolt pivot, pump up, then place a 6" x 6" block of wood under rear tire, let down. Well, thats what makes mine level to do oil changes. I have the newer fiberglass / plastic ramps, a 6 x 6 makes it level. Yes, it works for all my oil changes.
One person even used 3 ramps backwards, and ran Spyder up using all 3 at one time

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Well, it's Friday afternoon and the dealer in Bend just sent me an email saying the part has come in.

I saw the same part on fleabay, and clicked "Watch." Then I ordered from the dealer. Then the fleabay dealer said he or she would give me a discount. Lesson learned: let fleabay work a few days before ordering from dealer.

It's only money, right?

I've been reading the factory manual and scoping out info here and on YouTube. The wife is leaving to visit family next week, so I'll have uninterrupted time to pull the body panels, remove the luggage rack etc etc before getting to the broken piece.

My floor jack died a year or so ago, so I've no way to raise the bike. Do you-all advise elevating it any? Would a 4x6 under the left and rear tires make a significant difference in getting to the piece?

I used to do as much wrenching as I could on all my vehicles. Now my body yells at me getting down and up, muscles are thinning out along with my hair, but I'm going to tackle this job and learn a bit more about the Spyder's Tupperware and its removal.

A couple of you suggested I check out the frame for any damage. Not sure how I'll be able to do that, apart from a cursory glance. Ideas, anyone?

I've never done any tapping, so I intend to get a piece of steel sufficient to bridge the crack and, after applying a judicious layer of JB Weld, tapping the broken piece for six or so 8mm bolts attaching the plate to the cracked piece. Learning still, I hope.

Grateful for you who took the time to offer ideas and suggestions.

Steve

Check the fliud level in that Jack ..... Mike

[Columbia]

Fluid level was correct. It had a structural break.
I'm attempting to "fix" the broken piece as an opportunity to learn how to tap metal. I guess it might become a spare, but I don't have space to store it and it'll never be quite right, at least in my mind.

[Columbia]

An update

Two body panels to go back on and the Brand New Fresh From BRP in Quebec footrest holder replacement piece will be in.

Had plenty of troubles, of course. Factory manuals aren't written by people who use a factory manual!

Raised a problem along the way here on the forum and received both ideas and encouragement.

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. Job is essentially finished and all's well.

[Bfromla]

An update

Two body panels to go back on and the Brand New Fresh From BRP in Quebec footrest holder replacement piece will be in.

Had plenty of troubles, of course. Factory manuals aren't written by people who use a factory manual!

Raised a problem along the way here on the forum and received both ideas and encouragement.

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. Job is essentially finished and all's well.

Just in time for a final ride before hibernation something mine will probably not get hopefully fix before end of year.

[Mikey]

on the fix!! I will say after reading what you had packed on that bike before the crack appeared, I would have loved seeing a picture of all of that on her back, it must of been a site!!

[Columbia]

Actually, it wasn't that bad a load. My tent+poles+chair aren't too bad. No "Beverly hillbillies" look to it. I recently acquired a 66 liter waterproof duffel, roll top made of PVC cloth to hold all that stuff so one bag rests on the passenger seat instead of three. Two 35 liter side cases, which came on the ST Ltd, a 52 liter topcase, the frunk and the duffel: about as streamlined as I can get and still say I'm camping in a modicum of comfort.