8 Best Type of Welding Motorcycle Frames|You Should Know

If you own a motorcycle, you’ve probably considered making some custom modifications to the frame. If you own a motorbike, the thought of making some custom adjustments to its frame has certainly crossed your mind, whether you are a fan of shows Like American Chopper, you may have dabbled with DIY welding or simply enjoy tinkering. The key is to choose the right sort of weld for the job.

What is the best type of welding for motorcycle frames? The most successful ways for welding motorcycle frames are a few different ones. These methods are known as gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). These welding procedures are suitable for joining the tubing that makes up a motorcycle frame.

While GMA and GTA are two of the best alternatives for motorcycle frames, a variety of procedures could be used depending on the project’s goals. Make sure you have the necessary equipment, workspace, and safety gear before making any custom changes to your chopper.

Consider These 8 Motorcycle Frame Welding Techniques

However, there are a few other options that may be more appropriate for your project. The next part goes into some of the most popular welding techniques and the skills required to master them.

1. MIG Welding (GMA)

MIG Welding is the most used method of welding (GMA). Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is another name for MIG welding, but MIG stands for metal inert gas and is the most often used word.

One of the most tempting elements of this welding procedure for do-it-yourselfers is that it is one of the easiest forms of welding and can be accomplished efficiently by beginners.

This is a simple method that involves shielding a certain type of filler metal from gas. The filler metal is protected from corrosion and other natural elements by the gas. This indicates that GMA isn’t the best form of weld for outdoor application. Because you’ll most likely be working on your bike in a garage or other shop, this shouldn’t be an issue.

After settling on a worksite and getting all of the frame sections ready to be welded together, the following breakdown explains how the GMA welding process works to unite the motorcycle frame tubing:

1. The welding apparatus feeds a spool of consumable wire through the welding torch’s wand.
2. The welding torch creates an arc, or heated flash, which melts the provided wire at the wand’s tip.
3. The filler metal, also known as melted wire, aids in the joining of the various elements of the motorcycle frame after being added to the base metal. As the wire is moved through the want, the welder can control the speed and produce beautiful, straight welds along the bike’s frame.

Due to their versatile and simple approach, GMA welding equipment is among the most popular and easiest to purchase on the market. Furthermore, GMA will properly join the tubes of your motorcycle frame regardless of the thickness of the metal you wish to deal with.

Finally, when it comes to motorcycle frames, the aesthetic appeal of the finished weld is one of the most important components of GMA welding.

 2. TIG Welding (GTAW)

TIG stands for tungsten inert gas welding, although it’s also known as gas tungsten arc welding or Heliarc (GTAW).

Because the GTA welding procedure for motorcycle frames uses no filler metal, it is extremely clean, leaving no unsightly spatter or conjoining lumps at the weld spot.

Your finished motorcycle will have a smooth, sleek frame, regardless of how many welds were required to join the tubes.

GTAW and GMA welding are both best done in a garage or shop. Because it is one of the few welding procedures that does not require a filler metal, the gas must be used to help forge the welds. As a result, an external tank is required to keep gas flowing during the GTAW welding process in order to protect the weld, and this gas must be contained and kept out of the environment.

Because welding without a filler metal is less intuitive and takes more experience, GTA welding has the disadvantage of being one of the most difficult welding methods to master. As a result, for those fresh to the world of custom choppers, it will be a more difficult option.

3. Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

This method of welding is quite similar to GMA’s. In fact, when working on the frame of your motorcycle, you might want to try both types of welds.

In the same way, as GMA welding uses a wire as an electrode, the filler metal is supplied via the welding torch’s wand. The filler metal melts at the wand’s tip, generating a puddle that fills the base metal.

The difference between GMA and FCAW is the supply of the protective gas that shelters the weld. Unlike GMAW, FCAW does not require an external gas supply since it has a flux core that can create its own shield around the weld.

FCAW is a type of high-heat welding that is best for thicker metals. This could be an excellent option if you’re using thicker metals on your chopper or want to combine large frame sections. GMA or GTA, on the other hand, would be preferable for smaller welds.

Another drawback of FCAW welding in the production of slag, demands extensive cleanup when the weld is completed. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain the clean, finished look you desire for your motorbike frame.

4. Stick (Shielded-Metal Arc Welding)

Stick welding is an old welding technology that has been improved and is still utilized to solve modern welding problems.

Despite the fact that it is not as advanced or precise as GMA or, more specifically, GTA, it is still a popular choice among welders and do-it-yourselfers due to its ease of use and low cost.

Despite its benefits for home customization, it has the drawback of being one of the messiest welding options available.

It can result in splatter, requiring lengthy cleanup and possibly preventing you from finishing the look of your motorcycle frame.

Follow the instructions below to see how to stick welding works:

1. Instead of a spool of wire being regularly supplied through the welding apparatus, a replacement electrode “stick” is hooked to the end of the flame. This stick functions as both an electrode and a filler metal.
2. An arc, or flash, is formed at the tip of the wand, which converts the stick into filler metal and introduces it to the base metal, establishing the weld.
3. “The stick is coated in flux, which creates a gas cloud that protects the metal from oxidation when heated.” While this is necessary for weld protection, the cooled gas settles on the weld and produces slag, requiring cleanup.

Stick welding has the added advantage of being able to be done outside without the requirement of an external gas supply. While working on your motorcycle’s frame outside is unlikely, stick welds may be done in extremely windy and rainy conditions if you did.

Stick welding also has the advantage of working well on dirty, rusted, and painted surfaces, making it a preferable option if you need a quick repair without worrying about aesthetics.

5. Laser Beam Welding

This is a newer sort of welding that may not be available to people who want to personalize motorcycle frames at home, but it can be a terrific option if given the chance.

As the name implies, laser beam welding employs a laser to generate heat. It can be used on a variety of materials, including titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon steel. It is often used in production plants since it can be mechanized utilizing robotics, exhibiting its usefulness in welding your motorcycle’s frame.

6. Plasma Arc Welding

Similar to GTAW, plasma arc welding uses a smaller arc to provide a more precise weld. It employs a very specialized torch capable of reaching tremendous temperatures.

In this method, gas is “pressurized inside the torch’s wand, creating plasma.” Iodizing the plasma forms an arc, or flash, which produces extremely high temperatures that can melt the base metal.

Because the base metal is heated to fuse with the conjoining metal, there is no need for a filler metal, which is another resemblance to GTAW.

This is an excellent process for narrow welds because it allows for deep penetration and, when combined with the lack of filler metal, results in some of the most aesthetically pleasing welds. Plasma arc welding produces highly strong welds while allowing for rapid welding.

While all of these characteristics appear to make this approach ideal for welding your motorcycle frame, the problem is that it is difficult to master, and the extraordinarily high temperatures of the ionized plasma make it one of the most dangerous welds available. As a result, unskilled welders are more likely to want to experiment with methods other than plasma arc welding.

7. Atomic Hydrogen Welding

Arc-atom welding was the old name for this type of high-temperature welding.

Hydrogen gas shields two tungsten-based electrodes. It is optional to use filler metal, however, it can reach extremely high temperatures.

Because GMAW and GTAW can be done at lower temperatures, they have effectively rendered atomic hydrogen welding useless in recent years. If you have atomic hydrogen welding equipment, you may be able to use it to repair your motorcycle frame, but if you don’t, you’ll need to look into other options.

8. Electroslag

Electroslag is a sort of advanced welding in which the vertical edges of two metal components are welded together. This welding is done on the margins of the metal components, rather than on the outside of base metal joints.

A copper electrode wire is used as the filler metal, and it is routed through a disposable metal guide tube. An arc is formed when electricity is introduced. The filler metal flows down the seam, starting at the bottom and working its way up, bringing the two surfaces together as a weld replaces the seam in the plates.

While electroslag welding is extremely precise, you are unlikely to have access to the necessary welding equipment, particularly if you are attempting to customize your motorcycle frame at home.

What Makes the GMA and GTA Welding Processes Ideal for Motorcycle Frames?

As you can see, when it comes to your motorcycle frame, there is a range of welding procedures to choose from. A variety of factors, including time, resources, and experience, are likely to impact the type of weld you use.

While many welding methods are similar, it is vital to undertake a thorough inquiry into the procedure you want to utilize and obtain a thorough understanding of the best practices for making that type of weld successful for your motorcycle frame.

While each welding procedure has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, GMA and GTA aren’t the only ways to join the tubes of your motorcycle frame. They are the most extensively used welding methods today for a multitude of reasons.

Why GMA?  

According to Miller Welds, “Gas metal arc welding is used at all stages of steel alloys and is successful with a range of materials.” It’s a simple approach that may be used to weld a variety of metals. It can be used with a wide range of materials of varying thicknesses.

GMA welding speeds are often quite high because welding wire is continuously fed into the wand.

Why GTA?

Despite being more difficult to master, GTA welding creates extremely clean welds, which is a desirable feature for motorcycle frames.

For the more experienced welder, GTA provides a high level of control and precision over the weld. It reduces melt through and warping, which are frequent in filler metal welding, increases fusion, and allows you to fuse thinner materials.

GTA welds not only look great, but they also weld all the way to the joint’s root, ensuring that not only does the finished product look great, but you can also be confident that the weld is incredibly robust.

What type of metal is used to construct motorcycle frames?

Before choosing a welding method and completing a weld, it’s critical to know what kind of base metal you’ll be working with.

Most big-ticket bike builders use DOM (drawn-over-mandrel) steel tubes for framing. “DOM” refers to high-strength, electrically welded tubing that has been cold drawn through dies and mandrels to improve uniformity, mechanical characteristics, and surface quality, according to the Steel Tubing Institute.

DOM tubing is perfect for challenging projects requiring strength, quality, soundness, and uniformity because it has superior inner and exterior dimension tolerances, generates no seams on ultra-clean finishes, and produces no seams. As a result, it’s a common material for dune buggy and motorbike frames.

Use These Best Practices Before Welding

Regardless of the welding process, you want to use, there are a few universal best practices that will help you produce the best possible result under the safest possible conditions:

• For the frame, make or buy a jig. This is a mount that allows you to place the frame where you want it for easy access. A jig will verify that the frame is welded as planned and fits exactly inside the design, in addition to offering a helping third hand when executing a weld.
• Throughout the setup, take your time. In addition to acquiring a jig, take the time to go through your entire welding setup before getting started. Before you light the torch, double-check that you know what you’re doing and have all of the necessary equipment.
• Make ensuring your safety a high priority. Read the owner’s instructions for the welding gear you intend to use, paying particular attention to the safety precautions. Make sure you have the right Helmet, long sleeves, closed shoes, and quality leather gloves before starting your welding technique. In addition, you should be in a well-ventilated area.
• Make yourself a schedule. It’s tempting to just go to town when you first start welding. Throughout the development of your frame, however, it is vital to keep to a schedule and ensure that you are well hydrated and slept at regular intervals.