1098 Ridiculous Bad Luck...

What a freaky thing to happen

Maybe I've missed something but can a good TiG welder not just sort this easily for you? ie Weld the broken tabs back on perfectly? For a decent experienced welder that would be a piece of cake and the repair may not even be visible if he know his stuff, which the serious guys really do.

 

Ricky TiG welding is a very localised/contained heat process and I'd imagine the welder would do it with everything in situ to ensure correct alignment. I'd certainly be looking into it if they were my (lovely!) forks. Spectacular results are possible for a pro almost regardless of the materials. JSYK!

 

Excellent news Richard, look forward to seeing the finished article.
As it's hidden behind the mudguard, probably not even noticeable.
Interested in the trackday on 15th, presumably at Brands? Just messaged Vince for more info.

 

Shit what bad luck! I'd be as gutted as you doubtless are. As others have said, maybe a really experienced Tig welder can repair the damage or you could source some new fork bottoms. Whatever happens I wish you better luck.

 

I have ' break's bolts on my cycles where the rear mech fixes to frame. So in a tumble the bolt breaks; not the frame! As mech can bend frame where it's fixed to rear triangle. Maybe search out some for the mud guard?

 

Must admit if it were me I'd be getting new lowers for um! Especially how rare the forks are ,I'd want them new again.

 

Not all Ducati design is good, the repair will offer a good structural solution, the welding may well cause shrinkage, and deformation (due to the longitudinal direction of the required weld,) which will make very hard to retread calliper brackets after repair , if welded in place, could require brackets to be split to remove them, best solution is separate clamps and with mount arms, design of current repair should stop front guard rotating forward around wheel and grabbing wheel? after that accident, I would not buy those calliper brackets again. i would find a safer solution, as in repair or separate mounts, as is found on ducati racing forks the front guard brackets are replaceable.

 

Those forks are of the Desmo (MotoGP replica) the forks aren't exactly a cheap replacement item and I doubt the bottoms are £100 replacement jobs.

 

WELDING THE TABS ON, IS NOT A PROBLEM, because the run only involves the small area of the tab cross-section
But that repair is most likely to be less strong than when the original tabs failed initially? the weld-section usually is regarded as having reduced section properties compared to the unwelded section; a perfect bracket has failed from a not unusual cause?
Now look at the geometry?? if the front guard had continue to rotate in the direction of forward wheel rotation; the guard would lock the wheel, or explode, or force the bike to perform a uncontrolled face-plant stoppy!!
I have seen the photos,
1) I think the guard should fail first and not break the mounts,
2) as the wheel rotation increases the centrifugal force increases and the stone is more likely to be flung off and not damage the guard and brackets
3) Race bikes with sticky (on heat) tires dont blow their guards up with every stone hit?
4) the standard bracket looks deficient, has failed, and after welding,is more likely to fail
5) the proposed modification looks better, stronger?
6)But the weld position as required on the required modification is likely to shrink, deform the socket for the lower tube? which raises the question of how much heat is required tio place the large welds, I do fea simulations, and believe me that bracket was allways going to fail at that point because of the direction of the load and the stress concentration occuring at the apex of the L shaped bracket
6) The stone entered the guard from the other end, (engine facing) side of the guard, witness marks tend to show the stone was trapped between the guard and tire to prior to bracket failure. Accounting for tyre growth at high wheel speed, it might be useful to ensure the gap is smaller at the rear gap and bigger it the front gap? There is very little damage to the guard, which suggest the bottom caliper front guard mounts are already weak?
If you repair the mounts would be a good idea to add a weld gusset on the inside apex of the L shaped mounting bracket? I am only trying to help you make your own decisions, by only trying to illustrate the risks? This was mostly just bad luck, but has illuminated how this assembly fails when a stone ends up in the wrong place, ask Ducati to replace the brackets and take your chances, which is what we do every time we ride?

 

Sorry, I see now, no welds? only residual problem is that all the guard loads are transferred into half the total section and only two bolts; advantage, if you now break the remaining brackets at least the guard wont "clamp" the wheel after failure?
your design is very smart, an improvement on Ducati if you weld it?
geometry is smart with only two bolts, but only one lug left on each side?
Yes the alloy is toy cap-gun this is a brittle fracture, that's why all genuine race bottoms are produced by CNC methods not cast;
which suggest that the D16 clamps are die-cast for cost and i doubt are race spec, for any reason other than to sell D16s

 

Ducati MS?

 

hope i have helped Breakout

 

see those cunning guys made a very simple bracket without a clamp, and used a fairing cilp for a thread? that would be stronger, but have to strip the forks to place it, get some laser cut out of.....some of your aircraft sheet then is no compromise better than Ducati and no capgun cheese involved in the stress chain, and never think about again because next time it wont be a pissy bracket failure and will be safer.
Nice to meet you, you a thinker soon as i saw your design, I knew; like to be a friend with you: because together we can do some good things to our bikes

 

I have done similar in the past but thankfully the plastic has been weaker than the fork bottom.

I'd be on the lookout for so damaged forks, may be bent to bigger but bottoms ok.