Shortening 2 piece maxim bars?

Ok so my idea is to cut a 3" section out of the aluminum "bars" and then TIG weld them back together with a nice blending of the weld so as not to see the weld joint. Basically keep stock look but 3" shorter and 1.5" narrower.... Any problems wuth this idea??

J

 

Are you doing the TIG welding yourself??

My advise is - when you're done, yank on them with all your strength.
If you can't break them, they'll hold up fine for riding.

 

Yes most likely I will weld them myself. They are around 3/4" thick @ bottom web. With proper prep and filler wire it should be more than enough strength @ the the weld joint...

I will also put them in a 450* preheated oven n allow them to cool back down slowly to help stress relief. When I actually weld it Ill prolly do it on the bike to make sure they are in the right position. I think with a little fitting of parts you could flip em over and use them like clubman bars...

Thanks!
Jay

 

I would not do it.

Those parts were probably cast and then heat treated. Welding will change them so that where its welded there is no heat treat and the farther you get from the weld the more the heat treat is retained. With some alloys the demarcation between the original heat treated condition and the welded condition is abrupt and brittle.

Also aluminum parts can not be designed to last forever like steel parts can. Probably the designer made some assumptions about how the part would be used and it is likely to have a lifespan that works for even the longest lived motorcycle without failure. Welding will change the circumstances and you can not count on the part to last anymore.

Without knowing the alloy and the heat treatment that the part recieved you are shooting in the dark and risking your life on a critical part in order to look cool. That is why I would not do it.