welding question

If I use a stick welder to weld a spot on my bike will it cause any problems with the bike's electrical system?

 

Unhook and remove the battery. Unhook and remove the TCI and the Regulator.
Make damned sure that you have an adequate ground that is close to the weld. Use a welding blanket (if you have one) to keep splatter from getting to the rest of the bike. If you don't have a welding blanket you can use old bath towels that are sopping wet.

 

Spray the area near the weld with WD40, stops the spatter sticking.

 

Thanks. That all makes sense.

 

What "Spot" are you trying to weld? What is your previous welding experience? What type of rod are you going to use? Vertical, flat, horizontal or overhead?
Get some scrap of the same thickness and practise, practise, practise.

 

Or maybe practice.

 

I don't see how you could damage the bike's electrical by welding on the frame if the ground clamp is close to the weld spot. The 2 electrical systems are floating to each other.

 

Do you fancy a $400 gamble ?

 

here is a lesson in welding on vehicles with complicated electronics, I welded a floor patch in the back of an old bronco..... somehow i managed to fry the distributor pickup. and the welding and ground clamp was 8+ feet away from the engine.



just do yourself a favor and disconnect your sensitive electronics, including the battery

 

I would even go so far as to disconnect the ground straps between the motor and the frame to hopefully isolate the alternator stator and anything that is engine case-grounded.

A couple of years ago I had to have my centerstand mounting ears welded back into position; a friend of mine did it and we used a wire welder.

I disconnected the battery, uplugged the TCI and the reg/rec harness and undid the engine ground straps and nothing suffered any ill effects.

 

what do the ground straps do that the motor mount bolts don't

 

The motor mount bolts are rubber-isolated otherwise why do they bother with ground straps?

I shared the precautions I took when having welding done on my frame, and the fact that I had no problems afterward. Maybe it was "overkill" I honestly can't say; but nothing got damaged in the process.

Oh, and we shoved a hunk of cardboard between the back of the motor and the frame to keep any possible "spatter" or anything else away from the cases.

 

The exhaust system is connected from the motor to the frame.