Rear Loop Sag

I started working on the bike again. '73 850. I was checking the frame in anticipation of painting, and the rear loop is sagging quite a bit. I searched the prev. posts, but my ADD kicked in and I had to just ask.

Anyone ever cut the rear loop off and welded in a smaller OD tube, or rod to make that that nice and rigid? I was reading about folks going to bend it back, and I think that would last until the third passenger ride over a speed bump. I have known this to be done on old British car square tube frames in restorations, adds a bit of weight, but these are a bit under designed anyway.

Antone have a thoughts, or, more likely, point me to an old post? Thank you in advance.

Yep Sir RW the rear loop is so useful its worth a few more oz's to make it more robust. I got my loop back in line by raising frame to about shoulder height and smacking down on the loop on concert floor with a few layers of carpet of course. Once lined up slice off about an inch.5 from frame and put a solid pin at least 6" long. Fiddle and grind pin to mostly slip in almost fully with some hammering home before the weld. I had 2 small-ish holes drilled in the frame tube near ends of the pin to spot weld in and around the slice then grind to suit. I'd say just the pin back up allows 150 lb no problemo on smoothish paths. i'd carried two 50# feed sacks and two 24 can beer cases a number of times. I want my Peel to be a heavy hualer over rough stuff so used a carpenter square to add gussett a few more inches beyond the pins. Even so to carry wheelie inducing loads, while I do, nothing is going to prevent tail droop but struts from the Z plates.

Yep Sir RW the rear loop is so useful its worth a few more oz's to make it more robust. I got my loop back in line by raising frame to about shoulder height and smacking down on the loop on concert floor with a few layers of carpet of course. Once lined up slice off about an inch.5 from frame and put a solid pin at least 6" long. Fiddle and grind pin to mostly slip in almost fully with some hammering home before the weld. I had 2 small-ish holes drilled in the frame tube near ends of the pin to spot weld in and around the slice then grind to suit. I'd say just the pin back up allows 150 lb no problemo on smoothish paths. i'd carried two 50# feed sacks and two 24 can beer cases a number of times. I want my Peel to be a heavy hualer over rough stuff so used a carpenter square to add gussett a few more inches beyond the pins. Even so to carry wheelie inducing loads, while I do, nothing is going to prevent tail droop but struts from the Z plates. Those can be used for big hard bag mounts too though. I've carried whole over haul tool kit in bags plus oil and parts i didn't expect to need so camping gear for two carried above. At some point the dumb axle just fissions of course.

Hi Mr. Hobot, I expected you to reply especially after reading your stories about hauling stuff and what not. I do not really care about the weight. Thanks for the reply

My first loop cracked apart on LH side before I'd gotten hooked up with rest of the world. I've seem an 850 with 300 lb pilot and 250 pillion in parade over RR tracks and pot holes to see/hear mudgard bottom on the fender but the dang loop took it ok, at least on that slow ride. Just pins should preserve a few more generations or at least til gas pumps become taboo. Some one else needs to chime in to reveal what the loop should be properly aligned with...

A quote from OLBritts

"we sell frame loop support brackets in sets, part number 38-200001, $19.00 a set, as of 12/11/13"

Might be all you need ... Just straighten your loop and add these gussets...

Mine had sagged like yours I cut the tube off about 10mm from the rear shock mount an put a 280mm long piece of 20mm tube in each end an hammered the loop back on them welded a 4 triangular pieces to the rear shock mount going back up the tube about 120mm and 35mm deep making sure they didn't interfere with movement of rear shock.
If you have a rear grab rail this would get in the way of the triangular pieces but I have a small rack I made up by cutting down a larger ugly one the is made to fit and bolts to the triangular pieces and the passenger foot rests.

My frame is the metric tube 25mm OD with 21mm ID but it is the type of tube with welded seam running up the inside so as I couldn't get every far inside the tube to clean out the weld so I used 20mm tube.
The frame is at the powder coaters now so i can't tell you that it been used for many years carrying heavy camping gear but it is far stronger than it was.

olChris said:

A quote from OLBritts

"we sell frame loop support brackets in sets, part number 38-200001, $19.00 a set, as of 12/11/13"

Might be all you need ... Just straighten your loop and add these gussets...

Click to expand...

+1

Hi All -

I had not seen Old Britts support before, I thought about fabing up something, but that is pretty elegant. Food for thought. Thank you fro the suggestions.

Turns out that old britts part is for a 750, the 850 has a bracket because of this sag issue. Mine sags after the bracket. Gonna cut the loop and weld in a tube in the rear loop. Straighten it and it will just happen again.

rwalker28 said:

Turns out that old britts part is for a 750, the 850 has a bracket because of this sag issue.

Click to expand...

Early 850 frames do not have the extended inner shock brackets.