Engine cradles

[motomadnesam]

Does anybody make aftermarket engine cradles. They seem a tad underbuilt. I have a crack on my left engine mount tab, which I hear is pretty common. I am not looking to buy a new cradle, I am just curious if any body makes them. The only aftermarket engine cradle I have seen was a JB (I think), and it was for a yz engine.

[Canniboomer]

The cracking in the cradle is surely aggravated by the lack of shimming between the cradle and motor. A motor mount update is normally done, and that should protect the cradle as much as the motor. But many installed updates are merely a through-bolt and a center spacer, and with all of the attention given to the center spacer. That would protect the motor lugs only, but does nothing to prevent the squeezing-inward strain on the cradle. If there is a gap between the cradle lugs and motor before tightening the bolt or bolts, then you could get cracking with any cradle -- those cradles are dang stiff, and we have seen that attempts to make them stiffer can result in a similar crack just happening nearby instead. Anyway, if you check and confirm that those gaps are shim-filled when the bolt(s) are loose, then the stock cradle is usually fine when the bolt(s) are tightened. And a repair to your cracked cradle would normally hold up.

If you happen to swap motors, you have to check for gaps again. When riding an all-stock machine with no mounting update yet?, or one with an unknown update setup?,....I would loosen one bolt slightly to relieve such severe spreading or pinching strain, until getting a chance to check and shim as needed, and to install a mount update. It's really a rare cradle-motor combo that has no pre-existing gap between the cradle and motor lugs.

But also!, check for excess gap where the front cradle bolts to the frame, and slip some 8mm or 5/16 thin washers into one side, as needed -- again to avoid the massive stress when those opposing pairs of cradle bolts are tightened up. I have seen some cradle-frame fits with a 1/16" gap up front, and you can imagine the pre-stress to the cradle if the gap is not filled. The rear end of the cradle will easily flex to mate the frame, so shimming is never needed back there.

[motomadnesam]

Thank you for all of the information. Do you think that if somebody made chromoly engine cradles, people would want them?

[rayspeed]

Pulling that off in chromo would be pretty difficult I would think as you would have to machine end pieces to match the frame and it would be hard to hold the needed tollerance. If you were off just a little bit it will break at best or waste a case at worst.
Anything is possible if you throw enough money at it tho. I second the shimming thing and will add people that air out their quads have the most problems, alot of inertial weight its gotta hold on a big jump landing.

With what seems like an ample supply of good ones still floating around and the ease of changing them even if you could build them for a hundred bucks I doubt that you would sell many even if they were perfect and lasted forever.

[motomadnesam]

Thanks for the reply.

[cannondale27]

Just reweld it.They actually seem to hold up better after rewelding.