Could the bike be fixed

[MendoDave]

You know, My Dented Gas tank just cost the insurance company about $1,500. On the 696 they have done away with the $1,500 tank ding problem. I wonder if the 696 steering stem has a designed in shear characteristic to avoid the rather expensive, motorcycle hitting wall & bending the frame problem. It looks like a very clean break, & yes I see that light rust. 

[Norm]

Putting in a designed shear point in a steering stem would be like putting a designed sheer point in an aircraft wing.

[Porsche Monkey]

Bikes don't have crumple zones.

[MendoDave]

Putting in a designed shear point in a steering stem would be like putting a designed sheer point in an aircraft wing.

Apples & Oranges. The shear or fail point on the older monsters seem to be the steering head coming off. If you design the steering stem to fail at that same amount of force, that steering heads come off & forks bend, and then make the frame out of larger tubing with more weld area, as well as slightly more robust fork tubes, you effectively have the same thing. Now having all that stuff stay together isn't going to make the rider stay on the bike & not crash. Crashing is already a done deal. The question is, for a given force of front end impact at the front wheel (Which has leverage on the steering head)

Do you want.

A) Bent forks & damaged Frame.

B) Have to buy new steering stem.


I'm just saying its possible to design it, I don't know if they did or not.

[Grampa]

who says bikes dont have crumple zones

[aaronb]

first, it looks like the stem necks down just before the break, typical of a tensile break - weird. 

second the frame looks damaged by mishandling of the bike after the wreck (assuming the bike didn't slide at all after you hit the wall).  i can see black marks where the two main tubes bend towards the head tube. 

i think it will be totaled, take the cash, get a new bike, and forget about this one. 

[Raux]

Apples & Oranges. The shear or fail point on the older monsters seem to be the steering head coming off. If you design the steering stem to fail at that same amount of force, that steering heads come off & forks bend, and then make the frame out of larger tubing with more weld area, as well as slightly more robust fork tubes, you effectively have the same thing. Now having all that stuff stay together isn't going to make the rider stay on the bike & not crash. Crashing is already a done deal. The question is, for a given force of front end impact at the front wheel (Which has leverage on the steering head)

Do you want.

A) Bent forks & damaged Frame.

B) Have to buy new steering stem.


I'm just saying its possible to design it, I don't know if they did or not.

maybe it's alittle of both. maybe ducati 'fixed' the steering head failing by beefin it up. they are using larger diameter tubing for the frame. by doing that it caused another problem. steering stem failure.

[Dave R]

by doing that it caused another problem. steering stem failure.

only a problem if you hit a wall while accelerating !     

[digital]

bike dropped at the dealer. Insurance is awaiting the estimate from the dealer to decide on next steps.

couple of more pics for the head.

[Raux]

HOLY CHIT dude. if anyone says the 696 doesn't have power... you're proof that in just 6 feet the bike can do some serious acceleration. i don't think this is anything to do with a weak component, this is a seriously hard crash. glad you had your gear on (helmet mainly).

[Howie]

OK, now we can see the triple cracked.  No support, there goes the stem.  Like I said before, on throttle crashes are bad, even at low speeds.  Many decades ago, when I drove a yellow cab, I got to witness this in real life.  Kennedy Airport, taxi hold.  Cabs moving at a slow (walking pace) rate of speed.  One driver hits the gas instead of the brake.  Result?  Several cabs mounted each other.