Do Harley Davidson frames crack, and if not, why?
Just a thought from a non 3 wheeler owner.
If it's the same amount of torque fixed in to a tubular frame (chassis) is it down to poor design or poor construction, or both....?
I just wondered.🤷ðŸ»â€â™‚ï¸
I've had 9 Harleys both with engine bolted directly to the frame (Softail) and via engine mounts (Electra glides, Dyna's etc). in which you see the engine rocking when stationary and I've never heard of a frame cracking. The engine is bolted facing a different direction in the Harley frame, with the resultant problem with the air cooled engines in that the rear cylinder doesn't get enough cooling air. Some of the later engines had a reciprocating mass to counterbalance the engine vibrations as the capacity grew in size over the years.
The bikes with the engines bolted directly to the frame, you could feel the vibrations thru the foot pegs and even the handlebars which gave it a more built from granite/solid/direct type of feel compared with the more loose/isolated/ softer/smoother feel of an eg Electra glide drive train as the engine mountings isolated more of the vibrations away from the rider.
