How do I straighten my bend footpeg

[yopcha]

Hi all,
I dropped my S4R in the rain and bend the left side footpeg and broke the little peg in the gearlever,
Its the holding plate of the footpeg thats bend and I feel if i pull the thing off and put it on a flat surfice >I could gently hammer it back into shape.
I dont know if the thing is just going to snap? Should I heat it up and if so how hot?
Any tips would be welcome
Cheers
Markus

[Saint aka ML]

Make sure it is not the frame mounts that are bend (at slow speed unlikely) however if it is that do not attempt it. If you can ride it do so and leave it if you can not get it to specialist as if it snappes off apparently bike should be category D (frame damage).

If it is the peg itself take it off and try in vice or hammer. I did so with mine (but aftermarket one) and all worked fine.

[Capo]

The S4R foot rests do not mount on the frame, rather to a bracket that is attached to the engine case.
Is this the bracket you are referring to?
Make sure you use a rear wheel stand if you plan to remove it, one of the bolts also secures the side stand and the bike will tip over if you take the bolt out.

[yopcha]

yes , its that plate thats bend.
I just dont know what metal it is and if it straightens without breaking.
Also, if I use my welder to warm it up, how hot should I make it, or is it better to hammer it whilst cold?
Thanks for the advice,
Markus

[slob]

Welder is a too hot with oxygen. blowtorch should be okay, get the plate very hot (in a vice) but not red hot.
It is cast Aluminium, not high quality.

[bialbero]

Welder is a too hot with oxygen. blowtorch should be okay, get the plate very hot (in a vice) but not red hot.
It is cast Aluminium, not high quality.

old trick of the trade:

gently heat the aluminium with a blowtorch and every minute or so check the temperature of the material by running a small piece of wood i.e. match (the wooden side, not the phosphrous side) or kebab stick along the surface.
if the wood leaves a black line then the aluminium is hot enough for the molecule structure to have relaxed and the aluminium is soft and easy to bend gently without breaking which is the danger on cast materials
does this make sense?

[yopcha]

Thanks for the advise.
OK so I heat the aluminium up, test with a matchstik and then. Do I put it on a flat surface and hammer it gently or do I leave it in the vice and bend it with pliers?
Cheers
Markus

[johnboy44]

An alternative method would be to rub soap on the heated item, when it turns black the material is annealed ready to work with, if its the hanger you've bent thats cast Ali and it all depends on the quality of the hanger material, But if its bent, it needs straightening or replacing..... good luck

[bialbero]

good one johnboy

didn't know the soap trick. never to old to learn

[yopcha]

It is the hanger thats bend.
I just dont want to snap it , the next Ducati dealer is in Aosta/Italie ,about 100km from here. I am in Chamonix /France and the next French dealer is even further away and pretty hopeless as well, so I stick with the Italiens.
So what do you think the likelyhood is to break the thing. Should I buy a replacement simply at Aosta next time I'm there, or are you confident it wont snap. The bike is rideable, I actually hardly notice a difference , just looks crap,
Cheers
Markus

[slob]

http://cgi.ebay.fr/DUCATI-MONSTER-S2R-L-H-FOOTREST-PEG-HANGER-WITH-LEVER-/250835813913?_trksid=p3286.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D1%26po%3D LVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2332636324745656914

[utopia]

Haven't tried it myself, but I have heard of alloy tube being softened (annealed) by running an acetylene rich flame over it to cover it with a surface deposit of carbon, then heating it in a normal gas torch flame until the black deposit burns off. Not sure whether it then needs to be quenched or left to cool naturally though.
I guess the process is the similar to the soap trick.
Cast alloy may be a different grade than tube or bar-stock though, so not sure if that would change things.
If its just a small bend then I'd say you're likely to be successful.
I'd use the vice and hammer method, using a soft, leather faced mallet (or a lead one if you have such a thing). You'll not get it dead flat by hammering it on a flat surface due to the inherent spring in the material.

[slob]

cast metal is usually much lower grade, with high levels of zinc and other materials, making it much more brittle. Personally I'd try gripping it with a very large adjustable spanner and pulling it straight in the vice.

[Funkatronic]

might have a spare rearset bracket in a box somewhere,
its not got a gear lever though

[yopcha]

How much do you want for the spare hanger.
If it fits my S4R I would be very interested.
Its not the clutch lever I am after, its only the little peg with the rubber sleeve that broke off ,the rest is all right.
If I get a spare I will straight away try and straighten my bend one and report on the result, its an interesting exercise. I surely cant be the first and only to bend the damned thing, must be a quiet common problem wwhen you drop your bike on the left side.
All the best
Markus

[Stafford]

An alternative method would be to rub soap on the heated item, when it turns black the material is annealed ready to work with

Ah, the apprenticeship days of bashing out ash trays, anneal, bash, repeat. (puffs on pipe)

[yopcha]

Hi again,
Should have done it straight away, but here are finally a couple of fotos of my bend footpeg. Tell me what you think and let me know the easiest solution if you have an idea.
I definately want to try and straighten it, but may want to get a spare first in case it'll break.

By the way :
I am past the aprenticeship stage since a while - ride bikes since over 30 years now and still keep dropping the blody things now and then - suppose its all part of the fun.
Cheers
Markus

[Albie]

Im not suprised its bent. No strength in that rearset whatsoever.Looks like the mount has done the job of the footrest
It doesn't look like a ducati s4r rearset/stock one. Its more of a lump than that and wasn't adjustable like that. Looks more like my rizoma but not a patch on the strength or engineered look.

I reckon the lever will bend but think the rearset mount looks like it will need a press.

[yopcha]

Its realy only the mount /hanger thats bend, I would hope if I manage to straighten that I'll be right.
Question for me still is what metal is it? I'm not sure its Aluminium. Than of corse, how to straighten it.
I might have to ride it like that until I'm sure I can fix it without breaking it or have a feasible spare,
Cheers
PS.: pisses me off how it looks though

[Albie]

Its realy only the mount /hanger thats bend, I would hope if I manage to straighten that I'll be right.
Question for me still is what metal is it? I'm not sure its Aluminium. Than of corse, how to straighten it.
I might have to ride it like that until I'm sure I can fix it without breaking it or have a feasible spare,
Cheers
PS.: pisses me off how it looks though

If its aftermarket which it looks like its probably billet machined out of a block. I would say you have much more chance flattening that then a cast one. I think you need to check the back to see if its cast. I would find a local place with a small press.