Finally getting around to restoring my '76 400F, of which I am the second and fourth owner. The kickstand failed while the 3rd owner had it, which I understand is a common problem caused by water intrusion into the frame tube. Instead of fixing this, he chose to (poorly) weld the kickstand farther back on the frame. That weld failed, so I reacquired a bike with (1) a hole in the frame, (2) a "weld wound" from a crappy weld, and (3) the original now detached kickstand in a cardboard box. I am a decent wrench but not a welder. I'll need to take this to a local shop to be fixed. They will know nothing about these bikes, so I am looking for help here on a few questions:
1. What's the best way to fix this portion of the frame? I'm leaning toward cutting out the entire section of about 8" welding in a fresh tube and reattaching the kickstand to the repaired tube. If I go that route, do I need to be specific about the specs on the pipe that forms the repair? Other options, such as cleaning off the DIY weld and reinstalling the kickstand over the original hole as a sort of patch?
2. Need pull the engine out to ensure full access around the girth of the weld?
3. I don't think this portion of the frame is a stressed member. It looks like the engine itself bridges the lower part of the frame. While my local welder is a pro, I'd feel better in my first sweeper if I knew that a bad weld here wasn't going to cause the bike to break in half. Any comforting words for me there?
Any insights welcome. Picture of the damage below if I got the picture posting feature right:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/187775820@N04/075NrV
