250-500cc Broke top triple... why?

Hi, i was reinstalling the forks on the 360 tonight and snapped the top triple clamp as I was tightening the bolts with a torque wrench.

I'm a bit surprised by this. I would have thought that the first thing to go would be the threads in the alloy. Has anyone got any idea why this would happen? There appears to be two colours in the broken area. Could I been riding with a cracked clamp for a while?

Also, can anyone tell me what triple clamps I can replace it with (2000 model wr360)? I assume that anything from a 250 or 360 from 2000 to 2004 would be ok but there may be other years I can use or other issues like different offset etc. to consider

Cheers

Pete

yep that's been broke for awhile aftermarket? BRP yep just checked the website if your right about up to 04 your good . zoke forks? rite?

Yup,better to break on the stand than in the air!

Yep. Shiver 45s. Stock triples I think.

I'm not sure what's more of a worry, either I'm so ham fisted I shouldn't be left alone with tools or I've been riding a bike that was about to kill me.

Thanks guys

Probably had a hairline crack already through it...luck it's on the stand rather than out on the track.

You can just get the top triple tree (or the whole unit) from a 00-04/5 WR or TE Husky.

I agree.Pretty lucky for that to not happen on the trail.
The darker area is the oxide layer that has formed after the original crack occured & the freshly exposed raw alloy is the shiny section where it continued until it failed when you tightened it up. Have you had a good crash recently?
I'm sure I've got one at home you can have Leepet.

I'd be happy it happened on the stand instead of in the woods..... Sometimes bad luck in the garage is a good thing....

I havent had any mega crashes lately so im a bit puzzled but I have to be happy that I wasn't at speed when it failed. Still, it's a real pain. I just want to ride on my new suspension!

Ausky, if its not too much trouble, I'll take you up on your generous offer. I'll pm you to work something out.

Does anyone know what the differences year to year in the 99 to 05 range? 99 and 00 are the same part number but 01 & 02 are different and cr & wr have different part numbers. I know that the 02 360 had changed geometry but don't know if it was just rake or rake and offset. Just curious really.

Cheers

Pete

Got the same problem with my 2000 wr360 - can't find an aftermarket supplier though. Have you had any luck Leepet?

damn. yer in Oz. i have a man that welds tripple clamps, not much help i know. does a bang on job too. ive no clue what the post is to me but...id be happy to see if it can be welded if you can ship it to SoCal, if no one else local can do it.

FBF made some wicked nice CNC top clamps for a spell. need to machine a small spacer for the 2000 steerer as its wasnt a very tight fit (same guy here did that too).

Shonky,

I'm trying to work something out with Ausky so I think I'm sorted BUT the 99 & 00, WR125, WR250 & WR360 triple clamps are same part number so picking up any one of these would be a safe bet. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the only difference between the CR and the WR was the bar mounts but don't quote me on that. The part numbers are different but, for example, the 00 WR triple part number is 8000 69319 and the CR part number is 8C00 69319.

Ausky reckons the offset is the same from 99 to 04(only change to steering is rake apparently) so I reckon you wouldnt have too much trouble picking up something from eBay that would fit. I know that there is a difference between 00 and 02 with the handlebar clamp setup so that may explain the part number difference.

Another option if you're feeling brave would be to grab a BRP triple for 01 to 08 and hope it fits.

pvduke, thanks but I don't know if I can wait for shipping each way etc. I have a weekend ride planned next month so I need to sort this out quickish. Also, I don't know if I'm brave enough to trust a weld in a peace of cast aluminum. I'm sure it'd be fine but...

Anyway, please forgive my rambling. What's pretty much where I'm at and what I know on the subject.

Cheers

Pete

Cheers Pete - thanks for the info. A BRP type option is what I'm after but it looks like I'll have to settle for OEM. I'm still waiting on emig racing to get back to me - but brp, fbf & xtrig have told me they don't make them. I suppose I could try an '01 clamp ........ if they were willing to take it back if it didn't fit that is ......... anyway - I'm in no hurry (yet) - I've got a pw50 in a thousand pieces in my garage at the moment that has higher priority apparently. I'll keep looking for options.
I'd like to give pvduke's man a go at welding them as well. I don't know much about welding - but I do know there's some talented dudes out there that have a knack for fixing the unfixable ..................... i'm not one of them unfortunately! But a spare top triple would be handy esp if they're prone to breaking ........
Check out my photo - i think it's torn pretty much where yours did.......

Yep, that's it. I am amazed. Failures like these just shouldn't happen. I know a triple is pretty thin around there but it's steering. The consequences of failure are certain and severe.

as I recall it is the same as a 99 are they aslo in question, sure would hate a surprize at my age

I understand the stress part but the overtighten from the factor part
funny but making a bike light does come at a price!
still this is a really big price if they are that fragile