Why I drilled a hole in my Hawk !
 

There's a subframe to frame weld joint that can trap water and cause the frame to rot out over time. You may want to drill a small weep hole in the sub frame and cap the other end with silicone.

Here's the rear fender entrance point. Cap this off.
Attachment 15574

Here's the spot where the hole needs to be.

This is what came out :wtf:

The hole is a good idea. I used RTV and a pair of tubing caps in place on the tubes at the rear on my last bike and I am planning to do the same on this one once I measure the diameter again.
Example of the end plugs. https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Round-En...0Z8ZXS1KW6SK6B

You might be able to find something similar at a Hardware store.

Maybe a pic as well that is not zoomed in 4 inches away from location lol



Dan, Could you explain exactly where water intrusion is located & where to access the hole to be plugged & hole to be drilled if so desired. Thank you.

just one question...
why drill the hole in the side of the tube and not the bottom above the side stand mount ..

.

Just thinking out loud. Before you close the end off it would be a good idea to find a way to spray some kind of rust inhibitor inside the tube to keep it from rusting. Maybe a long tube on the end or a spray lubricant can. :shrug:

linseed oil...
it absorbs oxygen... no oxygen no rust..
heat it before you put it in to express the oxygen
it has already taken up..


..

I forgot about that. I can remember my dad spraying the undercarriage on just about every car and truck he had with boiled linseed oil as an undercoat.

Even WD40 is better than nothing! Fishoil is the popular choice for saving old steel bicycle frames. I take a brush with motor oil over my CB frame, pegs etc.. every so often getting in all the nook and crannies. It didn’t take but 1 good rain to see rust forming around 1/2 the bolts and welds on the bike.

Linseed oil is the best thing to use by far, once it dries it creates a film that not only acts as an oxygen boundry, but also acts almost like a water proof coating.

It's also not the most safe or friendly thing to use thanks to its combustible nature, so care needs to be taken when working with it.

The open ends of the tubes are at the very rear of the frame of the bike, right behind the tail light/rear fender area underneath.

The hole he drilled is at the very bottom of that same tubing right where it meets the frame in a Y. On the right side it would be just below the middle exhaust mount location.

One of the guys on Garage Journal tossed a linseed oil soaked rag in his plastic trash can. It ignited overnight. When he opened his shop the next morning it was full of smoke. When he investigated the security footage, he found the trash can on fire. It scorched the drywall and wood rack next to the trash can. The trash can and its contents were a pile of ash that filled a small gallon bucket. It never set off the fire alarm or sprinklers. He openly admitted to not being a wood worker and only keeping wood around for odd jobs.

Old trick I learned when I lived in Maine, Bar and Chain oil works too, and not as unstable as BLO.

I use it a lot but with the price tag on it never ever for anything besides painting. The little can here is 12 bucks! Mineral oil is my main product for around the house and bike stuff. It’s cheap as dirt!

This what I use for corrosion protection. It works! And you'd be hard pressed to find a better product. Google it. Of course anything is better than nothing at all.