I've been wanting to learn to weld for a few years now.
I'm looking at equipping two bikes with tail racks and panniers.
My XR dirtbike has panniers, but they're pretty half-arse. I don't like them much at all. The bags have a tendency to slide and rotate around the fender, and better designed bag supports would eliminate that. And it has no tail rack. A tail rack runs about $150, and panniers are difficult to even find for this bike but tend to run $200 or more.
The Tiger 800XC needs it all. I do have a tail rack on order from a vendor, but he just emailed me today and told me his inventory system was incorrect and he can't fab me a tail rack until mid-February at the earliest. Another $150, and panniers are $250 to $400.
All told, for the two bikes to be fully outfitted with various twisted metal bits to my satisfaction it will cost me $700 to $1000. Before throwing any luggage at them.
In comparison, I can go to the hardware store and get 30-40 feet of 1/2" steel pipe and a pipe-bender for under $200. A bender like this one (
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-1-2-in-Swivel-Handle-Tube-Bender-8900-1-2/100647696) will only give me a single radius to my bends, but allows up to 180 degrees. I don't envision a bend tighter than about 120 degrees (two acute angles for the tail rack).
I have a friend with an acetylene torch setup, stick welder setup, and wire welder setup. Former shop teacher, retired. He's offered several times in the past to teach me to weld, we just have lacked a project to apply it to.
Should I cancel the order for the Tiger tail rack and fab this stuff myself? Keep the order in place and fab the rest? Buy fancy stuff for the new bike and fab stuff for the old XR?