Where can I get allen bolts

[dcb]

Does anyone know of a resource to get allen bolts by the size at a reasonable price.

Thanks,
David

[TomK]

You don't say where you are located but any industrial supply house like McFadden-Dale Hardware here in southern California is the place to go.

Tom

[dcb]

I am in Dallas Texas.

David

[ericox]

OSH in northern CA. Or like Tom said, any industrual supply store. Call a couple machine shope and ask them, or you local college (assuming that they have manufacturing classes).

[GSstiny]

If you have an ACE hardware around they have a decent selection.

[Grif]

I got'em at Lowes and Home Despot. They call them socket head bolts.

[qslim]

Boltdepot.com - great company

If you know the specs, you have to check out boltdepot.com. They have absolutely everything, and they ship lightning quick. I replaced all the screws on my bike with stainless hex heads a while back. What a difference.

[dcb]

Do you know what the right diameter is for the common #10 metric bolt.

[qslim]

6mm is going to be most of the bolts on our bikes. The pitch may vary depending on the location, but I know the bolts in the clutch and stator covers are 6mmx1.0

[Grif]

A good number of the bolts on the carbs (tops and bowls) are 5mm. Run down to the local hardware store and they should have a display setup with a bunch of threaded holes. Try it until you find the right diameter, compare the length with another bolt, then order them from where ever you want.

[TomK]

Do you know what the right diameter is for the common #10 metric bolt.

6mm.

Like GSLIM said, the other common sizes used are 4mm, 5mm, 7mm, and 8mm on Jap bikes. I do use the local ACE store when I forget or am in a hurry and McFadden Dale is closed, they just charge more and do ny have as good of a selection.

Tom

[J_C]

Tom, where abouts in socal do you live? I might be interested in going to this McFadden Dale once the majority of maintenance has been performed. On my poor neglected project bike screw heads are stripping like they're made out of plastic

[bwringer]

If you need a large-ish quantity, or you just like to have extras, McMaster-Carr has no minimum order, great prices, and they ship fast:

http://mcmaster.com

Scroll down to "fasteners", then choose "socket head cap screws". Click "Stainless Steel" under Material, then click "Metric" under system of measurement.

Always remember that you do not include the head when you measure bolts. 6mm diameter refers to the diameter of the threads -- the diameter of the head is irrelevant. The length is measured from the tip to under the head. Choose a random fastener and ponder the technical drawing until this is VERY clear. Most bolts you're going to replace on a GS are 6mm, some are 5mm, and a few are 8mm. There are also some 10mm. (I don't know where you would use 7mm, unless you're working on Russian space capsules or something.)

Normal wrench sizes used on hex head bolts are usually:
5mm thread: 8mm wrench hex
6mm thread: 10mm wrench hex (sometimes 8mm wrench hex on later model GS case covers, but the thread is the same 6mm)
8mm thread: 12mm wrench hex
10mm thread: 14mm wrench hex
These vary quite often, though, and case bolts are often just those nasty Phillips head screws. For the sake of clarity, whenever someone or a manual refers to a 6mm fastener, they mean a 6mm thread.

Thread pitch refers to the spacing between threads. Most of the thread pitches on a GS are standard:
5mm: .80mm pitch
6mm: 1mm pitch
8mm: 1.25mm pitch

18-8 stainless steel will work fine for motorcycles. 316 stainless is only needed if you're working with hot industrial acid sludge or similar extreme environments. 18-8 is cheaper, more common, and will shrug off weathering or corroding on a motorcycle.

Make sure you always use a dab of anti-sieze on stainless going into aluminum -- over a few years, the two metals can weld themselves together.

SS is stronger and harder than the steel used in OEM fasteners (actually, pressed sawdust is probably harder than the OEM Phillips head screws), but it is also more brittle. Therefore, you should only use SS to replace external fasteners, and never heavily loaded suspension, internal engine, or braking components.

[GS550joe]

Bolt sizes..

take one out of the left side plate ( no oil there).. the screw sizes are about the same for most of the motor bolts.... then go to lowes and measure the pitch.. then when you can remove each bolt and measure the length and replace the bolts when you have all the bolts measured you know how many to buy and their correct length.\


Joe

[bwringer]

As far as local sources, Do It Best hardware stores and sometimes Ace hardware stores are the only ones that carry a decent selection of metric stainless allen heads.

I've been to several Ace stores in central Indiana, and Ace normally has an empty box that used to contain the exact fastener you needed (%$##@!!). Do It Best stores generally do a better job of keeping things stocked up.

Both are quite expensive compared to buying in bulk from McMaster, but sometimes you just need that one last oddball bolt...

Also, my post above was a little unclear -- when I was talking about wrench sizes, I was talking about the size of external socket that would fit a "normal" hex head bolt or nut on a given size of threads.

Once you have the allen heads, the allen wrench sizes go like this:

5mm thread: 4mm allen wrench
6mm thread: 5mm allen wrench
8mm thread: 6mm allen wrench

I use button head bolts on my valve cover, which take a smaller hex size. They are 6mm thread X 40mm length bolts, but they take a 4mm allen wrench. With one long 4mm ball end allen wrench, I can remove the tank (the tank mounting bolts are also button heads), remove the ignition cover (normal 5mm thread allen head that use 4mm allen wrench) and remove the valve cover in less than 10 minutes.

All I need then is a socket to rotate the crank, and I'm ready to check and adjust the valves PDQ.