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lockwiring

Agemax

Agemax

Forum Guru
apart from race bikes, or road legal track bikes, does anyone lockwire any bolts/nuts on their frames or engine purely for a safety point on a road going bike?
 
Haven't needed to on a GS, nothing ever seems to come loose.
Thumpers, yep, everything gets the lock tite.
 
I do a lock wire lock my sump plug and oil filler cap. Once had a mate whos sump plug fell out ( caused loads of fun for us following behind him !)and same bloke lost his oil filler cap in the middle of nowhere. it is a pain but it I work mostly on trucks and have seen that almost everything is lockwired locked on the older models. and what damage can be done if not lock wired. I have seen that loctite is not always used and lockwiring has a more conscience effect and you tend to just do it as it so easily seen if not done.
 
Was thinking about doing everything but it would look too anal. But there are some trick bolts out there (alloy/ss steel and Tit) that would suit. F.Y.I. 4 Titanium bolts for the front calipers are $62 here.
 
Katarat said:
Dont use lock tite on aluminum
Click to expand...

Because - specifically on the GS motors in this case - the threads which are used are really too fine for the application, 6mm x 1mm pitch for example. If loctite or similar compound is used then when the screw is removed the thread comes out with it way too frequently.
Possibly it's made worse by the diecast alloy being somewhat porous also.

More than once I've had to helicoil full sets of cam bearing retaining screw threads where it was only too obvious loctite had been used.
 
Been locktiting everything on my thumpers and two strokes for decades, with never a problem. Perhaps over torquing has something to do with it? Maybe it's corrosion in your threads?
 
Loctite blue won't strip anything. If you use that green stuff that turns to glass though you're asking for trouble - that's why it is tagged 'permanent'!
 
OK, lock wire no, locktite sometimes. I might start using wire on the oil drain plug, I like that idea.
 
tkent02 said:
OK, lock wire no, locktite sometimes. I might start using wire on the oil drain plug, I like that idea.
Click to expand...
its a good failsafe on a lot of fixtures, only problem is when you come to sell it people automatically assume it has been used as a race bike, puts a lot of them off
 
I'd just tell them I'm an airplane mechanic, I like safety wire. They will either believe it or they will not.

What's your technique for drilling the lock wire holes in the bolts and nuts?
 
tkent02 said:
I'd just tell them I'm an airplane mechanic, I like safety wire. They will either believe it or they will not.

What's your technique for drilling the lock wire holes in the bolts and nuts?[QUOTE]
i generally use a drill, oh, and a drill bit :D
Click to expand...
 
tkent02 said:
I'd just tell them I'm an airplane mechanic, I like safety wire. They will either believe it or they will not.

What's your technique for drilling the lock wire holes in the bolts and nuts?
Click to expand...

I've been lock wiring on my Red Hotrod. I know It's not needed, but I think it looks cool. Learned to safety wire in the Navy working on aircraft.

I probably have some pictures worth sharing. I'll dig 'em up later.
 
tkent02 said:
What's your technique for drilling the lock wire holes in the bolts and nuts?
Click to expand...

We use a lot of lockwire where I work and the hardware is typically drilled across the corners of the hex.

safety_wire_banjo.jpg
 
Yes, definitely on my Shovelhead- but that is another topic... :D Use it on critical system parts- exhaust brakes...

If you aren't looking for purdy anodized hardware McMaster Carr has a good selection of hex and allen screws.

Bonsai
 
tkent02 said:
I'd just tell them I'm an airplane mechanic, I like safety wire. They will either believe it or they will not.

What's your technique for drilling the lock wire holes in the bolts and nuts?
Click to expand...

For doing bolt heads I get a set nuts of different thread sizes and pitch and cut through one of the flats with a hacksaw. Now you can thread the nut onto the bolt and secure in a vise for drilling the bolt head. For nuts I just double nut onto a bolt, again secure in a vise and drill through adjacent flats. We used to have to drill banjo bolts in the past but I think most tracks now allow these to be secured with a blob of silicon. I think they're worried now about banjo bolts being compromised by drilling. The idea of lock wiring is not to keep the bolt or nut tight but to prevent it from falling out should it start to back off and it also can give you a visual alert should something start to move. The proper locktite and proper torquing is all that should be required on the street however lockwiring will give you a little more security.
 
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