Everyone check bottom yoke pinch bolts!!

[JayGee]

1/8th turn ain't worth moaning about

Seems to me you guys have become paranoid! If the pinch bolts need 1/8th a turn to get the correct torque that's about the margin of error in torqueing bolts anyway so it's not really a serious issue if that's all it needs. let's keep things in perspective and ride the bike rather than fiddling about torquing. seems to me some people would rather torque (talk, moan, whinge etc) than ride!

 

[cdw]

Mine were loose too, about 10Nm instead of the correct 24Nm, torqued them up and had a ride on one of my favourite roads - Northampton to Kimbolton - you locals will know what I mean - and the handling was no different.

Chris

 

[Piggers]

Another Northampton GSer !

Mine were loose too, about 10Nm instead of the correct 24Nm, torqued them up and had a ride on one of my favourite roads - Northampton to Kimbolton - you locals will know what I mean - and the handling was no different.

Chris

Hi Chris,
You wouldn't notice any problems unless they failed. i.e. forks twiseted under extreme braking or something.

I am in Northampton too, there are a few of us now. We just need to get organised to arrange some ride outs.
I did the same roads on Saturday
Hopefully see you soon somewhere.

Piggers

 

[Raidrallyrider]

Hi

Just joined the forum and checked these bolts as soon as I read this thread.
I used a Britool torque wrench and it clicked after about 1/10 of a turn.
Omer

 

[loosenuts]

loose can lead to looser

Seems to me you guys have become paranoid! If the pinch bolts need 1/8th a turn to get the correct torque that's about the margin of error in torqueing bolts anyway so it's not really a serious issue if that's all it needs. let's keep things in perspective and ride the bike rather than fiddling about torquing. seems to me some people would rather torque (talk, moan, whinge etc) than ride!

if the bolts are loose by 1/8th then it stands to reason they might loosen to finger tight like mine did. id rather moan about them being loose than be the "tosser" sliding down the road on his ass at 80mph

 

[Mike L]

Once fasteners have been tightened to the correct torque use Loctite 290 to secure.
290 is penetrating loctite and will give enough stiction to secure whilst not altering torque settings on initial tightening or gumming up deep threads. My old noton was held together with the stuff and nothing fell off that.

 

[Pukmeister]

Mine has been Loctited for the past 1000 miles, also with paint marks for alignment checks. No sign of any loosening and no unwanted handling yet. I reckon it is sorted.

 

[Engineer]

if the bolts are loose by 1/8th then it stands to reason they might loosen to finger tight like mine did. id rather moan about them being loose than be the "tosser" sliding down the road on his ass at 80mph

Can I ask you what you mean by finger tight?

Do you mean that you could grasp the head of the bolts with your fingers and turn them? If this is really the case then it sounds very scary indeed.

Will

 

[Mike L]

Torque is a black art. There are so many variables that can vary a torque setting, materials, temp, thread type, lubricants etc. Even bolts in a non dynamic assembly can come undone unless there is a positive form of locking. Class 1 is a physical type of locking eg. splitpin, piening (Piening..) locking wire. Class 2 locking relies on friction or gluing eg. locktite, nylock locknuts, spring washers etc.

Another point I would like to make is that a fastner can torqued up to 200NM but undo it by a fraction of a mm and the torque can go intantly to zero (setting aircraft wheel bearings is a good example of where this is used in a practical way)

A word of caution on using loctite on stanless steel/ aluminium you may need activator N (copper salts in a solution of MEK) to make it cure. oterwise your stanless bolts may fall out anyway.

I hope this all makes sense

 

[HMR]

Just joined the forum and checked these bolts as soon as I read this thread.
I used a Britool torque wrench and it clicked after about 1/10 of a turn.
Omer

Note - you must loosen the bolt before you fasten it to a specific torq.

 

[apoll013]

what size

So now I am paranoid as well - but what size allen-bolts are these? Nothing I have ever seen?

 

[birdseye]

Torque is a black art. There are so many variables that can vary a torque setting, materials, temp, thread type, lubricants etc. Even bolts in a non dynamic assembly can come undone unless there is a positive form of locking. Class 1 is a physical type of locking eg. splitpin, piening (Piening..) locking wire. Class 2 locking relies on friction or gluing eg. locktite, nylock locknuts, spring washers etc.

Another point I would like to make is that a fastner can torqued up to 200NM but undo it by a fraction of a mm and the torque can go intantly to zero (setting aircraft wheel bearings is a good example of where this is used in a practical way)

A word of caution on using loctite on stanless steel/ aluminium you may need activator N (copper salts in a solution of MEK) to make it cure. oterwise your stanless bolts may fall out anyway.

I hope this all makes sense

True. After I had done one bolt up to 25nm and then done up the second on the same side, I went back to the first and found it was no longer at 25nm. So you have to go back and forwards to get both bolts on one side up to torque.

Used loctite - hopefully it will hold. Have paint market the bolt heads.

 

[steve16]

I MAY HAVE TIGHTENED MINE MORE THAN THE 25NM SUGGESTED. SHOULD I REMOVE BOLTS AND REFIT TO CORRECT SETTINGS OR IS IT BEST TO LEAVE WELL ALONE ??

CHEERS.............

 

[Shep]

I MAY HAVE TIGHTENED MINE MORE THAN THE 25NM SUGGESTED. SHOULD I REMOVE BOLTS AND REFIT TO CORRECT SETTINGS OR IS IT BEST TO LEAVE WELL ALONE ??

CHEERS.............

I would re-torque them, its only an aluminium bracket, but i bet they charge a fair whack for one if it breaks!

Just loosen both bolts and tighten them alternately untill both bolts are torqued correctly.

Check again after a few weeks, or after every off road adventure (good habit to get into, checking all chassis fixings after off roading, you would be amazed what come loose!)

Regards Shep

PS use a good torque wrench

 

[HMR]

True. After I had done one bolt up to 25nm and then done up the second on the same side, I went back to the first and found it was no longer at 25nm. So you have to go back and forwards to get both bolts on one side up to torque.

Right. But again - don't forget that you must loosen the bolt a quarter turn each time you reset the torque.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Just checked mine, 3 weeks and 4200 miles, and all four were perfect.

Jim

 

[Rollin Bone]

Loose one

Hi Guys

Checked mine today one out of the four wasn't at the correct torque, my bike is two weeks old, you think they would have been checked at PDI


Regards RB

 

[birdseye]

Right. But again - don't forget that you must loosen the bolt a quarter turn each time you reset the torque.

That would be correct if the bolts were to be disturbed after some time, but when the bolts have only just been tightened, and are lubricated by still liquid Loctite, I dont see any reason for undoing at all.

If I'm wrong (which is quite likely ) I would appreciate a technical reason why.

 

[HMR]

That would be correct if the bolts were to be disturbed after some time, but when the bolts have only just been tightened, and are lubricated by still liquid Loctite, I dont see any reason for undoing at all.

If I'm wrong (which is quite likely ) I would appreciate a technical reason why.

I'm not sure that I'm using the right words in english but hopefully you will understand anyway.

There are two kinds of friction between metallic parts. Motion friction and stiction (no motion). The later is higher. The result is that you need to undo the bolt a little before the stiction moment is low enough to let the bolt loose.

 

[buzz1145]

Other fixings to check

After re-tightening fork clamp screws to correct torque, went for a ride. Stopped to stretch, for some reason I pulled back on the handle bars and they moved. Went to nearest bike dealer. (very slowly) where the kind gentleman managed to tighen the clamp bolts with a 9mm ring spanner. The same thing had happened befors years ago when ridings trials. But I didn't expect this on a new BMW. (400 Miles) Whether this was due to poor PDI or what, It's got to be another thing to check in the future.