Tighten everything

MikeM · Aug 25, 2014

I have had my bike on the road for just a few weeks and thought I had gone through everything. Believe it or not, these bikes vibrate <G>
I thought I had gone through everything but I discovered I didnt get to the triple clamps until I started cleaning. Eh, they were loose and now they are not.
Big difference and safer I am sure. I have made it a habit to grab a handful of wrenches and walk around the bike once a week or so.
It could save you a bad experience.
JMHO
MikeM

wakeup · Aug 25, 2014

Fully agree. When I lived in the UK I got into the habit of washing the bike(s) at least every week. I still do, even though the bikes are not dirty, I use the washing maintenance routine as an opportunity to go over everything and check for tightness.
cheers
wakeup

Mark · Aug 25, 2014

^ same for me!
Keeping my bike clean and shiny (even underneath) requires me to touch every part of the bike.

mike996 · Aug 25, 2014

As a famous Norton rider once told me when I asked him if Safety wire was needed on my Commando, "Safety wire only the parts you want to keep." So that's what I do; safety wire and a good pair of safety wire pliers has kept all the important parts on my Norton in 8 years of VERY rough cobblestone and gravel roads in Mexico. Nothing else did the job - the fasteners just laughed at the blue or red thread locker as they unscrewed.

Hobot · Aug 25, 2014

Do not forget the cradle engine through bolts and bottom gear box bolt either.
Safety wire is sure nice but a big tedious hassle to drill nuts well but do agree loctite has no place but clutch nut for me any more, who suggests over tightening beyond manual like Wes and I do for our home routes' broken secondary pavement and ever loving wash board pot holed Gravel paths. Once all fasteners crush factor taken up and staying put fatigue fractures may still loosen components. The more equipment around to maintain the more ya tend to skip checking and tend to give a grimace on each fastener nip up. T-wrench users better stick with their cycles of extra strict discipline to re-torque.

MikeM · Aug 25, 2014

hobot said:
Do not forget the cradle engine through bolts and bottom gear box bolt either.
Safety wire is sure nice but a big tedious hassle to drill nuts well but do agree loctite has no place but clutch nut for me any more, who suggests over tightening beyond manual like Wes and I do for our home routes' broken secondary pavement and ever loving wash board pot holed Gravel paths. Once all fasteners crush factor taken up and staying put fatigue fractures may still loosen components. The more equipment around to maintain the more ya tend to skip checking and tend to give a grimace on each fastener nip up. T-wrench users better stick with their cycles of extra strict discipline to re-torque.

Hobot, I respect your advice, knowldege and opinions but I need a dictionary. No disrespect intended.

Hobot · Aug 25, 2014

I once followed the manual torque values but lost too much to list, so just tighten harder. Early on I wondered how my buddy kept his tight till I got to take some thing off his and shocked at the force to release but then came off easy. I dislike the bind of backing out locktited fasteners, that wee not holding full clamp force anyway, so I tighten up - short of damage - and hardly ever loose anything external anymore. Still safety wire is the cat's meow art to keep hi torque looking good inside and out. Should not tighten carb screws but close to factory spec and loctie traps them to eat out screw head slots so I use a smear of RTV or Hylomar there. i hammer on the exhaust rose nuts so hard they need Milk of Magnesia anti-sieze to beat back off 1/2 turn to free the rest of the way.

aceaceca · Aug 25, 2014

I have had my 71 Commando for a long time. It has always been dead smooth and vibration free. Everything on it is original and she has 34k on her I believe. I have never had anything fall off or come loose save for a float bowl. I tend to think that a lot of our forum members modify the isolastics too much and take out the vibration free engineering that Norton intended.
I would never change the head steady or over shim the iso's. Let them do the job they were intended to do.

ashman · Aug 26, 2014

And everone says Featherbed frames with solid mounts vibrate and lose nuts and bolts from vibrations, well after 34 years with my 850 Featherbed I have only lost 2 nuts off bolts in that time one off the rear muffler mount and the top gearbox nut, but I think I forgot to tighten that one up as it has never happen again, I don't use any nylock nuts, but I do use all fine thread bolts with spring washers.

Sorry about this as some times I like to rub it in.

Ashley

texasSlick · Aug 26, 2014

+1 with Ashley above....my Featherbed holds its fasteners tight also.

I am frankly amazed that Norton uses plain washers in many places, and the fasteners hold tight.

I am in agreement with Hobot....LockTite can fail, and when it does'nt, removing a nut is a PITA.

Internal lock and star washers are my choice. Of course, nothing is as positive as safety wire, but unless it flies, that is a PITA also.

Slick

Torontonian · Aug 26, 2014

Everybody run out and check that top sub- cradle to engine bolt. It's a shuffle point. Motor might fall out. :roll:

Onder · Aug 26, 2014

Nylocks are good once. Steel stop nuts twice I think if I remember my aviation training. Aircraft recips vibrate badly at start up
and shut down and they vibrate at cruise. If the FAA is good with stopnuts so am I.
On the Norton I keep it stock pretty much but every nut is regularly checked.
Aviation is about preventative maintenance and inspection. You will have a lot le$$ trouble with your brit bike if you do this often.

tomspro · Aug 26, 2014

And replace those 40-year old, stripped-out flat head bolts with hex heads!

Fast Eddie · Aug 26, 2014

And if you've had anything powder coated... check it twice as frequently and tighten it twice as much... to compensate for that coating compressing, and taking the torque away.

Hobot · Aug 26, 2014

One of the most prized skills to me to see is nipping up and removing w/o marring the fastener engagements. Some sockets like Metrench grip on the flats not the corners so has saved me from others rounding them off. According to the reports the only Norton that lost significant parts was the good ole Commando daddio- P11 Cheetah-Ranger-Scramblers.

Tighten everything

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