Check your bolts!!

[theWolfTamer]

I'd been complaining to my riding friends about the front end of my 2005 FZ1 feeling, in NASCAR terms, tight*.  I blamed it on the tire I'd replaced last spring.

A few weeks ago, after searching all of the FZ1 forums I know of, I decided I need to "dial" in my suspension.

Today, My friend and I set out to do just that.  He discovered I had a loose bolt on my lower right triple tree.  As if that wasn't enough, the fork preload adjusters were set differently.  We tightened and equilized both adjusters and I noticed the difference less than 1 mile from his house.  The process has begun, a little at a time.  Will probably service the forks just to be safe.

*TIGHT

Also known as "understeer." A car is said to be tight if the front wheels lose traction before the rear wheels do. A tight race car doesn't seem able to steer sharply enough through the turns. Instead, the front end continues through the wall.

[Blunder]

You have to be nuts if you don't regularly check your bolts, especially after the bike come back from the shop. After all, torque is cheap.

Glad you caught it before something terrible happened.  

[Andrew]

Yep checking the bolts and fasteners is always a good idea.

As to the adjustments on your forks being uneven, almost every bike that comes over to my garage seems amiss on several settings. Guess it is not that uncommon

[Gary B.]

You have to be nuts if you don't regularly check your bolts

 

[theWolfTamer]

Maybe I should have said ALL your bolts.  I never even realized those were there.  I'll be going over my bike with a fine tooth comb, a torque wrench, and the shop manual this week.

[veefer800canuck]

My sister-in-law had an old RD350 and she asked me if I could find out why the bike was handling funny.

She said it was wobbling at speed, and it felt like the rear of the bike was the source.

I had a good going-over of the bike and the rear axle nut was GONE! Vanished without a trace!  


Luckily, the local Yamaha dealer had an axle nut for a Warrior quad or something like that and it was exactly the same.

Castellated nut, so not available just anywhere in a small town.

Reinstall, torque, and pop in a new cotter pin, problem solved.

[Rembrant]

I check 'em as often as I can....and, anything I take apart, goes back together with Loctite....I'm an industrial technician, and I've just seen to many thing vibrate loose, so I try not to give them a chance....lol.

In reading one of the Z1000 forums, I saw that a lot of guys were losing their side-stands due to the bolt falling out while riding. I checked mine, and wouldn't ya know it, the lock nut was missing from the bolt.....I wasn't far from losing mine. New nut, and a dab of blue Loctite and we're good to go.

It never hurts to check, that's for sure.

[veefer800canuck]

I studied under this aspect is not very understanding, I hope you will voice our opinions to facilitate more learning
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Double-you-tee-eff????


MODS: CLEANUP IN AISLE 14!

[Scratch33]

I studied under this aspect is not very understanding, I hope you will voice our opinions to facilitate more learning
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Your lucky numbers are 13, 25 33, 48, 72.   Avoid the Hare, marry a Rat or a Dog.

[chornbe]

I'd been complaining to my riding friends about the front end of my 2005 FZ1 feeling, in NASCAR terms, tight*.  I blamed it on the tire I'd replaced last spring.

A few weeks ago, after searching all of the FZ1 forums I know of, I decided I need to "dial" in my suspension.

Today, My friend and I set out to do just that.  He discovered I had a loose bolt on my lower right triple tree.  As if that wasn't enough, the fork preload adjusters were set differently.  We tightened and equilized both adjusters and I noticed the difference less than 1 mile from his house.  The process has begun, a little at a time.  Will probably service the forks just to be safe.

Here's a general guide on torque specs for most of the general-use bolts on your bike. It's a general guide. If the service manual shows different values, go with those, but if you find something not readily available in the manual or you don't have a manual, this is a good guide.

http://www.machinetoolhelp.com/Repairing/bolt-torque-chart.html