Celerity
Well-Known Member
... and bolts.
I had to work on my first cruiser last night. The bolts are so shiny and perfect.....
... and completely fucking horrendous to work with.
Case Study: 2004 VTX1800
Saddle screw comes loose and flies off on the road. The seat "belt" comes up and notifies the owner that something has happened.
These bolts are completely impossible to find, and once I do find it I have an idea I'll spend about $15 for the one bolt. If you or anyone you know owns a custom cruiser or show bike, check these bolts regularly for tightness.
And check out that snap-on plastic liner socket set. I had to assemble a set of special, soft tools for the job. I used my plastic handled 1/4 snap-on drive, padded 3" extension (To keep the swing away from the bike's metal) and husky socket (The snap ons / crapmans / SKs didn't fit the bolt well enough) . I also had to finger tighten the bolt, continually checking it's fit and clearance (as well as it's poke-through to the bike's metal). The "temporary" replacement bolt, properly installed, also required grinding down the shaft. It then had to be torqued into place with 18ft/lbs (That's actually pretty damned tight)
It was your typical class 3 home-depot tool steel bolt going into a spring steel bracket and tool steel end clip for the belt. All of that had to be taken into account to prevent thread damage. Lubricant was applied to the bolt for test fit, then cleaner and second-eye inspection to ensure no debris in the thread hole or bolt.
What a complete pain in the ass.
I had to work on my first cruiser last night. The bolts are so shiny and perfect.....
... and completely fucking horrendous to work with.
Case Study: 2004 VTX1800
Saddle screw comes loose and flies off on the road. The seat "belt" comes up and notifies the owner that something has happened.
These bolts are completely impossible to find, and once I do find it I have an idea I'll spend about $15 for the one bolt. If you or anyone you know owns a custom cruiser or show bike, check these bolts regularly for tightness.
And check out that snap-on plastic liner socket set. I had to assemble a set of special, soft tools for the job. I used my plastic handled 1/4 snap-on drive, padded 3" extension (To keep the swing away from the bike's metal) and husky socket (The snap ons / crapmans / SKs didn't fit the bolt well enough) . I also had to finger tighten the bolt, continually checking it's fit and clearance (as well as it's poke-through to the bike's metal). The "temporary" replacement bolt, properly installed, also required grinding down the shaft. It then had to be torqued into place with 18ft/lbs (That's actually pretty damned tight)
It was your typical class 3 home-depot tool steel bolt going into a spring steel bracket and tool steel end clip for the belt. All of that had to be taken into account to prevent thread damage. Lubricant was applied to the bolt for test fit, then cleaner and second-eye inspection to ensure no debris in the thread hole or bolt.
What a complete pain in the ass.
