KX Riders

Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: blueoval on December 31, 2009, 05:44:04 AM

Title: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: blueoval on December 31, 2009, 05:44:04 AM

Anyone put loctite on the fork tube pinch bolts?   thanks

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: DoldGuy on December 31, 2009, 06:42:51 AM

I don't, & only 16 ft lbs on the upper & 14 on the lower.

DoldGuy

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: Friar-Tuck on December 31, 2009, 08:56:05 AM

 Antisieze  :-o
    I haven't had any slip yet, and like DeOldGuy, 15ft.lbs or so.    I stripped a few and  after having to helicoil , got a service manual for the specs on everything...'Cause "surely it can't only be 15 and 14 foot pounds"   Well yea, it can.   and also you don't want to squash the tube at the lower mount and muck up the innards :wink:
 And antiseize, or antiseize and grease mix on account the dissimilar metals.   Not Necessary, but what the heck...
Going over the bike once in a while checking for loose or broken fasteners doesn't really take that long after owning the bike a while, or during clean-up.
      Tuck\o/

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: KXcam22 on January 01, 2010, 11:33:45 AM

As a rule of thumb I use antisieze on all bolts that thread into aluminum and blue loctite on the ones that thread into steel.  Of course a few of the high vibration area bolts that thread into aluminum get the blue. It is a good winter project to prep your bike like that and the payoff is that you barely have to lay a wrench on it during the next season.  I never lost a bolt off the KX in the 14 seasons I rode it. Cam.

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: kxpegger on January 01, 2010, 03:48:55 PM

I use grease on mine. The pinch bolts are plated steel or stainless. When threaded into aluminum one metal becomes an anode and the other a cathode. With an electrical path such as water, moisture and other contaminates corrosion begins and usually the sacrificial metal (aluminum) will corrode the worst destroying the threads. The other concern is one metal is much harder than the other and pulling and galling may occur. Corrosion and it's results are is pretty interesting once you understand what's going on. Lube the threads with antisieze or grease to help slow or prevent both of the above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: blueoval on January 01, 2010, 04:13:45 PM

Thanks for the information.  Really appreciate it!  ted

Title: Re: Front Fork Pinch Bolts
Post by: KXcam22 on January 01, 2010, 04:49:47 PM

KXpegger is right. Grease works just as well.  Where I work there are jars of antisieze in every corner so I always have some on hand. I always forget that many won't have some around. Cam.