Maintaining fasteners and bearings

from Eric the Yahoo group moderator

Somewhere back in the annals of piggydom history here there are some pretty deep discussions on corrosion, galvanic reaction, what to grease and what to lock. While this may not help those who already have motion begrudged radial ramp hex devices, it will help those who don't already properly maintain their bikes. Here's a few rules to save internet bandwidth.

1: Use antisieze on chain adjuster bolts! Every time you change a tire, remove the bolts entirely, wire brush them, and apply a thin coat of the AS. For those who may have skipped that day in high school to go riding, do some reading on "galvanic reaction". The swingarm is of a design that allows water to leak into it, providing a beautiful catalyst to speed the process along every time you put the piggy down for a nap. Something to think about, this water also has access to the swingarm bearings. This sedgeways us along to the next rule.

2: Grease every axle! Front axle and rear, swingarm pivot, linkage pivots. I don't care if they all have seals or not, these units all
allow moisture in. Unless of course, you're one of those Dubai guys who don't know what mud is. :-) Use a good waterproof grease. Look for "Aluminum" in the base or complex name. Not all grease is "waterproof" just because it has dead dinosaurs in it. You gotta have the right stuff. Every time you change rubber or a bearing, pull axles, clean them entirely with a wire brush to remove cake, and apply a THIN coat of grease over the entire thing. All you need is to be able to see a shiny layer over the metal. Little is best here, as it will also collect crud. If you have grease rolling up on the edges when you drive the axle in, you've got too much. If you haven't already done this to every rotational center on the bike, I'd strongly suggest you grab some cans of spoiled grain and go spend some quality time with tools.

3: Lube or or lock? Every once in a while someone jumps in here with a "I spun the insert" topic. Radiator shroud, rear fender, seat, and side panel bolts all use threadserts. DO NOT LOCK THEM! If anything (I don't) get out the AS and put a dab on. If you're worried about them backing out, apply a dab of RTV over the head. This will hold them in. I do this to my rear fender bolts. I've never lost any of the others. But then, I spend a little tlc with my machine after a ride. It's a great time to find this stuff before it runs away and spends the
remainder of its days living trailside and flinging poo at unsuspecting riders.

4: Case bolts. I coat them also. Especially if they are one you won't bother with any time soon. Again, galvanic reaction. On the topic of case bolts, if you're following the manual to a "T", right down to torquing the case bolts, throw the damned manual and torque wrench away. Learn to "feel" a case bolt and don't stress so much over a 6.5ft-lb bolt. It's not that important. What is important is what it's going to take to remove that long oil filter cover bolt you just busted off down within the innards of the motor because you just torqued dry spec on a wet bolt. Crink! Torque wrenches are for head bolts and beating off zombies when your AR runs dry, silly rabbit.

5: Newer bike, oil the nipples. Just a drop on every nipple is good PM for an easier time down the road. Motor oil is fine. I apply a
penetrant (Not WD40 fish oil crap) to the backsides every time I swap rubber. A hint on the use of WD40. I use it to mount tires because it evaporates by the time you're ready to ride. Do you really want to use it as a lube?

Nice postings BUMP, but a question about the oiling of the nipples? What is the logic behind this. Does the oil help them stay in a bit better? Thank for the info...I am having nipple back out issues on my piggy and it is indeed practically new.

-WP

Bump wrote:from Eric the Yahoo group moderator

5: Newer bike, oil the nipples. Just a drop on every nipple is good PM for an easier time down the road. Motor oil is fine. I apply a penetrant (Not WD40 fish oil crap) to the backsides every time I swap rubber. A hint on the use of WD40. I use it to mount tires because it evaporates by the time you're ready to ride. Do you really want to use it as a lube?

I'm not sure what his thinking is on all these. But there is a consistent topic on the Yahoo list about fastener problems. Hence I posted this list. But Eric does some things I don't agree with and other things I find smart depending on one's maintenance style.

I'll ask him about this for you and post his reply.

"The oil helps with corrosion so that hopefully one will still be able to twist their nipples painlessly when the time comes. That's all......."

That esplains it. Thanks for the follow up BUMP!

Bump wrote:"The oil helps with corrosion so that hopefully one will still be able to twist their nipples painlessly when the time comes. That's all......."