Rear sprocket bolts

[ffatboy03]

I just got some new wheels for my 03 Fatboy. I have the chrome sprocket cover with chrome bolts on the old one which I will need to remove and put on the new. Is it safe to reuse the chrome bolts. How much and what # red loctite do I need to put on them? Thanks

[Berserker]

Manual will tell you how to put sprocket on.


*****Editted for safety sake.

[Bluetoys]

In a thread on a different forum, a guy related how the sprocket bolts all sheared off on his brother's bike. Turns out that the bolts aren't supposed to be reused, something about stretch and torque... Another aspect of it is the chroming process makes metal brittle. I bet the bolts are not so expensive that a guy would need to risk it.

[FXDRYDR]

+1 what Bluetoys said. I know of two instances of such failure and would recommend new, OEM fasteners.

[mongoose]

Are you sure about RED Loctite? I haven't checked the book, but I know for sure that RED is meant for parts that are not intended to be disassembled...ever. El Permanente.

BLUE Loctite (242, I think) is semi-permanent, i.e. parts can be disassembled with enough force.

Agree with Matt on stretch and torque fatiguing bolts...compared to the cost of a rim, new bolts are nothing.

[TalonChief]

06 Manual says use red (271) and new bolts every 3 cycles.

[Serg06]

Bolts are bolts. Clean off the locktite and run them again.

[fxr4mikey]

we reuse the cylinder stud bolts ... they are designed to be stretched and torqued ....... I don't hear folks saying that if you remove your cylinders, you need to replace those ...
Wonder why it's different for the wheel ????

[dzlfitr]

Torque IS stretch. When you torque a bolt, you are stretching it.
Gotta go with Matt, replace them.

[KingThrasher]

Plating of Bolts causes a chemical reaction in the Tensile strength of the material.

To give you an idea, lets take a normal Grade 8 Socket Head Cap Screw.
ALL socket products are Grade 8 material as an industry standard.

If you choose to plate those fasteners with an ElectroPLated ZINC finish, the process of plating alone will cause a breakdown in the chemical composition of the metal.
THUS, after plating the parts must be baked in an oven at around 400 Degrees for 4 hours. This allows the chemical properties in the metal to realign.
Its sort of an inpromptu Heat Treating if you will.

Chroming is a completely differnent process and Does affect the tensile strength of the material as well.

My suggestion would be that replacing those bolts would be "cheap" insurance.
Yes, placing Torque on a bolt does stress the Material.

My other suggestion would be to just use the STOCK bolts, and buy some chrome covers as I think replacing the chrome covers may prove to be Cheaper in the long run.
Just a suggestion.

Good Luck.

[Sidecar Doug]

New bolts and inspect the rim. I found two of the bolts loose once, and they wouldn't tighten down. The threads in the rim had stripped out. It cost me a new rear rim, but luckly I caught it before it caused more damage.

[Berserker]

Originally Posted by fxr4mikey

we reuse the cylinder stud bolts ... they are designed to be stretched and torqued ....... I don't hear folks saying that if you remove your cylinders, you need to replace those ...
Wonder why it's different for the wheel ????

I have no knowldege on this. Maybe safety issue. Also sproket has more sheer stress on i??

[mongoose]

Originally Posted by Berserker

I have no knowldege on this. Maybe safety issue. Also sproket has more sheer stress on i??

Excellent point, Mike. Not just more sheer stress but almost exclusively sheer stress, while the cylinder studs have almost exclusively tensile stress.

What happens at catastrophic failure in each case?

[Berserker]

I would rather have an engine blow, from safety sake, then tire fall off.

[Shooter]

I seared off all the bolts on my sprocket, not sure if it was because the bolts were reused or just over stressed. It did alot of damage, ruined my rear wheel and some other crap that was not cheap to fix.