[moorso]

New to the board here but wanted to ask a simple question. I'm no mechanic by any means, but I took off the seat on my 1300 the other day and noticed how the screws kind of "snapped" off ....made me wonder whether they were put on with something that kept them from rattling off from vibration.

Is it common practice to use something (dont know if lok-tite is the right stuff) to keep vibration from loosening screws on the bike? Should I be putting something on these screw threads to hold them tight?

 

[DaytonaVTX]

Screws will sometimes "snap" off it was just that it was tight and hasn't been removed for some time (if ever). I use lok tite (blue) a lot, but my seat I don't

 

[Spoiler]

DaytonaVTX is right. That's how I do it also
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[MPD193]

Blue to remove, red to thread is how I remember it.

Only use the red sparingly to stuff you don't plan on ever taking off like muffler brackets and stuff like that. Things that require maintenance occasionally like brakes and stuff, I put the blue on.

Seat bolts and the like, if you are using more than two fingers to tighten it, it's probably overkill.

Anti-seize is for stuff you wanna remove like axle bolts and spark plugs. All this stuff will affect the actual torque of the bolts so use sparingly. More is not always better.

 

[pme5280]

PS: The seat bolts have been notorious to cross threading, and just genrally being a PIA. Many have gone to a 1/4 or 3/8" hitch pin to attach the seat. I was first concerned with it coming off or someone stealing my seat, but no problems when you're riding. I secured mine to the fender rail with 1/8" stainless aircraft cable so they don't get lost.
It's commonly referred to as the 'seat-pin mod.
Makes seat removal about a 5 second job. I know it works for the R/S, but others can chime in for the C.
Paul

 

[LazyDawg]

Just my .02

Only use Blue (removable) loctite on any fastener on the bike, since we never know what we will work on. Red Loctite requires heat to be removed else you risk stripping/rounding the fastener making for a bigger problem.

 

[moorso]

Okay, thanks for the tips guys. Here's another one...being a newbie here not sure what to make of it if any. Shifting through the gears I get the same feel out of the foot shifter except for 3rd which seems a bit flat. All the other gears you get a good solid clunk when you shift except for 3rd which you get almost nothing. Does that mean anything ? My guess is no, but am interested in what you think.

 

[Donut]

The light clunk is normal and depends sometimes on engine rpm - the 2nd to first is also normal - the popping of the bolts is the oxidation berween the two metals and is normal - lock-tite on seat is not a good idea because some in the past have destroyed the head of the bolts trying to get them out and had to end up drilling them out. Anti-seas would be better to use.

Doug

 

[DaytonaVTX]

I think the norm on the shifting is nutrual - clunk - first - clunk - second and after that is "smooth.

 

[SURFCITYRED]

Amen to the seat pin mod. It sure makes removal and replacement of the seat a lot easier than attempting to line up the threads for the bolts.