On my 2014 Low Rider. Been riding since 1977. Have owned at least 10 motorcycles including 3 Harleys.
Have never used a torque wrench, just hand tight and a good snurk. I got the idea to buy a craftsman torque wrench this past weekend and by mistake tightened my handlebar risers and clamp to 40 ft lbs instead of the 12-16 ft pounds.
Should I back them off to the correct torque or have I stretched the bolts and associated parts out of spec.

Any advice is grately appreciated.

Thx Greg in NJ

 

Something as important as handlebar risers, I would replace and not take a chance. Too important.

 

Good one. I know I've done the same to some bolts here and there.
Your probably good but wouldn't it suck if a bolt snapped one day and you pulled your bars down while riding?

Just to clear my head I'd get 4 new bolts and thread lock them and tq them to the high side of spec and be done with it. You'll probably get 20 replies saying your fine but they ain't riding the bike. You are. Just my 2 cents.

 

No way to know if you damaged the risers. I would spend a few dollars now, rather than pay a much higher price later. If they are damaged?

 

I would look at the max allowable torque for the fasteners you used and decide if you were going to replace them.

For the cost of 4 bolts, I think I'd just replace the hardware for peace of mind, inspect the riser cap(s) for any warping/cracking (and replace if necessary), then install the new bolts with some blue loctite.


Don't worry, others have done much worse.

 

I wouldn't worry to much about the bolts. The tensile strength of the bolt is likely far greater than 40 foot pounds of torque. The big issue is the handlebars themselves. If they get crushed or malformed you may have to torque to 40 all the time now. Also, if the risers are aluminum you can run the chance of ruining the threads.

As already stated, bolts are cheap and you can easily replace them if you are concerned. Disassemble the bars and inspect everything. Then re-tighten the clamps to spec. You'll know right away if that's not enough if the bars move. Also, always use blue loctite on bolts that don't get removed often or have a tendency to loosen.

 

I remember vividly the day my handle bars broke off while riding, sure was an experiance I never want to try again.

 

Well there is a terrifying thought that will probably keep me awake tonight!