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?
So I messed up. Need some guidane
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 47
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From: nj
So I messed up. Need some guidane
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
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
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,016
Likes: 277
From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
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
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
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 5,323
Likes: 37
From: NJ
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 600
Likes: 10
From: Rochester, NY
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.
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.
Last edited by enodrano; May 28, 2015 at 08:20 AM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,369
Likes: 472
From: CC TX
I remember vividly the day my handle bars broke off while riding, sure was an experiance I never want to try again.
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