General hardware | GTAMotorcycle.com

General hardware

bigpoppa

Well-known member
How do you guys go about getting generic hardware for you bikes? Replacing old nuts, bolts, screws...

Perhaps some are corroded or rounded, perhaps previous owner used some mix and match screws that arent supposed to be there

It seems kind of random/silly to order online or go to the dealership asking for $3 worth of a specific kind of bolt

Are there kits I can purchase that will just have spares? How will I know if they work for my bike?(05 fz6)

Thanks
 
the online kits work but they're mostly just expensive bolts from Home Depot.

Depending on what the bolt is, I'll just get them from Home Depot or Lowes and I'll try to find ones that are galvanized or zinc.

For fairing bolts, you're pretty much stuck with OEM, unless you like the generic look.
 
you're in Brampton?

Brafasco

but you do need to know the sizes/thread pitch/hardness for what your want

the Depot will also have what you need
but the staff may sell you swing set bolts
 
I'm a fan of OEM. Everything matches, no having to guess, guaranteed to work. $1-3 a bolt really isn't all that much in the big picture.

For generic, the Bolts Plus in Vaughan has always been good to me.
 
If you are going to be routinely working on bikes, it may be useful to buy a kit containing common fasteners like this one: Bolt Motorcycle Hardware (99SBTP) Sport Bike Track Pack Hardware Kit, Tool Sets - Amazon Canada

Almost everyone who has been working on bikes for a while, accumulates a box of random fasteners.

The generic fasteners from those kits, or from your random box of bolts, might not exactly match the head style of specific fasteners on your specific bike, but the thread sizes are standardised. All M4 (4mm) screws have the same thread pitch, all M5 screws have the same thread pitch, etc. If you are fussy about appearance, or are doing a concours restoration, often you will have no choice but go to the dealer ... but a M6 socket head cap screw with a washer underneath the head is functionally equivalent to the fancy button-head-but-with-hex-socket original-equipment M6 screw and will directly interchange.

The one oddball to watch out for are the M10 fasteners. The two ISO choices for thread pitch are M10x1.5 (coarse - most common) or M10x1.0 (fine), and the Japanese motorcycle industry in their infinite wisdom has (mostly) settled on M10x1.25.

There are certain fasteners that should not be substituted. Brake lever shoulder bolts, for one. They rely on the brake lever pivoting around the shoulder part of the bolt while not being clamped. A standard full-threaded bolt of the same overall length is not an acceptable substitute.
 
^ I see zero mention of hardness
is it marked on the bolt heads?

not a big deal
but if in a location where torque is important
without knowing hardness
there is no point in using a torque wrench
 
A lot of the time, the OEM screws don't have the standardised head markings to indicate what class of fastener it is (because you're supposed to use the original one).

In critical applications, don't use generic fasteners. The above-mentioned brake lever pivot bolts. Connecting-rod nuts and screws. Cylinder-head bolts. That sort of thing. If the service manual specifies a special procedure for torquing the fastener (e.g. "tighten to X N/m following specified sequence in two steps then tighten 60 degrees further following specified sequence"), you'd better be using the OEM fastener, because their special procedure is tailored to you using that specific fastener.

But there are hundreds of non-critical fasteners where the strength of the screw just doesn't matter.
 
Brofasco does it for me, I also have a small euro car shop that has a friendly owner with a nice stash of fasteners - a double-double gets me the odd nut or bolt.

One thing I always do is change jap M4,5,6 Phillips / JIS screws for hex head stainless fasteners (float bowls, case covers, heat shields). Get those in bulk off AliExpress, $30 gets a lot of fasteners.
 
I'm just adding Canada Bolts to the list because I didn't see it mentioned.
I used them on a KDX rebuild and they were quite good to deal with.

 

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