Riser bolts loose

[BBB]

I fitted some bar back risers today. When I took the upper handlebar clamps off and removed the handlebars, the lower risers were slightly loose on the left hand side and very loose on the right hand side. I had the risers replaced as part of the recall (mine’s a 2015) and the dealer has been excellent so far, so I can only presume that they have worked themselves loose over time.

If you get the chance, it might be worth checking yours. It was a pain to tighten from underneath and needed several extensions and a swivel joint to get the 14mm socket on.

[duhs10]

Wow... I had the recall done as well (which was supposed to fix the issue).  I will have to check mine tomorrow.

[skipperT]

Torque on those should be 29ft lbs, IIRC. Yamaha also sends new nuts with the risers, wonder if maybe yours got reused? Hard to tell at this junction... good catch though. 
 

-Skip

[piotrek]

See if the studs turn with the nuts. If so, I would be removing the holders to ensure that the studs are srewed all the way, with bluegoop on the threads. I believe the recall had to do with the studs coming loose out of the holders.

[skipperT]

On 10/23/2019 at 7:25 AM, piotrek said:

See if the studs turn with the nuts. If so, I would be removing the holders to ensure that the studs are srewed all the way, with bluegoop on the threads. I believe the recall had to do with the studs coming loose out of the holders.

Good idea, but they are one piece design. if those studs move, then the mount is damaged  

The new mounts don’t have any anodizing on the base where they meet the upper triple clamp. ”Under certain conditions the anodizing would undergo a reaction which would cause the mount to loosen up, which would potentially create an unsafe riding condition which could lead to a crash”. Or something along those lines. The nuts provided in the kit don’t have loctite as they are similar in design to the ones for the rear sprocket and are supposed to be one time use. 

-Skip

[piotrek]

On 10/24/2019 at 10:34 AM, skipperT said:

Good idea, but they are one piece design. if those studs move, then the mount is damaged  

The new mounts don’t have any anodizing on the base where they meet the upper triple clamp. ”Under certain conditions the anodizing would undergo a reaction which would cause the mount to loosen up, which would potentially create an unsafe riding condition which could lead to a crash”. Or something along those lines. The nuts provided in the kit don’t have loctite as they are similar in design to the ones for the rear sprocket and are supposed to be one time use. 

-Skip

Recall wording:

"In affected motorcycles, the lower handlebar holder may have been painted improperly during manufacturing. Additionally, the stud bolt threads of the lower handlebar holder may not have had adequate thread-locking agent applied. As a result, if a strong external impact is applied to the handlebar, the paint on the bottom of the lower handlebar holder may be damaged. Over time, the paint can wear off, creating clearance that allows the stud bolt to loosen due to engine vibration. If the stud loosens or falls off, the handlebar holder may come loose from the handle crown, causing loss of control that could result in a crash with injury or death."

The OE holder is an assembly (2015 anyway). I was able to unscrew the stud bolt from the holder rather easily... it did not have thread locker on the threads. I removed the paint from the holder mating surface, applied bluegoop to the stud bolt threads (holder side only) and secured the assembly to the steering head with the OE self locking nuts to the specified torque. Has been solid since. Check it once at beginning of each season.

I will say that I did the work as a preventative measure... my VIN was on the hit list for the recall, but the holders were not loose.