| Author | Message | ||
     Roadrailer |
So I'm reading through the instructions for the installation of the bag racks (came in this week!!!!) and I notice they spec'd RED loctite for the bolts. Come to think of it, I've seen red loctite specificied in several places in the owner's manual. It struck me as odd because, generally, I would only use red in an application where I had no intention a disassembling the part. What are you using? Is the need that great for red loctite. My plan now is just to use blue. | ||
| Rhinowerx |
I bought a 50ml bottle of both Red and Blue from a local Grainger store (they set up a dummy account for me cause I'm not a contractor). Cost me around $70 total. I think, from memory, the book recommends 243 Threadlocker which is Oil Resistant/Medium Strength | ||
| Chadhargis |
I just went to an auto parts store and bought a tube of red and a tube of blue. Cost about $3 a piece. | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
I have not used the red in decades. I always use the blue or the green with no problems. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I'm sort of partial to the blue myself. | ||
| Stevenknapp |
What about the thread sealant stuff, loctite 565. Do people in general use it for oil changes and the like? | ||
| Crusty |
You don't need to use any of that liquid crap. Them engineers don't know what they're talking about. What? You think they went to school for years to learn that crap? There's a much simpler way. Just use Super glue. Then you won't have to worry about any of it. Or you could do like my old buddy Crow did in Kentucky. He was an Ironworker, and any time something fell off his rigid framed Panhead, he'd fire up the old Lincoln and tack weld the offending piece in place. | ||
| Roadrailer |
You don't need to use any of that liquid crap. Them engineers don't know what they're talking about. What? You think they went to school for years to learn that crap? There's a much simpler way. Just use Super glue. Then you won't have to worry about any of it. Or you could do like my old buddy Crow did in Kentucky. He was an Ironworker, and any time something fell off his rigid framed Panhead, he'd fire up the old Lincoln and tack weld the offending piece in place. Thanks, that was helpful.  | ||
| Al_lighton |
These days, I buy my loctite in the "chap stick" dispensing tubes. It is a LOT more convenient to use than the liquid stuff. Al | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Al, You beat me to the punch! I've used the blue tube stuff for about a year now. It is MUCH more convienient than the liquid. It doesen't even dry out if you forget the cap! I've not used the red yet but I'm sure it works just as good a the red liquid. Of course YMMV Brad | ||
| Crusty |
We use a variety of Locktite products where I work, and I've found that the blue paste isn't quite as strong as the liquid 242. The paste is much more convenient to use. I have no experience with the red paste, so I have no opinion on it. We build air bearing stages, at work, and the use of Locktite is mandated for all cap screws with the exception of button heads. When I installed the bags on my Ulysses, I had no problem with the idea of using red Locktite. It's great stuff, and how often are you going to be removing the saddlebag mounts anyway? I apologize if anyone found my previous post offensive, I was trying to be funny. But my point is that the engineers didn't just pull the idea out of nowhere. They know the strengths of the different compounds and picked the product that was most appropriate. Maybe blue Locktite will work fine under most conditions, but what if yours is the bike that exceeded those conditions? How happy would you be to discover that your right bag fell off ten miles back? If you use the recommended product, the odds are much better that you'll have no problems with things working loose. BTW, that bit about Crow in Louisville is 100% true. You should have seen his bike. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I have used both on airplane parts, but Crusty's right. If you use what the engineering says to use, you really can't go wrong in most cases. On the other hand, any thread locking compound is better than none in high-vibe environments. I like the blue because it disappears when you wipe your hands on your jeans.  | ||
| Chadhargis |
I do use the thread sealant as per the manual. No drips yet. | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
The pipe thread sealant is great stuff, I always carry it in my tool pouch at work. I also carry the stick tube tread lock in my tool pouch, but I have not fallen in love with it. I will keep my little bottles of liquid, thank you! Use all the red you want, I do not buy it so the store should be well stocked. I have ridden Harleys for years without using the red and never had anything fall off on the road. Always wondered where people came up with notion that all Harleys fell apart. Figured they became experts by reading restroom walls. | ||
| Dennis_c |
dragon slayer uses a 3 foot pipe on the end of his wrench  | ||
| Stevenknapp |
The manual specs Loctite 272 for the chin fairing fasteners? And they seemed to be setup that way from the factory as well. Seems awful tough to get apart for something you change every 5k or more. No? And 272 seems to be similar to normal red 262, except it takes more heat before it breaks down. I can see for things that won't be removed often, going with Red. But for these blue seems like more than enough, no? | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
The factory loctites every bolt on these damn bikes. I have stripped the head off two bolts and broke one off in the frame already and I have only had this bike for 5 days now!!! I will not put loctite on any bolt I reinstall!! | ||
| Lowflyer |
"I will not put loctite on any bolt I reinstall!!" I think I would use the blue stuff in lieu of not using anything. Having a tough time removing hardware is just part of wrenching. It's what makes mechanics have a bad day at the office. The alternative is potentially losing hardware and/or parts on the road. | ||
| Chrisb |
Lets not forget to use a torque wrench. Snug up the fastener with a ratchet them switch over and use a smooth motion to get your "click" if you are using a click type TQ wrench. Same rules apply for beam and dial types. Remember, like any form of "scale" the wrench is more accurate at the upper limits of its range than at lower settings. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I typically use the blue. I've not had anything come loose. You do have to clean the threads every so often so they don't get gummed up. A little parts cleaner and a tooth brush and you're good to go. |
