Excellent question and good, informative and interesting replies.
Thank you people.
And I'm with Matt on the torque wrench front as I invested £50 on one a couple of years ago and I simply never use it.

I invested about £35 on a torque wrench, and, never use it.

shaun

Hmmmmmmm... since my hero MollyDog said the same thing... (and I believe every word he utters).. I have to tread carefully....here... uhm....I'll be gentle:


STOP PATRONISING!!!! (you sound like my older brothers!)


(OK - just kidding.. I know you guys mean well.. don't want to confuse my girly head etc....)

HOWEVER ---- FIRSTLY: ofcourse it IS important...else I could just go round.. dig in my little box of bolts and randomly replace ones that go missing or whatever.. with whatever!

SECONDLY: I'm not worried -- I just like to know WHY I'm doing things, and why some stuff work and others dont.


I KNOOOOOOWWW that I can buy the right replacements from the friendly Yamaha man at Kedo...AND I PROMISE I WILL..... BUUUUUT... that would be like a MONKEY just... mindlessly doing things, without understanding how and why!!

AND... what if I'm stuck somewhere in the BUNDUS... and I have a choice of things.. and I don't know which one is best...and no phone.. to ring up some bloke somewhere, to ask???


OR WORSE.... What if I'm somewhere in INTELLIGENT MALE company... and someone asks... what does pitch mean on a bolt... and I don't knooooooooooowwww??? The embarassment!!


When I was a kid... I spent MANY hours hanging round my brother's bikes and workshop... and was fascinated with all the bolts and stuff... I always watched them dig around for washers.. and bolts and use them for all sorts of magical purposes... just nice.. to finally see the light!

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Wow... Andy... thank you soooooooooooo much for taking the time to answer so patiently and comprehensively... and SIMPLY

It all makes perfect sense and I'm glad I asked!!

I'm ESPECIALLY excited about the washers... woooowww!! That makes a LOT of sense now!!!

(I must confess...though... when you started talking about tightening and torque and calibration and tighterness... uhmm... my head started feeling a bit funny... so I've skipped those bits... guess I've not gone COMPLETELY petrol head yet!)

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You're welcome.

Getting excited about washers though, that's about the time you should go for a ride or head for the pub . I'd recomend the ride or one day you'll find yourself in the pub, actually having an opinion about Torx bolts versus Phillips head or some such rubbish. At that point you may as well give up and buy something old, British and non-oil tight and/or a mechano set!

Looking at the stainless, did you save the old bolts all together? I tend to bag 'em all up, then when it comes to stowing a handful of just-in-case bolts on the rack or numberplate, you've got a ready made source that tells you there's lots of one size or another. This guarantees that when the mudguard comes loose on your F650 30 km up a forest track in Norway you'll know exactly where the right nuts are. They are in the bag in the garage at home

Aren't cable ties useful

Andy

This is a VERY good point. My first set of tools was a set of 'Draper' ones: proudly made in Britain to very low tolerances of accuracy! Sometimes the different in fit between the ring end and the open jaw is extraordinary. And then I broke the end off my 14mm changing a tyre and thought: "Hmm, time for new spanners!"

Seriously, cheap spanners can fit very poorly and damage the hex, making undoing even more difficult.

I now have a set of Eloras, proudly made in Germany, which I bought because my dad, who does more than his fair share of spannering due to two vintage cars, still has the set he bought when he was at uni. They are expensive but they (shock horror) fit, and not only that but are actually slimmer and lighter than my old drapers (now relegated to the back of the car) so make ideal spanners for the bike tool-kit.

Matt (tool-nerd)

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Sorry, XT Girl, genuinely didn't mean to be patronising. It's just that a lot of detailed knowledge really isn't that important. JMHO. BTW, when I'm in intelligent male company and don't know something (quite often) I just admit it and ask for more info. Nobody's laughed at me yet, and I don't have the excuse of being a lady!

Matt

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Hey Matt -- I was only kidding -- I know you guys mean well, and appreciate the time and effort you're taking to educate us!

: )

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It all started when HenryUK pointed me to Stagonset - Stainless Nuts and Bolts, Screws and Fasteners -- and an uncontrollable urge to SHOP! SHOP! SHOP! got hold of me...

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THEM DAMES

Toughness
Hardness
Elasticity
Malleability

Durability
Anealability
Machinability
Elasticity
Strength


It's always a compromise but it usually comes back to 8.8 ms to satisfy the above, particularly for a bike that is going to be put under extreme opperating conditions.

One last point - if you shear the head off a stainless bolt you will not be able to drill it out without cobalt drills.

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Speaking of old and British regards fasteners, lets pause and reflect on
good 'ol Whitworth!

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Ah, but if it hadn't of been for joseph Whitworth where would we be now.
And you can't blame him for all that dripping oil from British bikes and landrovers

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

As I have no opinion what so ever on the above two posts (honest), I'm going for a ride now .


Now, where did I put that Whitworth spanner whose only practical use is to wedge the garage door open

Andy

Aye Molly ! The last gasps and I still pine for my BSA .
Bye the way- you forgot about the CEI threads .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Hi all

Just to let you know, I used to work for Stagonset and you will notice their website has been suspended since I left in July.

A number of us have since set up Westfield Fasteners with a very similar service, offering a range of stainless nuts and bolts at:-

Stainless Nuts and Bolts, Screws, and Hose Clips - Westfield Stainless Steel Fasteners

I hope this is useful for you!

Matt