For those that don't know a toy run is run each year just before christmas by motorcyclists who donate toys, canned food or money for people (mainly children) that go without at christmas. They are held all over Australia and I presume the US as well. I have been meaning to go along for years and finally this year I knew someone else that was going.
I started to put on my road wheels (motard) did the back ok and was putting the front on, you know those little nuts that hold the front axle in place? Well I broke one of them. I thought damn (to put it mildly) I can get away with 3 for today, then I broke another one. Oh bother I said (yeah right) [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]
I didn't put a lot of pressure on them as I was using a small cheapo socket set just seems to be they are made outta cheese instead of steel.



I tried to get the broken studs out with vise grips but had no luck, I think it might need heating. I pulled the fork leg out so I can take it somewhere on Monday.



Of course this left me without a bike to go on the toy run so I rang my Sister to tell her I couldn't go (she was coming for the ride with me). Well she suggested as her back wasn't real good she didn't want to ride anyway and said I could use her bike. What are Sisters for right? I jumped in the car and raced out to her place strapped my toy on the back (I call him Magilla as he is a black gorilla) and headed for Moonee.



As I pulled up to the turnoff I could see hundreds of bikes in the carpark







Well the ride was fantastic we went from Moonee through Park Beach out to Sawtell via the main street and back into Coffs Harbour and down to the jetty for a great BBQ put on by the Salvation Army. All the toys were donated to the Salvos for children that are doing it tough.







The ride was organised buy the Harley Owners Group (HOG) and the Salvation Army

Afterwards 2 others and I went for a ride to Bellingen and back, I had a great day apart from breaking my bike

cheers

 

One of those studs/ nuts were broken off of my bike when i got it... i took it back to the dealer and now i have 4 bolts there instead of studs with nuts.... i like the bolt idea better...

 

Now thats a good idea thanks

 

No problem, i would make sure those are torqued down to the same torque as the nuts with studs... i use a tork wrench, i have a habit of breaking bolts, i just broke my dads 14 mm socket the other day doing brakes on the back of his impala....

 

Those nuts only want a very light torquing - 8.8 Nm. It's real easy to over tighten bolts that want to be torqued that lightly without a torque wrench. Even with a torque wrench set that lightly, you think, "surely they need to be tighter than that?".

Oh, forgot to mention - great report and a great cause!

 

That makes me happy I bought a torque wrench....doubly happy that I just ordered the repair manual. [8D] I remember my dealer telling me the torque value for the valve cover..it was somthing that sounded ridiculously low, but when you see what those bolts thread into you understand.

 

Spose I better get a torque wrench ... I been putting off buying one cause of the cost ... but it's better than being without my bike