How Good Is Lock Tite ?

W

Wheel Rush

New Member
One major factor is bolts and screws come loose, that can be a bummer, it seems to happen when you least expect it.

So is Lock-Tite as good as it is said to be ?
 
Well, lemme put it to you this way.
There is a darned good reason why it is known as Harley-Davidson glue. ( I am a semi-retired Harley mechanic, 15 yrs exp.)
Nothing rattles and falls off while you are cruising down the road if you use Loctite.

A note of caution, Loctite needs clean, dry, oil and grease free surfaces to work properly.
I recommend cleaning the bolt or screw as well as the hole it threads into with brake cleaner and letting it dry thoroughly before applying Loctite.

Use #242 blue if you want to remove the fastener in the future.
Use #271 red if you want a nearly permanent installation. In most situations heat around 600F is required to unlock #271 red.
Really small screws should have Loctite 222 purple.

Do not use Loctite on the factory fasteners that come with the Chinagirl kits.
They are of such low quality that you will strip out the head of the screw or possibly snap the screw when trying to remove one that has had Loctite used on it.
 
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I think GearNut did a great job of covering the topic....
I didn't use loctite on my initial build, my first month of riding had me tightening just about everything. When I ordered an upgraded stud kit I used red loctite to secure the studs in the block and head (and let it cure over night), then used blue loctite on the threads before I screwed on the nuts. This year none of the previously problematic nuts came loose a single time, I didn't even have to re-torque the head. I'm super happy with how it worked out, I did all riding and no wrenching this year! The only things that came loose were the nuts I didn't use loctite on (kickstand, muffler bracket etc), next year they ALL get blue loctite too...
The only thing I would caution you about is you don't want to loctite unless you know what your tightening is going to stay put. I would say with a new kit it would probably be best to build and ride without loctite and work out all the bugs, in case something needs adjustment or you have some issue with the motor before it is broken in. Once the build has been tested and motor has passed the initial break-in then I would pull the nuts and use blue loctite on the threads. I would also recommend that you upgrade the studs if at all possible, the stuff that comes with the kit is cheap and way too easy to strip out. I got mine from SickBikeParts.com, the stud kit was not expensive and I was impressed with their quality and service over there....
 
I get the message , . . Real good to hear your support for that product, am looking forward to worry free riding. I went to the bank the other day and when I walked out , . my custom muffler was laying on the ground under the place it once was attached to, washers and screws nicely and neatly there within a few inches, that was the last time and really a lucky one, . because it didn't drop off while riding to bounce around and hit me or worse yet, someone else. Anyway I am ready for some lock-tite.
Thanks Much !

Harley Glue, . . . that's a good one, I'm now a day older and a day wiser.
 
The ultimate feastening technique is safety wiring. Lock-tie should work fine unless you have a really high reving engine like a Morini.
 
Back to the original question; Loctite is an excellent product. It just has limited use on a motorized bicycle.
I never use it, never had things fall off because I didn't. I use nylon lock nuts on things like chain guards and fender braces but never, never on my engines. If you have an engine that vibrates bad enough to loosen properly installed and torqued fasteners using a bandaid like thread locking compounds is just that, a bandaid. Eventually the vibes are gonna win no matter what. If the fasteners stay tight something else is gonna let go.

Safety wire is way overkill and totally impractical in almost every application on a bike. You'd need to drill the head of every fastener and when you got done your bike would look like something from Frankenstein's lab. It's not a jet fighter. It's a motorized bicycle.

Tom
 
I've used just regular black RTV on threads without any problems. I'm not sure how expensive or available Loc-Tite is, but silicone RTV is more prevalent and it does work. Although I have never used it nor recommend using it on spark plug threads. If someone wants to try that and report back, then by all means.
 
I fall in the middle on this I guess. TwoDoor has point about needing loctite on engine fasteners. Knowing most bolts are going into tapped cast aluminum I'm just not in a hurry to make them harder to remove. Some locations like fender bolts, brackets, stuff that is installed once and never touched but gets vibrated a lot gets loctite red. If it's a bracket or mount that might be removed then loctite blue. One thing in addition to the parts being clean as GearNut mentioned is that the fit needs to be good. Loctite isn't a replacement for threads and is a lousy gap filler. If the threads are loose and don't get hot I use a product called Vibratite. It's like adding the goop on the threads of locking fasteners yourself only you can control how much goop goes on.
Another tip for using adhesives on threads is to apply whatever you are using on the part that you want the excess to wick onto. If you don't want excess in the bottom of a blind hole, put the loctite on the first few threads of the screw. Opposite if you want to push it through a through hole (put it on the first few threads of the hole). Also, use too much and it won't cure. It is not friendly to a "bigger the glob the better job" type of application.
 
Wheel Rush said:
One major factor is bolts and screws come loose, that can be a bummer, it seems to happen when you least expect it.

So is Lock-Tite as good as it is said to be ?
Click to expand...
Locktite works great. I use the high temp. locktite. its a must have with these bike engines. you will vibrate you screws right out with out it.
 
put some red 271 on your zipper and close it.....then drink as many iced teas as you can in an hour............come back and tell us....."how good it is":-||
 
2door said:
Back to the original question; Loctite is an excellent product. It just has limited use on a motorized bicycle.
I never use it, never had things fall off because I didn't. I use nylon lock nuts on things like chain guards and fender braces but never, never on my engines. If you have an engine that vibrates bad enough to loosen properly installed and torqued fasteners using a bandaid like thread locking compounds is just that, a bandaid. Eventually the vibes are gonna win no matter what. If the fasteners stay tight something else is gonna let go.

Safety wire is way overkill and totally impractical in almost every application on a bike. You'd need to drill the head of every fastener and when you got done your bike would look like something from Frankenstein's lab. It's not a jet fighter. It's a motorized bicycle.

Tom
Click to expand...
I mostly agree with this, but I think safety wire has a place in a certain application. It looks too cool even if it's a HUGE amount of work. I don't use loctite and I have mega-miles on all my chinagirls. It all comes down to maintainence. (and luck)
 
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