DIY Crash Bar Studs

By:Geek

In a recent thread I saw Qwik posted that he'd switched his front crashbar mounts from "bolt on" to "studs with a lock nut".

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...2&postcount=15

Why do this:
The idea is that as you remove and replace your crashbars over time (a very fiddly procedure) the aluminum you are bolting into (above the battery box) gets chewed up which could lead to a long term problem. By eliminating the bolt and using a permanent mounted stud instead, it makes your crash bars easier to mount and it'll save the threads in the frame in the long run

I performed the procedure on my bike today and thought I'd put together a step-by-step for others considering it to save you from multiple trips to the hardware store, etc... It is a very easy thing to do but I'll over-explain it in case someone with zero mechanical skills wants to do it.

There are many ways you could do this - this is what I did; what worked for me and what didn't work for me.

Here is the problem:

Where your crash bars bolt on in behind the front wheel and above the battery box. Over time the holes will wear. If you've had it apart you know that it is an aluminum plate sitting over the frame underneath.

Here is the objective: Stud on the left that uses a nut to hold the crash bar on - vs. bolt on the right that we use now.


What I used:


On the right is the stock mounting bolt and the stock spacer.
I replaced it with the stud, two nuts jammed together, and a lock nut.

Here is what I used:
Red loctite (permanent).
Qty 2: nylon locknuts: M8-1.25
Qty 4: nuts: M8-1.25 nuts
Qty 2: studs (aka: All-Thread): M8-1.25x40

What the numbers mean:
-M8 means 8mm diameter
-the 1.25 is the thread pitch (which is coarser than 1.00 pitch - pay attention when buying nuts.. I accidentally bought some 1.00 pitch because they were in the wrong bin ! You need 1.25 pitch as that is what the original threaded holes are)
-40 - the studs are 40mm long - shorter than this you may not have enough material. Much longer than this and you may have clearance issues with the header pipe. 50mm would probably work but I haven't tried.

I went to a few hardware stores trying to find the right studs - it turns out my local ACE Hardware had them.

And this is basically the goal: To create the thing on the left and eliminate the thing on the right.


Jam the two nuts together in the middle of the stud by torquing on them toward each other so they bind (I slightly offset mine so that the end that threads into the bike is maybe 2mm shorter than the part that sticks out - ymmv depending on how thick the nuts you have are).



Put red (permanent) loctite on the end you are going to thread into the bike


DO NOT DO THIS!:
I made this mistake: Do NOT mount the studs before you put the aluminum plate on - there is not enough space between the header and the stud to get the plate on..

so you need to put the plate in position first and then put the studs in.

Thread them in!


The red loctite will mount them permanently and the two nuts jammed together will let you snug the studs down so that everything is tight

Now when you go to mount your crashbars they'll just slip over the studs easily (no more alignment issues (at least on this bolt ) )



Throw a nylon lock nut on and you are done


Note: Qwik did his with the original spacers. I found that the nuts I used created enough lift that I didn't need the spacer - YMMV. Using the spacers would probably be "stronger" as they are wider - I might replace my nuts with larger outside diameter ones in the future to give a bigger foot print.



I hope this helps someone.

cheers,
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