How do you attach your rotor bolts?

So I had to remove the front rotors for new rubber and reattached the rotors using the old tabbed locking washers. Tightened the bolts in a star pattern good and tight, bent the tabs up and remounted wheel. Today after about 50 miles I got a shake in the front end and pulled over. Turns out that three of the bolts bent the tabs back and worked themselves out a bit. One of them taking a chunk out of my caliper... great... So, should I replace the tabbed washers, and locktite them in or what?

Thanks.

 

There's some more serious issue going on that you need to attend to first.........bad wheel bearings or something else improperly installed!

 

Yah, serious issues... Like me working to fast to try out the new rubber.... Left rotor, nice and snug tabs all in place, right side, no tabs folded... Guess I will be adding a set of lock tabs and a bolt or two to my order. Thanks, Chacal...

 

I don't know why you removed the Rotors to install a New Tire, but when you remove a Rotor ... you have to PREPARE the Wheel and the Wheel-Side of the Rotor for Mating.

The slightest little debris and you won't get a TRUE Mount.

When you remount the Rotor.
Put the Bolt on finger tight.
Then, tighten one ... skip one ... tight one ... skip one
Until you go all the way around.

"Pre-Bend" the Locking Tab so you don't have to mar the Wheel digging it out if its flat.

 

Good tip on the pre-bending, The surfaces were clean when I remounted, or so I think. I will be tearing it all back apart and reassembling to ensure with some new tabs when they arrive.

For tightening I figured a star pattern would be best, is the tighten one skip one a better method?

 

No.

A Yamaha Guy told me to do it that way a long time ago.

I'l look it up.

 

Tighten them in a star pattern, gradually, and USE A TORQUE WRENCH.

The tab washers are insurance; the bolts if properly torqued should not come loose.

 

I use blue lock-tite.

 

how do you tighten 6 bolts in a star (5 point) pattern ?
if you use a 6 point star it's every other one, i lost a lot of sleep over this

 

Clockwise, 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6

----1
6------2
5------3
----4

 

I tried that method, Rick & I'm knackered with all that skipping.

 

I'm still very confused why the Rotor was loosened and removed to Install a New Tire.

Just clean the Mating Surfaces and Torque the Fasteners to Specs.

 

Me too :?:

 

It was a noob mistake. The shop said if I brought in "just the wheels" they would be able to mount the tires that day for $60 less. If I brought the bike in it would not be till next day and more $$. So I brought "just the wheels" and left the rotors at home.

 

8O :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
"Just the wheels"
Sorry man, I know you're a noob, but that is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long, long time!!!!
Hope you get everything back together properly.

 

Lol I'm no noob, and I take off my rotor too when I bring a wheel in. I don't (didn't) know if they had to take the rotor off or not and felt like I was doing them a favor Don't feel bad

 

Actually, you might be doing yourself a favour in some instances - I've seen some pretty rough tyre fitting guys in my time and bent discs aren't entirely out of the equation....