Torque specs and sequenc

[Colorobo]

So i found most of what i needed, but front caliper bolts?  this is for a 97 1100 sport.  Also the sequence for front  rim?  Tighten axel the pinch bolts or visc versa Thanks again Rob Pancake

[Pressureangle]

Uh, mine's 600 miles away at the moment but...

Front caliper bolts, 'tight' lol
Official torque spec for a 8mm coarse bolt is about 20 lbs-ft, but care is warranted since they're going into old aluminum that's had any number of repeated R&R on those bolts.

Front axle, first of all put it through the forks without the wheel; it should pass through both sides easily. This will tell you that the length of the forks is equal and avoids any bind in operation. It may also show that your fork trees are not perfectly parallel. The fork tops *should* be equal in the top tree, but if they're a mm different better to have the axle straight. Then install wheel, snug axle nut a little to be sure the head is seated properly, snug pinch bolts, tighten axle nut, tighten pinch bolts. 

[GuzziMoto]

My two cents... Most front forks in my experience tighten the front wheel up against on leg of the fork, with the other leg sort of floating to an extent on the axle until it is clamped to the axle. The axle typically has a step in it on the end opposite the nut side, that step pulls the wheel towards the other fork leg where the nut is. That design allows the fork legs to both be straight without being pinched towards each other when you tighten the front wheel. For that reason, I generally want to tighten the axle nut first, and then the pinch bolts that clamp the bottom of the fork legs to the axle.  That avoids any chance of pinching the fork legs inward towards each other with most fork designs.

[audiomick]

And both of you failed to mention the bit about bouncing the forks a couple of times before you do the pinch bolts up. If you can do that without using the brakes to help, better still. The point is to work it a couple of times to make sure the forks are really sitting where they want to be. 

[docc]

There is also the matter of torquing pinch bolts in steps, going back and forth between them. If you simply do one up to torque then the other, the first will have loosened.

[gstallons]

On 9/1/2025 at 3:46 PM, Colorobo said:

So i found most of what i needed, but front caliper bolts?  this is for a 97 1100 sport.  Also the sequence for front  rim?  Tighten axel the pinch bolts or visc versa Thanks again Rob Pancake

With everything , use logic AFA what sequence to use in the order. You must not R&R bolts very much. Do not fear them , just keep up w/what you are doing! As docc is referring to, pinch bolts you need TLC or you will break something. JUST TIGHT ENOUGH .

[GuzziMoto]

18 hours ago, audiomick said:

And both of you failed to mention the bit about bouncing the forks a couple of times before you do the pinch bolts up. If you can do that without using the brakes to help, better still. The point is to work it a couple of times to make sure the forks are really sitting where they want to be. 

It can't hurt anything to do that. But the reality is, racers remove and replace their front wheels more than anyone else and I have never done that on my racebike or seen another race team do it. It is fine advice, it can't hurt. I have done it on my streetbikes, but I have no evidence it did anything. I will leave it at that.

The point about snugging up the pinch bolts back and forth is a good point. When I raced, I used an inch/pound torque wrench on them. But for street use I use the justafeet (said with an Italian accent) method. It is a basic Italian unit of tightness.

Edited September 3 by GuzziMoto

[Pressureangle]

19 hours ago, audiomick said:

And both of you failed to mention the bit about bouncing the forks a couple of times before you do the pinch bolts up. If you can do that without using the brakes to help, better still. The point is to work it a couple of times to make sure the forks are really sitting where they want to be. 

Well, yes, but implicit in the axle going through both sides easily without the wheel accomplishes this mission. Usually I give the fork bottoms a couple bumps with a rubber mallet to this end. Something particular about the 'Sport front end, same as the V11 I have here, is that the axle nut clamps against a spacer over a spacer, eliminating the usual clamping friction of the nut side from the equation. Academic probably, pedantic certainly. Yet considered.

[Pressureangle]

1 hour ago, GuzziMoto said:

It can't hurt anything to do that. But the reality is, racers remove and replace their front wheels more than anyone else and I have never done that on my racebike or seen another race team do it. It is fine advice, it can't hurt. I have done it on my streetbikes, but I have no evidence it did anything. I will leave it at that.

The point about snugging up the pinch bolts back and forth is a good point. When I raced, I used an inch/pound torque wrench on them. But for street use I use the justafeet (said with an Italian accent) method. It is a basic Italian unit of tightness.

With modern upside-down forks it's much less likely  that they'll get misaligned. Back in Flat-track days, with old forks- if you were lucky, 35mm Ceriani- after a getoff, the trees would *always* be misaligned, and bouncing was one way to see clearly if they needed more straightening than a kick at the tire could address. 

[audiomick]

5 hours ago, GuzziMoto said:

... I have no evidence it did anything.

I had one occasion with the V35 Imola where it definitely helped. Something wasn't quite right. The mechanic's advise was to loosen it all off, do it back up in the order "axle, bounce, clamps", and that sorted out the problem.

I see the point made by @Pressureangle, though. Fairly fat USD forks are no doubt much less likely to have that sort of issue than the 35mm conventional forks on the Imola. 

[gstallons]

With all the concern about tightness AKA torque , there has never been an unimportant bolt fall off a motorcycle.

[GuzziMoto]

13 hours ago, gstallons said:

With all the concern about tightness AKA torque , there has never been an unimportant bolt fall off a motorcycle.

I think my most important bolt to fall off was an engine mount bolt from my TZ250 racebike. The cool thing was, it happened at a track and I was able to walk the track and find it. Good thing, that was not an easy to source bolt.

[audiomick]

I haven't lost many. I can only clearly remember one. It was one of the four that hold on the front mudgaurd on the Breva 750. I would have thought that it wasn't that important, but it was M8x25mm, a bit too big for just holding on a bit of plastic. I guess there is a fork-brace integrated into the mudgaurd. So probably important. 

Edited September 4 by audiomick