Safety wiring

Snorton74 · Jul 30, 2012

Is safety wiring necessary for a streetbike. And, if so, what fasteners are most important to tie off. Obviously oil line related fasteners. But what else and how? Any pics would be great!

pommie john · Jul 31, 2012

I don't think it's necessary on a street bike, and to be honest on a racebike I think its main function is to make you check things are tight once more.
I know when I lockwire a sump plug I always check it's tight even though I know I tightened it properly the first time.

Matt Spencer · Jul 31, 2012

Its to keep your nuts tight .

Hobot · Jul 31, 2012

Near fatal is the tile of this post below for one place might wire up.
post110966.html?hilit=safety%20wire#p110966

Imagine the whole head and cylinder fastener and about every thing else done up like this, similar to my ole P!! I so miss.

Matt Spencer · Jul 31, 2012

The idea is to fit it so it shows if something turns , as in a notch of slack , If its tight , its turned . THEN you know .

mightnt be a bad dea on drain plugs ( Youre not allowed to OIL the TRACK .) With Nyloc nuts might be supurflous .

What ever comes loose on a Commando , anyway ? .

Hobot · Sep 30, 2012

Normal safety lock wire technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8VTExda ... avtr-vrecs

Clamptite tool to make hose clamps w/o hose clamps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAKaBVl_9o0

Peter R · Oct 1, 2012

On my Commando the only things that are lockwired are the exhaust nuts on the cylinderhead.

bluto · Oct 1, 2012

Peter R said:
On my Commando the only things that are lockwired are the exhaust nuts on the cylinderhead.

me too, had a problem with the nuts loosening and that fixed it, drilled a hole in one of the exhaust nut fins and double wired it to the lower valve cover nut (got the idea on some other thread here)....this way it is still possible to check if the exhaust nuts are still tight

Decemberist · Oct 1, 2012

I think that safety wiring is a good idea where ever there is the potential for a nut to come loose. I am a C-130 engine mechanic and everything on an aircraft engine is safety wired, for obvious reasons plus, it looks professional and cool. Just make sure it is pulling positive invest in a pair of Snapon safety wire pliers and don't forget the pig tail.

1up3down · Oct 1, 2012

Peter said:

On my Commando the only things that are lockwired are the exhaust nuts on the cylinderhead.

yep, me two

grandpaul · Oct 1, 2012

Safety wiring is required in most racing organizations, ESPECIALLY vintage racing.

You want to get a small drill press, press-compatible vice and a selection of high quality drill bits.

Any fastener with lubricant, fuel and/or coolant behind it will want to be safety wired. BRAKES, suspension, drain & gallery plugs, etc. The more you can safety wire, the better.

You want the tension on the braided tail and between fasteners to be pulling the fasteners in clockwise direction (for standard right-handed threads)

Just for grins, you can go to the AHRMA website and click on the rulebook, then on the lockwiring section (P27)... http://www.ahrma.org/ahrma_pdfs/Z-2012/ ... hlinks.pdf

Dances with Shrapnel · Oct 1, 2012

If you are faced with doing a number of them then I recommend batching it out to a machine shop where they will mill a tiny flat, use a starter drill and drill away in a Vertical Mill.

I was given a custom clamp/jig which was comprised of a narrow vee block and a clamp screw with a mating vee. It was drilled and hardened to receive the safety wire drill across the vee. It worked pretty well for a while but even that began to wear out.

bill · Oct 1, 2012

plus 1 on both of these points. the end if it is not done right ( tucked in) it WILL draw blood

Decemberist said:
invest in a pair of Snapon safety wire pliers and don't forget the pig tail.

grandpaul · Oct 2, 2012

In the navy, we were not allowed to use wire twisting pliers, each pigtail was to be done BY HAND, with full tension, and holding the wired at a 90 degree angle to each other. I forget the minimum number of twists per inch, but as rookies we had to practice a full day to get it right.

montelatici · Oct 2, 2012

Over the years during my racing period I got pretty good at drilling even small fasteners with a drill press and a vise. However, I've broken quite a few bits.

Our rule book:

a) The following item must be safety wired, or secured in a manner approved by Tech:
axles or axle nuts
oil filler caps
kickstarter retaining bolts
axle caps and/or pinch bolts
oil drain plug(s)
removable exhaust baffles
brake caliper bolts
*oil gallery plugs
radiator caps
brake torque arms
oil lines
coolant drains
speedo and tach cables
spin on oil filters/filter bolts
any pressure fed lubricant line
*fork oil drain screws/bolts
rear exhaust mount(s) (all)
*brake pad retaining pins
*may be secured by silicone glue or H/D weather-strip adhesive in lieu of wiring.
a1)Substantial gauge “R” type spring clips may be used in certain applications but must be wired to the machine. Tab washers designed to accept safety wire may be used. Safety pin style clips may be used on most items but NOT on oil drains or oil filters.

Hobot · Oct 2, 2012

There's a number of ways to lock wire or pin or clip or trap. In some cases can use a tab washer, as seen here.

bwolfie · Oct 2, 2012

http://www.stridetool.com/tools/wiretwi ... rs_01.html

Milbar is the company that makes them for SnapOn and other tool trucks.
The crappy thing is they used to make ones with a wavy jaw instead of the knurled jaws.
http://www.davebean.com/images/Jaws.JPG

They discontinued the wavy ones. They were excellent at not maring the wire.

Hobot · Jan 21, 2013

If ya can't stand blood sweat and tears on strained necessary mechanics tedium, don't watch this.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=hcxHQXYU-Os[/video]

mike996 · Jan 22, 2013

I have learned two things re safety wire:

1. If I don't regularly draw blood by puncturing myself, I'm doing it wrong

2. Unnoticed pieces of cut safety wire somehow always rush toward and gather around the tires...where they just wait.

That being said, I SW all the oil drains (two on engine, one on tank) the clutch nut, the ext nuts (SW around the rocker cover nut, not to a hole on a fin), the front and rear axle nuts, and the disk brake bolts. Maybe some more but I can't think of what at the moment.

As noted earlier, I have become a believer in what Art Bone suggested to me...the only parts you need to safety wire are the ones you want to keep!

Safety wiring

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