Safety wire works!

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Even if you wire it backwards! ;)

Yesterday, I did a very vigorous run on my newly velocity-stacked Commando, in which I bounced it off the 7000 RPM rev limiter many times. When I got back home I noticed that the finned exhaust nut safety wires had big loops in them.

WTF, I thought, that's impossible. Well, of course it's not impossible if you somehow managed to wire the nuts "backwards!" I have no idea how I did that - I safety wire things regularly but, of course, I immediately rechecked all the other safety wire!

The good side is that even though the exhaust nuts were wired backwards, they still can't totally unscrew! Furthest they could go was less than 1/4 turn until the wire tightens up in the unscrewing direction.

NOTE: I have the original Norton 7000 RPM rev limiter; when I see the tach hit 7000 RPM, I shift gears. :)

Still not sure how I wired those nuts incorrectly but just goes to show you that even if you feel very confident that you know what you are doing, it is still possible to get occasional proof to the contrary. ;)
 
Have you tried Ludwig's method of torquing the rings while engine is hot and running? Can we get a pic of how you do the safety wires?
 
Yes, I always torque the rings that way - hot. But yesterday was probably the hardest I've run the bike in several years - or maybe ever since it was never capable of running the way it's running now. It was like a new/different motorcycle! Tomorrow will be its first decent run with the velocity stacks - around 150 miles.

As far as pics, I don't use any hosting services so there's no way for me to do that. I thought about subscribing to the site's VIP status which would allow me to directly insert pics. In fact, I attempted to do that a couple of days ago and if I could pay via Papal as opposed to a credit card, I would have.
 
take a leap of faith and pay by credit card. I understand living in Mexico can make one very cautious.
 
Not long ago, after using a CC for an online purchase, I received a charge on my card for over 10k USD from Cyprus! The charge went through and I didn't discover it until later that month when I reviewed my account. Fortunately, the CC company accepted my protest and the amount was removed from my account. I prefer PayPal for internet transactions. I have an account that I use ONLY for that purpose and I transfer money into it as necessary to pay for the specific item I'm buying. IOW, even if somehow the PayPal thing can be hacked, there's no money in the account once the PayPal payment is made.
 
Have you considered a single use card. Here a link with more information. Scroll down to ................ single use credit card
 
But it is still associated with your bank acct isn't it?

It's associated with a bank account that I transfer money into from my "real" bank account - at a different institution. So the PP link is to an account that essentially has no money in it except when I make a transfer to it for a PP purchase and the money is gone as soon as I make the PP transaction.
 
It's associated with a bank account that I transfer money into from my "real" bank account - at a different institution. So the PP link is to an account that essentially has no money in it except when I make a transfer to it for a PP purchase and the money is gone as soon as I make the PP transaction.
Smart man! I do the same, add a little bit to my PP account when there is something I think I might need. Keep the PP account separated from regular bank account. Better safe than sorry.
John in Texas
 
Welp, been doing on-line transactions since 1998....must be in the thousands by now. CC's & PP. Never had a bad situation or been ripped off. Even purchased big ticket items (boat & motobikes) from remote sellers. My Bonneville came to me from a seller that didn't want to use the escrow service I'd used in the past for my boat purchase (they hold the money until item is delivered and checked out by buyer). His bank told him escrow can be fake and to use PayPal instead. So we agreed I would send half the price prior to delivery and the rest after receiving. He was cool with that and the deal was done.
Most/all reputable credit card companies offer on-line purchase protection and fraud reimbursement as far as I'm aware. Some even give extended (2x) warranty on new items.
My advice is to secure your computing environment (I use BitDefender on my PC, Wife's Mac) and ensure your firewall is up and running. Never use public wifi zones for CC transactions. My BitDefender also has a VPN secure browser for on-line banking etc. Prevents snooping/key touch recording etc.
 
Yes, I always torque the rings that way - hot. But yesterday was probably the hardest I've run the bike in several years - or maybe ever since it was never capable of running the way it's running now. It was like a new/different motorcycle! Tomorrow will be its first decent run with the velocity stacks - around 150 miles.

As far as pics, I don't use any hosting services so there's no way for me to do that. I thought about subscribing to the site's VIP status which would allow me to directly insert pics. In fact, I attempted to do that a couple of days ago and if I could pay via Papal as opposed to a credit card, I would have.
Have you contacted Jerry directly, I am sure he can help you!
 
Even if you wire it backwards! ;)

Yesterday, I did a very vigorous run on my newly velocity-stacked Commando, in which I bounced it off the 7000 RPM rev limiter many times. When I got back home I noticed that the finned exhaust nut safety wires had big loops in them.

WTF, I thought, that's impossible. Well, of course it's not impossible if you somehow managed to wire the nuts "backwards!" I have no idea how I did that - I safety wire things regularly but, of course, I immediately rechecked all the other safety wire!

The good side is that even though the exhaust nuts were wired backwards, they still can't totally unscrew! Furthest they could go was less than 1/4 turn until the wire tightens up in the unscrewing direction.

NOTE: I have the original Norton 7000 RPM rev limiter; when I see the tach hit 7000 RPM, I shift gears. :)

Still not sure how I wired those nuts incorrectly but just goes to show you that even if you feel very confident that you know what you are doing, it is still possible to get occasional proof to the contrary. ;)


They might not totally unscrew but will rattle about and knacker the soft alloy thread.
 
Even if you wire it backwards! ;)

Yesterday, I did a very vigorous run on my newly velocity-stacked Commando, in which I bounced it off the 7000 RPM rev limiter many times. When I got back home I noticed that the finned exhaust nut safety wires had big loops in them.

WTF, I thought, that's impossible. Well, of course it's not impossible if you somehow managed to wire the nuts "backwards!" I have no idea how I did that - I safety wire things regularly but, of course, I immediately rechecked all the other safety wire!

The good side is that even though the exhaust nuts were wired backwards, they still can't totally unscrew! Furthest they could go was less than 1/4 turn until the wire tightens up in the unscrewing direction.

NOTE: I have the original Norton 7000 RPM rev limiter; when I see the tach hit 7000 RPM, I shift gears. :)

Still not sure how I wired those nuts incorrectly but just goes to show you that even if you feel very confident that you know what you are doing, it is still possible to get occasional proof to the contrary. ;)
Hey I want to know about the rev limiter. Did you actually put one on and is it mechanical or electrical? Yes the exhaust rings if they’re going to loosen, the vibration at higher RPMs will do it.
 
Congrats Mike - good to hear that she's running and that those stacks work. Redline in top gear, yeah.

Me too, I do the hot engine tightening of exhaust rings and then I too add the insurance of safety wire from valve cover nut to a fin on an exhaust ring. Only downside is that they can loosen slightly, rattle on for miles, beating up the threads, and because of the safety wire, you don't notice it.
 
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