powdercoat wheel nightmare!

[flynrider]

Wolf, Not to start an argument, but can you provide any evidence of that? I ask as there are a number of ALOC bolts on the bike that are for mundane things. To me 16 and 23 ft. Lbs doesn’t seem like enough to really streach a bolt, but I’m not a mechanical engineer either.

Did you find out what ALOC means? On other boards they can’t decide if they are torque to yield or just have locker already applied.

I do agree that following the manual is prudent.

When I first went to change the tires on my 2013, I found out about this. No other bike I'd had used this kind of bolt. So I researched it and learned that the bolt is a "stretch-to-torque" type and thus, Honda say it needs to be replaced every time.

I can't recall just where I got the information, but I got it, and I still have six of those bolts in my garage, unused. I laid in a supply.

The evidence is that Honda says to replace the bolt. If it just needed some thread lock, that would be specified as the procedure, not replacement.

But I do very clearly recall learning that this particular bolt was a stretch type and that's why it needed to be replaced every time. In fact, I compared the length of the used bolt with a new one, and sure enough, there was a noticeable difference, unlike what you'd find on a typical brake caliper bolt.

I found these bolts for $2.15 each online, so the price is not excessive. It's only necessary to remove on caliper (the left) to remove the front wheel. I think following Honda's instructions is the safe play here. These are your brakes, it's ten bucks for all four bolts.

Guys will pour thousands of dollars into cosmetic mods but try to skip a simple thing like this. I would not want to find out why Honda said replace 'em the hard way.

The other thing is, none of us are mechanical engineers, but Honda has some of the best. And they say use new bolts.

I remember that the last time this question came up (probably a few years ago), somebody posted a pic of a used bolt alongside a new bolt. The difference was obvious. The used bolt was longer and noticeably thinner around the middle of the threads.