Service Tip - Critical Fasteners

Harley Davidson handlebar riser bolts should be checked at every major service interval as a critical fastener. Handlebar riser bolts should be installed with a little red Loctite. However, these two large bolts can become loose as handlebar riser bushings wear or shrink with age.

The heads of the riser bolts can be found on the bottom side of the upper triple tree. The bolts pass through the riser bushing sleeves and into the handlebar risers. Tighten these bolts with a 3/4″ socket or box end of a combination wrench. The best tool for these critical fasteners or combination of tools to use for tightening these bolts will depend on the year and model of the Harley Davidson you are working on. On Softail models, a long, 3/8″ wobble extension or a 3/8″ swivel adapter is often helpful in conjunction with a 3/4″ socket.

Every bolt, nut, and screw on your Harley Davidson is important. Critical fasteners should be considered to be hardware: if it loosens or fails, it can leave the rider in immediate danger. It is good practice, during or after performing regular maintenance, to go around the motorcycle with a handful of wrenches and check the tightness of any hardware that is accessible without disassembly.

It is most beneficial to check critical fasteners or hardware with a torque wrench. However, if a correct torque wrench is not available or will not fit into an area, it is only important that the hardware is checked.

Critical fasteners include:
– Motor mount and motor stabilizer hardware
– Front and rear axle nuts and pinch clamp hardware
– Handlebar top clamp hardware
– Exhaust mounting hardware
– Foot & hand control hardware
– Gear shift lever and linkage hardware
– Brake caliper mounting hardware
– Wheel spokes
– Handlebar control hardware
– Swingarm axis nut
– Shock mounting hardware

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