Here's some great initial study material....

http://compass.seacadets.org/pdf/nrtc/an/14014_ch5.pdf

Go down to page 5-15 and you'll find eduation on wiring.

First, gotta start with a set of drilled out bolts. If you have a hex-head bolt, it can be drilled across one way, two ways or even three. One way is more than sufficient.

This is titanium. Titanium is not fun to drill. Try to buy pre-drilled if you can.

Next, cut off a length of safety wire from your can. Make sure you have enough wire...nothing sucks more than to put a bunch of work into a wire job, and find out you don't have enough to get the job done. Too much is never a bad thing.

Place one end of the wire thru the bolt head.

Bolts SHOULD be wired in a TIGHTENING motion. This means the wire is going to travel clockwise around the bolt head, "pulling" it tight. Run the other end of the wire around the outside of the head, and down to meet the other end of the wire.

First off, I use safety wire pliars. The best and only way to do wire. It can be done by hand, but it's time consuming and inaccurate.

When using pliars, you need to figure out where to place them on the wire, so that when the twists are complete, you have a free strand to put thru the opposing bolt head AND you don't have any slack in the wire running between the bolts.

Keep in mind, as you twist the wire, it will get SHORTER in length. You need to clamp the pliars on the wire JUST PAST where the hole is; closer to the hole for a shorter distance and farther past the hole for a longer distance.

The tip of my finger marks where I'm going to clamp the pliars.

As you clamp and twist, use your other hand to keep the free strand over the top of the bolt head. Sometimes, it may slip off, and you'll tighten right thru it (ie, start over again).

Twists complete. 6 to 12 twists per inch is the standard. I usually do about 10.

Now....here's a trick that comes right out of aviation....

As you can see, the loop running thru the bolt is still a bit loose. You DO NOT tighten up that loop by twisting the wire more. Here's what you do:

Instead of twisting the pliars along the axis of the wire, make a large loop with them, so that you don't TWIST the wire, but actually wrap the wire tighter at the bolt head. It's hard to describe, but you end up making a large loop with the ass-end of the pliars. Here's a few pics, and I hope you get what I mean...

Now your wire is ready to thread thru the opposing bolt.

Take one of the ends, and feed it thru the head. Ensure that the OTHER end goes around the bolt head in a tightening fashion. Clamp the pliars, pull tight and twist.

Repeat the same tightening method I described in the last post.

Once tight, snip the end. I usually leave 3 to 4 twists free. Take the pliars, and twist the end in towards the bolt head in a curving motion. This will ensure that your 'pig-tail' doesn't snag on rags or cut up your hands.

Done. http://www.sportbikeforum.net/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif

Here's a couple of tips and ideas...

You can wire more than two bolts together. I wire my front axle and pinch bolts together, since I'll probably be loosening them at the same time to change a wheel. This is where it gets critical to leave yourself enough wire.

Also...if the wire lays over a part of the chassis/caliper/ect, it's a very smart idea to run the wire thru a length of silicone tubing to keep the wire from digging/chafing into the metal.

Hope this helps. http://www.sportbikeforum.net/images/smilies/popcorn.gif

Nice write up. :thumbup


Ride safe.

i read this on sbf and ill say it again nice details man...makes me wanna do it to my street bike:lol going for realism with the rossi scheme:lol

damn . . . you got that down to a science :yes

I'm still mastering zip-ties & silicone :rofl

Mark, What brand Banjo bolt is that on your rear caliper? Looks bad azz...I want some :blush

Mark, What brand Banjo bolt is that on your rear caliper? Looks bad azz...I want some :blush

Mettec....titanium :)

Think the link is in the exotic thread.

Hey Firehawk...i am gonna be racing Wera Novice this year...what all will i have to Safety Wire...does it state in the WERA Rulebook?

Hey Firehawk...i am gonna be racing Wera Novice this year...what all will i have to Safety Wire...does it state in the WERA Rulebook?

Yes it does....it will state everything your bike needs to be in compliance with, and in great detail. If you don't have one already, snatch one up!

^^^ Hey thanks Mang! I am just really intimidated on safety wiring, never done it before. And im freaked about drilling tiny ass holes in my stock bolts...can you just purchase a complete pre-drilled bolt kit for everything thats required??? if so, where?

^^^ Hey thanks Mang! I am just really intimidated on safety wiring, never done it before. And im freaked about drilling tiny ass holes in my stock bolts...can you just purchase a complete pre-drilled bolt kit for everything thats required??? if so, where?

you CAN.....but they're VERY pricey, and if you're racing next year, tires, gas and performance mods should be your focus. Besides, OEM steel bolts are a BREEZE to drill. Some are so soft, you can drill 'em on the bike with a hand held electric drill. Preferrably, you'd want a drill press with a nice clamp for holding your work. Take then out one at a time, and drop the holes. Easy. :yes

Hey Firehawk...i am gonna be racing Wera Novice this year...what all will i have to Safety Wire...does it state in the WERA Rulebook?

Just FYI, WERA requires:
- 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)

depending on the tech/raceway, you can get away with RTV on some of that list, but check before you decide to do it.

^^^ Hey thanks Mang! I am just really intimidated on safety wiring, never done it before. And im freaked about drilling tiny ass holes in my stock bolts...can you just purchase a complete pre-drilled bolt kit for everything thats required??? if so, where?

concentrate on suspension and tires. and like Mark said, drill press is your friend.... and good cutting oil.

Excellent write up Mark. :thumbup

I just got safety wire pliers, wire, and a few other things for Christmas that I'll be doing to my MX bikes over the winter as I work on them.

Any chance this can be moved to a "General Mechanical How-To" section as it's more for all bikes, and not just R1's? :dunno

Excellent write up Mark. :thumbup

Thanks brotha. :)

Any chance this can be moved to a "General Mechanical How-To" section as it's more for all bikes, and not just R1's? :dunno

Sure. There's wasn't one at the time that I wrote this. :mrgreen

I just went and looked...there still isn't a 'general' how-to area, just general bikes. A general how-to area might be a good idea....

Did my first attempt at safety wiring today. Had mixed results. The swingarm bolt did okay drilling. Some of the others either dulled the bit right away, or it snapped of leaving me to extract broken bits. Have to replace a couple of bolts as well due to them breaking when trying to remove them.

Good learning experience though as I want to prep all my bikes this way, especially the YZ's because I'll be racing.

One other thing...


If you decide to do safety wiring, you need the following:

-Good small bodied electric drill (don't use cordless, battery will die quickly)
-Drill press for stuff you can do off the bike
-Cutting oil
-A lot of drill bits

One other thing...


If you decide to do safety wiring, you need the following:

-Good small bodied electric drill (don't use cordless, battery will die quickly)
-Drill press for stuff you can do off the bike
-A lot of drill bits

With a drill press, you forgot one thing.....CUTTING OIL.

That's the reason you were dulling tips...with a dab of cutting oil, those bits should last you the whole job, not to mention make a smoother hole. :thumbup

With a drill press, you forgot one thing.....COOKING OIL.

That's the reason you were dulling tips...with a dab of cooking oil, those bits should last you the whole job, not to mention make a smoother hole. :thumbup


I prefer the extra virgin olive oil with a hint of garlic :rofl

I prefer the extra virgin olive oil with a hint of garlic :rofl
hmm...thanks for the tip:crash:rofl

With a drill press, you forgot one thing.....CUTTING OIL.

That's the reason you were dulling tips...with a dab of cutting oil, those bits should last you the whole job, not to mention make a smoother hole. :thumbup

You're right, I forgot to mention the cutting oil. I do have it, and it worked fine with the swingarm bolt. The bits breaking and dulling was more of an issue where I was attempting it on the bike and I was drilling through both a nut and a bolt.

One other thing...


If you decide to do safety wiring, you need the following:

-Good small bodied electric drill (don't use cordless, battery will die quickly)
-Drill press for stuff you can do off the bike
-Cutting oil
-A lot of drill bits

I never use cutting oil when drilling aluminum unless it is very very thick. Not really generating any heat just drilling through edges of nuts and bolts so there is no reason to add oil or to be dulling bits.

The key to drilling is to purchase a good quality bit. Normally the 2 packs of bits are junk and won't drill more than a few holes before dulling or braking. Purchase a good quality bit and you will likely never dull it while using it on aluminum. I can normally do an entire bike on 1 or 2 bits & no cutting oil. :yes


Ride safe.

I never use cutting oil when drilling aluminum unless it is very very thick. Not really generating any heat just drilling through edges of nuts and bolts so there is no reason to add oil or to be dulling bits.

Agreed....but how many aluminum fasteners are you running on your bike?

I'm a 17-year Airframer in the Navy....I've dulled more than my fair share of bits. :mrgreen

After working in the fab shop for three years, I just got used to using cutting oil on everything we made. Preserves the bits, makes a nicer, smoother cut (and smells really good too :lol).

Agreed....but how many aluminum fasteners are you running on your bike?

I'm a 17-year Airframer in the Navy....I've dulled more than my fair share of bits. :mrgreen

After working in the fab shop for three years, I just got used to using cutting oil on everything we made. Preserves the bits, makes a nicer, smoother cut (and smells really good too :lol).

:thumbupYeah, there is no downside to using oil other than the cleanup. I think pretty much all nuts, bolts, axles, are Aluminum on modern bikes. Since your only drilling through edges there is never any heat buildup to speak of. If drilling steel, ti, etc, then I would grab the oil for sure.

Normally I can get one bike done with one or two 6-7 dollar bit, so I guess I feel like I got my money's worth and after 300 holes I am ready for a new bit anyway. :lol


Ride safe.

99% of the fasteners Mark drills thru are Ti thou :rofl

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I never use cutting oil when drilling aluminum unless it is very very thick. Not really generating any heat just drilling through edges of nuts and bolts so there is no reason to add oil or to be dulling bits.

The key to drilling is to purchase a good quality bit. Normally the 2 packs of bits are junk and won't drill more than a few holes before dulling or braking. Purchase a good quality bit and you will likely never dull it while using it on aluminum. I can normally do an entire bike on 1 or 2 bits & no cutting oil. :yes


Ride safe.

Most of the bolts aren't aluminum, they're a steel compound. As to a good quality bit, that argument can go both ways. I've dropped hundreds on a high quality drill bit set from Snap-On, Matco, Mac, etc and they all dull just about as quickly as the Dewalt bits I posted the picture of. The larger diameter ones are nice, but when you get below 1/4" they're pretty much all the same IMO.

Also, as stated, most of the bolts I was having problems with, were on the bike, and in odd angles.