My steering head nut fell off !!

[La Knee]

I have 12,000 miles and never touched the nut . I hope the pics come through .

 

[La Knee]

Thank GOD the pinch bolts did there job , i can see blue locktite on the threads .
Me and my wife are soooooo lucky , i really dont know when it disapeared as
The tankbag and phone cover it up .

 

[itlives]

Mine was not even finger tight - in other words, it was loose. My bike is at Jaxon's (Tobasco) shop right now . When we first rolled it in he said "sometimes this bolt is loose" . It was ready to come off.
I bought mine used so I wanted Jaxon to go over it because he is highly recommended on this forum. After talking to him for awhile, you can tell he on knows what he's talking about and enjoys what he does.

 

[Chump]

I had a 2012 DL1000. I bought the bike with 700 miles and put 10,000 miles on it. I was out in Wyoming and crested a hill and the bike went into a tank slapper and threw me off. Spent a night in the hospital and my wife came from mn to pick me up. Once home I started working on the bike. Steering head nut was still there but completely loose. I don't know if that caused the tank slapper, but I don't know what else could of.

 

[Maxified]

Dang!! My 2012 was very loose when I got it. A good reminder that there is a lot of stuff to check & recheck for periodic maintenance.

 

[Cycledude]

Now that u mention it I should check mine

 

[imcja]

Dealer prep. Never trust it.


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[2112]

This is now my next job on the bike.

 

[yoyo]

I'm picking my 2016 bike up this morning, might give it a tweak before I even get on it!

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[Dogdaze]

I'm picking my 2016 bike up this morning, might give it a tweak before I even get on it!

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Wrong! Get them to give you the pdi check sheet, and ask the dealer to have a tech check the torque of the head nut in front front of you, 'just so you feel comfortable' riding away from his dealership. Not a single dealer will have problem with this request. Enjoy your new bike. ::008::

 

[outdoorsntn]

La Knee: Appreciate the post. Just checked mine.

 

[Brick]

What is the proper torque setting?

 

[tomatocity]

Checking my 2015 ES tomorrow but for a different reason... forks need to be aligned.

Steering Stem Nut Cap... 36 mm 94 ft lbs

Lower Pinch Bolts... 10 mm(?) 14 ft lbs

Front Axle... 19 mm 52 ft lbs

 

[SilverBullet]

Last year I found mine finger loose. Tightened it up and problem went away. Symptom returned again recently so it was the first thing I checked. Popped off rubber cap while sitting on the bike but nut was finger tight snug, couldnt move it. Figured I needed to pull the entire top clamp and check the bearings. But next day when I went to disassemble the top nut was finger loose?? Tight when bike was on the ground with weight loaded on it. When unloaded on centerstand nut was loose. Explains the chattering over bumps as load goes on/off with suspension.

So important note to all: check and torque the top nut only when on the centerstand. Previously I torque wrenched it sitting on the bike so probably not accurate and not tight enough. Also it got Loctite this go around.

_

 

[La Knee]

I had no problems driving but on our last ride i had a hell of a time putting her on the centerstand.
I think i might drill a couple holes through the stem and put some safety wire on it .
Any thoughts ? I hope this saved someones bacon!!

 

[WJBertrand]

Dealer prep. Never trust it.


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While I agree that one should double check the dealer prep items, do they have to do anything with that head nut? Usually they just perform installation of the front wheel and windshield if applicable

 

[Nig5]

Dealer should check all nuts and bolts are tight, mine didn`t ::007::hit and bump coming out of a parking spot and bars twisted slightly and nearly dropped the bike, dealer said he knew why they twisted and it`s been sorted! oh yeah so why when I mentioned it at a service at another dealer they said it was tight but not fully torqued up

 

[TXTenere]

Dealer Prep/PDI tasks are often done pretty shoddy in my opinion. Very often I've seen PDI tasks signed off on on the checklist after clearly having never been done.

Comes down to ... If you want something done right, do it yourself.

 

[tomatocity]

PDI = Pre Delivery Inspection

 

[La Knee]

My PDI was pretty crappy as both side panels bolts were not in the locked position . This nut seems pretty small for such a big bike
I wonder if there is room to put another nut on there ?