Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

C J, I suggest that you source the bolts from the dealers. they are commonly known as the stretch type and can only be used once. Is your torque wrench a good one? If not, beg - borrow - or steal one for the duration that you need it,  Can't help with the torque setting though.

It's possible that there was a problem with the snapped bolt, to start with, regardless of the accuracy of the torque wrench calibration, after all, I believe that you were screwing a steel bolt into an aluminium alloy. So theory suggests that the softer metal would tend to fail first, even if you did inadvertently "over-tighten" it.

Equally importantly, you want to be able to enjoy your bike with the confidence that the bolts will not come loose.

Contact Donfords workshop and see if they're willing to give you the torque values and sell you a set of bolts.

I doubt if they'd lend you a torque wrench, though ... LOL!

I trust you have had the wrench calibrated recently, and do the special things to keep it accurate?  For e.g. screw it all the way to the highest setting and back before and after use, and store it on the lowest setting.

Also, these wrenches are not accurate in the first and last 10% of their range.  If it were me, I would push my bike to Kingtek (3 blocks away) and have Andrew replace and torque up the bolts.  But then I am lucky that way.

And if those bolts are designed to be used only once, well then you are in for 6 new bolts.  No two ways about it.

Alright gents. I'll buy new bolts haha

I'll give the BMW guys a call today and see how badly they will rip me for 6 new bolts.

As for the accuracy of the wrench... clueless. It's not mine. The first 10% worries me.. 10nm is the first setting and it's HELL-of-a-tight.

I think that I may bite the bullet here and ask someone professional to do it for me (as much as is pains me to pay someone to twist some bolts).

Andrew is a little far away though. Anyone a little closer to Edgemead side of the world?

Jandré, one of our advertisers perhaps? http://www.jkworks.co.za/

Jandre will be able to sort you out. 076 113 8911

Thanks Gents, I will give him a call tomorrow.

Hi Gents and Ladies.

It is no problem I can certainly help you, but I am sure it will be much more rewarding if you complete the repair yourself.  The bolts are high tensile M6 by 25 mm long, available from almost any bolt shop.  Try to get the hex head , if they supply you a allen cap head it might not clear the inside of the cover.  But then again the tolerances to engine covers wont be that tight, but I don't want you to have a BIGGER  problem of something touching.

Then to get to the part of tightening the bolt after you have found a new one.  I have never broken a clutch bolt in 15 years of working on motorcycles.  Don't let the special assembly of a spring tensioning on your bolt while you are tightening it fool you, the bolt only needs to be tightened as much as a normal M6 bolt gets tightened.

Whether you use the small type wrenches or even the big car types (half inch drive) or a t-bar its all right.  The bolt needs to be locked/bottomed and then tightened around 10 degrees more.

If you would like to use a torque wrench the quarter and three eights of an inch drives would be better suited.  And the BOLTS do not have to be replaced after loosening!  It is only because the half inch torque wrenches can not measure that fine that the bolt broke - even though it is marked for measuring 10 newtons.

What the man said, spot-on. We too often over complicate problems with theory. 

It is not every day that someone turns down business and then goes on to not only motivate you to complete the job yourself, but also helps along the way with exactly the information you need.

Jandré, you have just become my go-to mechanic for anything bike related that I can't figure out / manage myself.

A sincere thank you!

I'll pop out and get 6 new bolts today and fit them this evening (if the weather holds up).

Thank you again!