I want to order a small stock of metric hardware to keep on hand for my airhead. I'm thinking a good stock of wave washers, common nuts, and a few useful bolts. McMaster or Bel-Metric for the vendor unless you've got a better recommendation. There's a Fastenal and Grainger locally but I'm kind of offended by their pricing. What sizes and spec should I order in each? With all the EPA restrictions what is the most rust resistant finish for nuts and bolts these days? I'm not enamored with stainless steel except possibly for the wave washers.
I've been getting small batches from China via ebay. For stainless steel 316 is more corrosion resistant than 306. And Ti-6Al-4V is even more corrosion resistant and a bit stronger than 316SS. Though I'm a kinda paranoid about Ti galling, so I only use Ti bolts with 316SS nuts to avoid Ti on Ti action and don't use Ti bolts when they screw into threaded parts of the frame or engine/trans casing so if all else fails, they can be cut off. I've also been using Vibra-Tite VC-3 threadlocker in the hopes that the polymer helps prevent galling or corrosion by filling the space between threads.
I get most of my fasteners from ACE Hardware or Sentry. Special fasteners I get from a local specialty place. Most metric hardware will have their strength on the top, like 8.8.
I buy most of my hardware from McMaster. Their hardware is generally of very high quality but don't order their wave washers. Their socket head metric screws listed as zinc-flake coated are very weather resistant. Their 316 SS (A4) hardware is very good as well. Since I recently restored my G/S, I have 4 plastic cases full of hardware: M5 through M10, but mostly M6 and M8 sizes in various lengths. I tried to stick with A4 SS for most things, but certain bolts, like sub-frame mounting bolts, I went with 12.9 grade zinc-flake coated screws.
Anti-seize is a good idea on any SS bolt that threads into aluminum. Any through bolt that receives a nut on the end doesn't generally need it. I use Loctite on many fasteners as well which seems to help prevent galling with SS bolts.
In general, as relates to BMW airheads, what were the most popular sizes you stocked? M6 and M8 nuts for sure but what about bolt lengths? Also where did you source the ever popular wave washers and what sizes and spec?
Lengths of bolts range mostly between 20mm and 40mm. There are a few longer and very few short than that. I think M6-20 and -25 and M8-25 and -30 were the most used. I have re-used many of the original wave washers as they still had their spring. I ordered a handful of M6, M8 and M10 ones from BMW to have around.
Ace has good fasteners. McMaster Carr is your best bet. Doubt I’d order anything from China when it comes to bolts.
Ace does generally have a pretty decent assortment of metric fasteners. All of their SS is A2, not A4 and they often don't carry anything longer than about 40mm. But if I'm only needing one of a particular size, I will run down there first. The thing about McMaster is the shipping. Generally runs about $8 per order and you have it in two days. I find I can easily burn $8 worth of time and gas running around looking for misc hardware. I order when I hit about $50 worth of stuff or have no other easy option to get a particular size and it is really holding me up.
Look at some breaker vendors on that e*ay site.....They sell cans of old BMW hardware by the 10 pound can.
I get a lot of small parts from Roland at http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/home?userid=BB2270E91CC04A6D8A724CB4D3A647E1
Actually McMaster has a company priority of buying US whenever possible. Lots of hardware is US made, and the specialty stuff is almost always Taiwan. I can't remember getting mainland China anything from them*, and I've probably placed a thousand orders over the last 10 years. (Not entirely for my bikes, no.) *As I poked around and looked at bags, I have found some Chinese stuff...but I stand by my comment generally.
As with virtually all suppliers, they purchase from companies that manufacture around the world. McMaster does have a QA responsibility for materials they ship and they seem to do a good job of it. I've received lots of fasteners from McMaster manufactured in probably a dozen different countries (including China), but have never received a questionable fastener from them. The worst quality fasteners I've ever received came with crash bars I ordered from SW-Motech. I've received counterfeit grade 8 bolts that looked better (those failed at 1/4 of the maximum load rating). An M10 engine carrier bolt that I would consider a critical fastener with the crash bars with about 1/3 of the threads missing and the head mis-forged so that it couldn't accept the hex key. The M8 hardware wasn't much better. <$10 worth of parts from McMaster solved the problem. Oh, and to the person who referred to "Breaker Vendors", we usually refer to them as "Dismantlers".
So does anyone have a good source for the paralever swing arm jam nuts? BMW wants $12 a piece for them and I need a few. It’s number 5
For the amount of bikes Roland parts out, he should have a bazillion of them. http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/home?userid=BB2270E91CC04A6D8A724CB4D3A647E1 Give him a shout. It's the same jam nut used on a lot of earlier bikes like /2, /5, /6, /7.
