Stainless Or Titanium Bolts

Discussion in 'Technical Help' started by cookster, Sep 4, 2024.

  1. Hi guys , my little triumph street triple has got alot of furry bolts as it's been used all year round and I want to tidy it up a bit, I'm not interested in weight savings but what would be best to use, head says stainless but should I go the hole hog and fit titanium??

    Cheers
     
  2. Personally I always go for stainless.
     
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  3. Almost every nut/bolt on mine is stainless. There are some titanium but more for vanity if I’m honest, but of late the titanium ones have all been a part of my bikes diet.
     
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  4. As its just a road bike I shall go for stainless.
     
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  5. @Sev the header bolts are quite rusty what's the best thing to replace them with??
     
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  6. Yes I used andy at race fastners all the time. :upyeah:

    Thanks @Sev
     
  7. Hello.
    I'm sure you are aware of galvanic corrosion issues, so it might be worth considering which materials/metals are being fastened together by what type of bolt, in terms of the galvanic series, the information and links below may be of interest.
    https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/stainless-vs-oem-bolts.95457/
    "The Galvanic Series in a Nutshell
    With the galvanic series, metals are grouped according to electrical potential compared to a known standard. Metals that are far apart from each other on the list will corrode fast in seawater or electrolytes when electrically connected. Metals that are closer together will suffer less damage."
    https://www.pro-bolt.com/technical-information/
    https://www.corrosionpedia.com/an-i...s-galvanic-compatibility-and-corrosion/2/1403
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series
    Hope it helps.
    Tom.
     
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  8. WTF, did I miss something overnight? The last thing I did last night was read @Sev ’s very useful and insightful response. I thought I’d read his follow up post this morning but it’s gone, along with other posts. Did the conversation go down the pan that much that quickly a load of posts had to be deleted?

    Anyway, for replacement header studs & nuts, which was the open question before I refreshed my screen this morning, I use something like this

    https://amzn.eu/d/fpDeChB

    You can get copper coated studs too but at the very least make sure the nuts you use are copper coated and use lots of copper slip when fitting it too, it makes life easier in the future.
     
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  9. One of the deleted posts was a duplicate of the link to the 'galvanic' thread I posted earlier. So perhaps they may have been self deleted?

    Re the header studs/nuts I've used stainless & brass before now with spring washers to hold 'em on.
     
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  10. Oh yeah where did @Sev post go?
     
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  11. I don't believe galvanic corrosion is a big deal with motorbikes. I think it's more critical with things like boats in salt water.
    A greater concern, in my opinion, is galling. SS or Ti fasteners installed in aluminum threads will cause galling without anti-seize. To prevent the fastener from backing out, I use Schnorr ribbed safety washers, which are thin conical washers with ribs on each face. They work great, and when I go to remove them, I get the "tink" sound when they let go.
    Of course, if you do use anti-seize, be sure to reduce your torque wrench settings by about 20% to prevent stripping the threads and/or over stretching the fastener.
     
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  12. I stick to ductile on critical areas such as brakes, discs, swingarm axle clamps etc. Stainless for fancy dress parts. I dont bother with Ti too much unless theyre cheap. Ive not experienced galvanic effects that ive noticed tbh.
     
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  13. You'd think that, but you've not experienced UK salted roads in the winter.
    At least if the bike was in the water it wouldn't also get covered in the general 5h1t that also appears to live on our roads.

    But yes, I also spend a lot of time mucking about with Outboard engines used in Salt Water, and that's where Galvanic corrosion is a big issue really quickly.

    Yes, agree with this as well, although I've had very little experience with Ti.
    A surefire recipie for Helicoil, or similar, fitting practice.
     
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  14. Oh right, forgot about salted roads. I don't ride in that weather, so not an issue for me. I'm a fair weather rider only.
     
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