Safety Wiring 101 for track day riders...

[Moto-Brian]

I detailed a guide to safety wiring your bike based on the typical requirements of STT. However, this is also required by other ors or especially if you are racing. If racing, you need to wire a few more items, but overall, this should help get you started!

I broke it up into the three levels seen at an STT event and what we require in those levels.

Let's start with Intermediate first. Intermediate is required to have AT MINIMUM, silicone on oil drain plugs and oil filter. It is highly suggested to wire as what is described below, but silicone as minimal is fine.

Now, some people get a little crazy with the silicone. You only need a small amount. You gooping it on and coating the entire thing in a mass of silicone is messy and is going to be a bear to clean up when you decide to remove it...

Here's an example of silicone being used. Just a small dab on the bolt and where it meets the area it secures to. This allows it to not rotate...

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Now, a suggestion for the Intermediate riders. Safety wire is your best idea when riding at the track. I know some of you are concerned over drilling holes in bolts or drilling holes in bolts and having them showing when you go to sell the bike. My suggestion is to get with the guys at Iron Pony, STG, etc. and buy a really cool oil fill cap and an OEM style drain bolt.

You can actually get pre-drilled versions and that would satisfy the person not so sure on drilling. In any case, there are solutions.

Advanced riders - for 2011, it is required to have the oil fill cap, oil drain bolt and oil filter safety wired for STT events. This is something that is very easy to do and with some practice, you can get it down to a science and zip through this stuff rather quickly.

I am going to show a few suggestions to make the process a LOT less cumbersome and less labor intensive.

Let's start at the top. What does a proper safety wiring job look like? The idea is that the wire is essentially pulling the bolt tight. That means that via vibration, the bolt will not back out and loosen. The ol' "righty, tighty - lefty, lousy" applies. If you are pulling a bolt tight, it needs to be pulled in the direction of "righty, tighty".

SPECIAL NOTE: Try and do a small pig tail after you cut the wire once it is tightened to the anchoring point. See the picture below and notice we roll the wire in a U-shape or pig tail. This is because safety wire will cut you quick and if you do not pig tail it, you stand a really good chance of getting sliced open pretty easily...

Here are two bolts that are wired and showing this idea:

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You can use this idea with one bolt or many bolts wired together. All you need to do is look at the bolt and decide which way it needs to be pulled in order to tighten. Once you figure that out, that's where you pull from and secure at a point that allows the wire to not let the bolt loosen...

So, taking that idea, let's talk oil filler cap. The same idea applies. You need to be pulling or in the case of what I will show you, not allow the cap to rotate counter clockwise and loosen.

This is an example of a suggested idea for you riders out there. We are constantly changing oil. That means for every oil change, we would need to cut the wire, remove the cap and then re-wire it before a race. In the interest of convenience, we use a diaper style pin and wire it to an anchoring point to essentially do the exact same thing hard wiring would do, but the added convenience of being able to remove the pin to have access to the cap and simply re-pin the cap when tightened and off we roll.

When doing this, use a small covering to allow you from getting the wire exposed. Not needed, won't cause harm if not covered, but it is so much more professional. You can also use shrink tubing to do the same thing and an example is shown later. We use Aircraft Tygon Tubing. I like the yellow color and it has a smaller I.D. for the wire we use. You can access this product in different colors and different sizes from McMaster-Carr...

Here is an oil fill cap wired using a clip:

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Now, the oil filter. Believe it or not, filters CAN back out. Many times, it is due to the owner not removing the o-ring that stuck to the motor from the old filter, but even without that old o-ring, it can vibrate and back out enough to leak. The idea is to treat the oil filter like a giant bolt.

But, how do you drill an oil filter? The folks at K&N thought about this and they are one of the only companies that have a filter with a welded nut on the end with holes drilled through it. This is a point to wire from and secure the filter. Iron Pony, STG, etc. sell K&N filters and you can try this for yourself. VERY convenient!

BUT, if you are like us, we use the OEM filters or Vesrah filters (also available through STG!!). This means, you cannot drill a wire point in the filter. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO DRILL A HOLE IN THE LIP OF THE FILTER!!!

So, what do you do? Buy a hose clamp that will fit around the oil filter. A 3" or similar should do the trick. Tighten the clamp around the filter and use the bolt that you use to tighten to act as a wire point. Simply wire around the bolt housing and place the housing so that it is in about the 7 o'clock position if looking directly at the top of the filter.

Finally, pull the wire to a point that is pulling the filter tight to prevent it from loosening up.

You can see here, we have a point somewhat far away from the clamp, but it works. It still does the same job...

Safety wired oil filter via using the band clamp method:

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Now to the drain bolt. The drain bolt is the leading cause of dropping oil on a track from rider neglect. You can always check the oil drain bolt to make sure it is secure. Wiring it also allows you one more time to check the bolt to make sure it is secure. Everything you have seen so far applies to the drain bolt also. Pull the drain bolt tight and anchor the wire to a point that will not allow the bolt to back out. Here, we have to pull it up along the side of the oil pan, but again, it is tight and is pulling it tight and no chance of it loosening and dropping oil.

Oil drain bolt:

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So, that covers what the minimal requirements are. Now, on to some suggestions and ideas in the next post!

Edited March 25, 2011 by Desmo-Brian

[Moto-Brian]

If you are serious and are thinking that you might want to start racing, you will need to wire some more things of importance. However, if you are an avid track day rider, you really need to consider some of the things I point out simply because over time, your bike can have a lot of bolts that you may never think would, come loose and fall off. Shifter bolts, rearset bolts, etc...

Here are some things to consider:

Caliper bolts on front and rear. We use the Tygon and diaper pin idea on the calipers because we are always changing tires, brake pads, wheels, etc. The pin idea allows us to do this quickly and efficiently. Same idea applies - do it so that the bolts cannot back out. I have seen calipers fall off. Most likely due to not tightening the bolts, but the idea is that if they wired them, they wouldn't have fallen out. Ask Scott Harwell about a VIR race he ran one year...

Front calipers using the pin method:

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Axles - front and rear. Axle nuts are prone to loosening from wheels spinning, load, etc. The axles should be wired and using the same idea as you have heard numerous times. We use the pins here, also. We use a smaller pin on the front and a large opine on the rear. Again, has more to do with the fact that we are removing things so often as opposed to looks. This works great for us and if you do not like the look of Tygon, you can use just the wire or use a different colored tubing...

Front and rear axles:

Front axle using the pin method:

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Rear axle using the pin method: NOTE - we use the axle adjusters to anchor to. This allows us a solid point to anchor, but because it is a threaded bolt, we can still adjust the bolt and not have the wire restrict it in any way.

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Now, something a lot of us may not consider, but is a wise idea. The radiator cap. We again use the pin method as we are always checking and need easy access to this cap. Same idea here. As with any of the pin methods, you need an anchor point. You saw me use the axle adjusters above or another bolt, but here, we use the small neck that goes to the overflow hose. Works great!

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Finally, a few things to consider. Bolts like your shifter bolt, rear brake pin, shock top nut and rearset bolts are always coming loose over time. We wire ALL those things.

Here is an example of the rearset bolts and how we wire them. I use heat shrink tubing here on the bolts that secure the base plates. We do not use heat shrink on the adjustable bolts due to the fact that we may have to raise or move the rearsets. If we do this, we are wasting the heat shrink tubing...

But, the idea is that you don't want to be dropping these bolts on the track. I had a shifter bolt come up from a bike and hit me in the face shield. That was awesome! But, the killer was that I won the race due to the guy in front dropping the bolt and the shifter falling off. No shifting means WIN for me, but ruined his day...

Here are the rearset bolts:

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Overall, remember the basics. The rest are just suggestions and ideas. If you have something you need an example shown, shoot me a PM or ask here.

Don't be intimidated by wiring your bike. Best bet is to NEVER drill a bolt on the bike. NEVER! Take the bolt out and put it in a vice and drill it off the bike. Drill presses are optimal, but we have done many a bolt at the track with simply pliers. But, take your time and really, the best thing you can do is PRACTICE! Just like seat time on the track. The more you get, the more comfortable you get and most likely, the better at it you become.

Hope this all helped a bit.

Let's keep the thread from going off course and keep it on topic as I think it is a great reference tool for many of you out there.

If there is anything I missed or is wrong, let me know and I will correct.

Have fun!

Edited March 25, 2011 by Desmo-Brian

[Dubguy85]

Nice write up.. I hope I didn't inspire this! JK.. This should help us all!

[Moto-Brian]

Nice write up.. I hope I didn't inspire this! JK.. This should help us all!

Who you? Mr. "Took an hour to wire my radiator cap"? Naaaaah!

[Dubguy85]

Who you? Mr. "Took an hour to wire my radiator cap"? Naaaaah!

PSHH.. I tightened a few bolts while I was around there... Oil drain bolt, and others

[jarvismb]

perhaps this was covered and I didn't read it, but what tool (if any) do you use to get those pretty uniform twists on the wire?

[Dubguy85]

perhaps this was covered and I didn't read it, but what tool (if any) do you use to get those pretty uniform twists on the wire?

Safety wire pliers You can get them at harbor freight, or STG... Pony probably sells them as well.. Best invention ever!

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=safety+wire+pliers&hl=en&prmd=ivns&biw=1259&bih=589&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&wrapid=tlif130105841932810&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7508267094835611245&sa=X&ei=epOMTbWYE5S80QHZ3aWjCw&ved=0CG8Q8wIwAA#

[Moto-Brian]

Safety wire pliers You can get them at harbor freight, or STG... Pony probably sells them as well.. Best invention ever!

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=safety+wire+pliers&hl=en&prmd=ivns&biw=1259&bih=589&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&wrapid=tlif130105841932810&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7508267094835611245&sa=X&ei=epOMTbWYE5S80QHZ3aWjCw&ved=0CG8Q8wIwAA#

Yup. no other way to get it as good. You can use pliers and locking pliers at times, but the twists aren't as tight and uniform.

If anyone needs help doing this, let me know. I have the tools and wire...

[TwiztedRabbit]

actually i was apart of this too.. i wanted to know what else besides the basics that needed to be wired..

great write up man thanks!

[TwiztedRabbit]

i have the tools too! so ya we can do like a safety wire how to sometime if people want to

[Tigerpaw]

Awesome post!

I've bee safety-wiring for 13+ years for the USAF. You did a great job.

[jarvismb]

Well, that was easy.

Thanks for the info, guys.

[jbot]

fantastic write up.

it took me a while to do mine, and other than all that info up there, i'd offer: make sure you don't use too thick a wire. I made that mistake and it took fooooorevar even with the fancy wire pliers.

but people probably know that from not being retarded. sad face.

[Dubguy85]

fantastic write up.

it took me a while to do mine, and other than all that info up there, i'd offer: make sure you don't use too thick a wire. I made that mistake and it took fooooorevar even with the fancy wire pliers.

but people probably know that from not being retarded. sad face.

No.. True story.. Some places (harbor freight) only care the thicker wire.. Def use the thinner stuff!

[Moto-Brian]

No.. True story.. Some places (harbor freight) only care the thicker wire.. Def use the thinner stuff!

Well, be careful at what you use thinner or thicker for. I use the heavier gauge stuff on axles and oil drain, etc. I only use the thinner stuff on small bolts like 8mm socket size stuff... I generally use heavier gauge on everything... The thinner stuff can actually break easier. Remember especially around the motor area where the wire gets hot and then cools, gets hot, cools, etc... It will break and you'd be shocked at how much vibration occurs around everything...

Especially on twins and 1000s. We find broken wire on the exhaust springs all the time...

[natedogg624]

is this going to be a sticky? might be a good idea.

[TwiztedRabbit]

agreed. STICKY IT!

[redkow97]

the wiring is pretty easy to get good at after a couple of tries. A few things no one has mentioned yet:

- always start with more wire than you think you'll need. using 6" once is better than using 4" twice.

- after putting the wire through your first bolt and folding it in half, pull it to your anchor point (or next bolt) and lock on the wiring pliers THERE. This prevents the need to un-twist anything when you go to lock it into the anchor point, etc.

- over-twisting will result in snapping the wire - it doesn't need to be super-duper tight, just pretty tight.

The drilling is what I actually think is harder.

Keep a good supply of bits on hand. Harbor freight sells 10-packs of the 1/16 bits. keeping the bit lubricated (cool) will also keep it from breaking as quickly.

If you have any intention of doing more than a couple small bolts, buy (or borrow) a drilling jig like this.

It holds the bolt perfectly in place, and keeps your bit totally straight so you don't drill further than you need to, and remain perpendicular to the bolt head.

[Moto-Brian]

the wiring is pretty easy to get good at after a couple of tries. A few things no one has mentioned yet:

- always start with more wire than you think you'll need. using 6" once is better than using 4" twice.

- after putting the wire through your first bolt and folding it in half, pull it to your anchor point (or next bolt) and lock on the wiring pliers THERE. This prevents the need to un-twist anything when you go to lock it into the anchor point, etc.

- over-twisting will result in snapping the wire - it doesn't need to be super-duper tight, just pretty tight.

The drilling is what I actually think is harder.

Keep a good supply of bits on hand. Harbor freight sells 10-packs of the 1/16 bits. keeping the bit lubricated (cool) will also keep it from breaking as quickly.

If you have any intention of doing more than a couple small bolts, buy (or borrow) a drilling jig like this.

It holds the bolt perfectly in place, and keeps your bit totally straight so you don't drill further than you need to, and remain perpendicular to the bolt head.

Great suggestion on the bolt jig! Plus, using one will result in professional looking holes AND not to mention resolve the frustration of drilling in an angle and snapping a bit...

[redkow97]

the bit jig is perfect for caliper bolts and stuff like that - the only place it falls short is larger stuff like axles; especially when you need to drill through the corner of the bolt.

[jbot]

when i was drilling mine, i ghetto rigged up some holding fixture that worked out well on my little high speed drill press.

Even if you're not using a high speed drill press (and honestly, you could probably even rig up a dremel to pretend to be one), as has been said before, getting a good solid hold on the nut/bolt is the most important thing.

Do not peck drill... just feed her in steadily and smoothly (unless it's binding up and/or too much chips being built up inside... not likely though). If you've never drilled steel before, it'll take a bit to get the feel for what feed rate is too fast and too slow. Once you get the hole started, turn up the RPM's as high as it will go, and just feed it in nice and steady (3-4K rpms works well, but less is fine). The feeling is like stabbing a hot knife into a block of ice... it'll just kinda sink in with little pressure. Cobalt (not the brand, the material) drills worked the best for me. HSS burnt up too quickly.

[TRMN8TR]

If you have any intention of doing more than a couple small bolts, buy (or borrow) a drilling jig like this.

Hi,

I'm working on safety wiring my bike. Can I borrow your fancy jig?

[natedogg624]

i've found that slow and steady does better for me while spraying wd40 on the bolt/bit while drilling. i guess it depends on the bolt material and drill bit but this is what works for me.

[redkow97]

Hi,

I'm working on safety wiring my bike. Can I borrow your fancy jig?

yes. find a convenient pass-off point, and it's all yours for a couple weeks. I work in Independence and live in Parma. I'm also at CSU Monday-thursday by 5:30. I'll even toss you a couple of bits to get started. I have like 12 of them at home.

I need a WERA tech inspector to look at my bike to be sure, but I'm fairly certain I'm done drilling. Need to buy some silicone for brake pad pins though. Ironically, nothing is actually wired on my bike right now, because I still need to swap all my fluids, brake pads, and tires before riding

[chevysoldier]

Good write up Brian! I've never safety wired a track bike before, but did it in the army. The first few times they look like crap. Then once you get a feel for it, you can make some really pretty safety wiring, like you did.