It's difficult to ignore the siren call of That Bike You Just Saw On Facebook Marketplace, isn't it? By the way, I almost mistyped that as "Faebook Marketplace," but I think in this case my fingers might have been trying to tell you something that my brain didn't quite want to acknowledge.
Whether it's careless previous owners or mischievous, ethereal fae out of folklore, the end result is the same. Sometimes, bolts, screws, and other hardware on that new ride you've been eyeing aren't tightened to spec.
Or, in extreme cases, are even actually there. (Yikes.)
I can't tell you exactly how many pieces of wrong or missing hardware were on my VF500F when I brought it home, but can I assure you that it was more than just a few. And if you haven't experienced the joy of workmanship done by a previous owner yet, just wait. You will. There's a reason there are so many jokes about it, and it's because if you don't laugh, you'll cry.
Case in point: This horrifying Instagram reel, where a rider named Caylee discovered that the pinch bolts on her new-to-her ZX-6R were apparently only finger-tight? Honestly, from what she shows us here, I think she's being a little generous with her description, in that it even includes the word "tight" in the first place.
It's not at all clear when the last time anyone used a torque wrench in the general vicinity of this bike was, but we do know that it wasn't done recently. On something relatively inconsequential, like a little piece of bodywork, that's not the end of the world. But on your front axle, or other structural parts of the bike that you're literally entrusting your life to any time you throw a leg over?
That's a major problem.
So please, for your safety and general health, take a few minutes to check the bolts and fasteners on any used bike (or other powersports equipment, for that matter) that you bring home. It's a good idea to get into the practice of doing that every once in a while anyway, even if you bought the machine in question new off a showroom floor.
Fasteners loosen over time, and unless you did it yourself, you don't know whether the person who worked on it before you thought to use thread lock. For your own peace of mind, as well as that of anyone who rides with you (or who simply cares about you, even if they don't ride with you), it's worth looking up the appropriate torque values, dialing them in, and tightening things appropriately.
Don't over-tighten; that'll just make your life (or the life of the next owner) harder down the line. But finger tight (or even looser) on load-bearing parts is a terrible idea.
You'll find the appropriate torque values for your machine in the shop manual. Also, you don't need a super expensive torque wrench to do the job; just one that's accurate and reliable. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to find tools available for lending at your local public library (no, really) that you can check out with your library card.
In some areas, you might also find something extra cool, like the Chicago Tool Library, that loan out tools to the community that you might want to use once or twice, but not necessarily have money or space to own.
