Safety Wiring - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The Unacceptable

[Linz Leard]

More pix, again from a BMW S1000RR:

Wire your water pump's drain bolt. The actual drain bolt/plug is usually the larger of the bolts around the water pump and often has a copper, brass or other soft washer on it.





More exhaust hanger wiring. You don't want the exhaust to come off, and neither do I and the rest of us on the track.





The only safety pins that are currently illegal for oil related items are safety pins on oil drains. Safety pins suck and most people know how much I dislike them. I am huge proponent of hard-wiring oil fills and dipsticks. One of the reasons I dislike safety pins so much is because they have to be wired properly to be effective (and most times they are not), they are often seen simply dangling there during and after races (especially endurance races where racers claim they must add a squirt of oil or the world will stop turning), and they wear out and don't have the spring force they once had and can bumped open inadvertently with a heal or a toe. This is oil, people, the worst stuff that can added to a paved racing surface. I mean, really, how much longer does that take you to hard wire? A minute? Here's an example of hard wiring. And the "hard" doesn't mean difficult.




Another example, this time from an SV650.




Oil cooler oil lines, also from an SV650. It's a good idea to do these.




Also from an SV650. If you have a castle nut, I am okay with using an R clip. I don't like the safety pins back here because they are not usually as stout, but they'll pass muster in tech if they aren't sloppy. Notice there's a hefty R clip used here, a nice piece of wire that affords enough room to remove the pin and replace it multiple times without the wire getting bent and fatigued, some shrink tubing applied to the wire (so it looks good and also can show if the wire has been dinged or bent), and a solid place to wire off to.




I always recommend doing this in tech and am surprised how many don't. At least once a race weekend we have a shifter come loose or fall off on the track. I am always amused when folks want to go find their shifter after the races when it fell off on the track. Be my guest and good luck! This is a simple way to keep it connected as it should be. Do you need to do this to pass tech? No. Do you need to do this to finish a race? Almost certainly. Two small holes and a bit of wire. Golden!




A holdover from the old days, rear calipers don't come loose often, but it's a bad deal when they do. Why not wire them and be safe AND cool? Also note the RTV on the banjo bolt.






A line of RTV over access covers (such as this one used for timing) is required and a good idea. Do they ever fall out without RTV? Only when you least expect it. Don't be that guy.

[Cody Stewart]

Never thought of doing the shifter linkage. I plan on doing that when I get my bike back as well.
-Cody

[Jim Dugger]

Never thought of doing the shifter linkage.

Anything that gets a lot of "action" is a good candidate. I've lost the shift linkage bolt, as I'm sure many here have. It's wired now!

BTW, I disagree with Linz on one topic, and that's safety wire diameter. For short items like shift-linkages and banjo bolts, I find .020 and .025 to be superior in terms of the tightening force you end up with and the ease of using the wire itself. .032 is a very stiff wire, and will work-harden and break more readily than thinner wires because of how difficult it can be to use.

The FAA approves .020 wire (quite thin) for applications up to two inches. Also, 5-7 twists per inch is sufficient, and in many of the pictures above, the wire is over-twisted. On something like an oil drain it probably doesn't make much difference, but on something like a rear caliper that's not changed but once a season (or never) the extra twisting promotes a more brittle wire over time more likely to break.

Just my opinion, worth what it cost you to hear/read.

[Linz Leard]

Anything that gets a lot of "action" is a good candidate. I've lost the shift linkage bolt, as I'm sure many here have. It's wired now!

BTW, I disagree with Linz on one topic, and that's safety wire diameter. For short items like shift-linkages and banjo bolts, I find .020 and .025 to be superior in terms of the tightening force you end up with and the ease of using the wire itself. .032 is a very stiff wire, and will work-harden and break more readily than thinner wires because of how difficult it can be to use.

The FAA approves .020 wire (quite thin) for applications up to two inches. Also, 5-7 twists per inch is sufficient, and in many of the pictures above, the wire is over-twisted. On something like an oil drain it probably doesn't make much difference, but on something like a rear caliper that's not changed but once a season (or never) the extra twisting promotes a more brittle wire over time more likely to break.

Just my opinion, worth what it cost you to hear/read.

Misuse causes rule changes. I think .020 or .025 is perfectly suited for some items, but not for others, just like the FAA. The NASA standards say the same as the FAA standards. But people start wiring drain plugs and axles and whatnot with .020 and that's too thin. Uniformity is the key, here, Jim. Rather than tell someone they have to get rid of that .020 they used on the rear axle (as if that thin stuff could keep an axle nut tight), Walter and I decided .032 was the best compromise. It works well on most everything, although it's a bear on a few things. Now here's the caveat that will help you - if you want to wire something that's NOT required to be wired, and want to use a thinner gauge, be my guest. But don't even bother showing up to tech with your drain plug wired with .020. I'll reach up there and break it off by hand for you. (Well, maybe not at the moment because I'd have to have two good hands, but anyway.)

[Gavin Williams]

BTW, I disagree with Linz on one topic, and that's safety wire diameter. For short items like shift-linkages and banjo bolts, I find .020 and .025 to be superior in terms of the tightening force you end up with and the ease of using the wire itself. .032 is a very stiff wire, and will work-harden and break more readily than thinner wires because of how difficult it can be to use.

The FAA approves .020 wire (quite thin) for applications up to two inches. Also, 5-7 twists per inch is sufficient, and in many of the pictures above, the wire is over-twisted. On something like an oil drain it probably doesn't make much difference, but on something like a rear caliper that's not changed but once a season (or never) the extra twisting promotes a more brittle wire over time more likely to break.

Just my opinion, worth what it cost you to hear/read.

I agree with you completely. I don't understand the need for the CMRA to try and go above and beyond what even the AMA requires for safety wiring. BTW, it is .024 for reference. page 39 of the AMA rulebook.

[Linz Leard]

I agree with you completely. I don't understand the need for the CMRA to try and go above and beyond what even the AMA requires for safety wiring. BTW, it is .024 for reference. page 39 of the AMA rulebook.

.024 Nominal. I buy my safety wire from the aviation supply next to my house and my can that I have in my toolbox is marked .025. Quite frankly do you think I care and do you think anyone else can really tell the difference in .001, besides my high buck NASA-supplied calipers? .025 or .024. Same difference.

Also, I don't care about the AMA rule book. I am not satisfying those rules, I'm satisfying CMRA rules. The CMRA isn't satisfying the FAA or NASA safety wire regulations, either.

There is a post elsewhere in this forum about people whining when the .032 mandate was announced. Go there and complain. This thread is about wiring properly. Wait until I show you some really crappy wire jobs people do and comment on those. Take the wire gauge complaint elsewhere.

[John Redford]

.024 Nominal. I buy my safety wire from the aviation supply next to my house and my can that I have in my toolbox is marked .025. Quite frankly do you think I care and do you think anyone else can really tell the difference in .001, besides my high buck NASA-supplied calipers? .025 or .024. Same difference.

Also, I don't care about the AMA rule book. I am not satisfying those rules, I'm satisfying CMRA rules. The CMRA isn't satisfying the FAA or NASA safety wire regulations, either.

There is a post elsewhere in this forum about people whining when the .032 mandate was announced. Go there and complain. This thread is about wiring properly. Wait until I show you some really crappy wire jobs people do and comment on those. Take the wire gauge complaint elsewhere.

I understand his question and concern.

Is such a heavy handed response really necessary?

[Linz Leard]

I understand his question and concern.

Is such a heavy handed response really necessary?

I didn't think I was heavy handed. This thread was about one thing, not another. Let's stay on topic. This isn't MH.

[Tom Anderson]

Nice informational posts Linz regarding proper number plates and safety wire. I hear those questions a lot and this is a great resource for folks to use. Thank you!

[Linz Leard]

More.

This picture shows some items that are done and some not done. Notice the sprocket bolt has been wired. This is often overlooked and not required per the rulebook, but like the shifter linkage, is a good idea to wire. Also note that there are two oil filters on this bike. Both have the cover bolts wired. Also pictured is the wired cam chain tensioner. Another good idea. If it comes loose, the motor won't like it. Not wired in this image (but wired now) is the water pump drain and there's a blob of RTV on the banjo bolt on the hydraulic master cylinder.





Here's a case where things can be done a bit better. As most of you know, I am not a fan of safety pin style clips. I see them open and dangling quite often and always ask myself, "How and when did that happen?" If you bump one hard enough, they can open. If they get bent or over-used they can open. Overuse, such as constantly manipulating them and the wire that's attached to them, can fatigue wire over time. I'm a fan of hard wiring when it can be done. But the CMRA rulebook allows them in some cases (and not in others). In this particular case it's pretty clear that the wire is very loose so it can allow the safety pins sufficient room to be manipulated, uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times. The wire has no tension on it, and if a caliper bolt wanted to start backing out, what's going to stop it? Yes, I admit that the chances of that happening are low, but it could happen and if it did the wire isn't going to try really hard to stop it. Quick wheel swaps and tire changes aside, this is legal but not preferred. By the way SAE AS 657 / MS33540 doesn't mention safety pins at all, although it does address cotter pins for some applications. But remember, the SAE standard isn't the be-all, end-all of the CMRA rulebook. Also, the SAE standard refers to .024 wire as a range between .024 and .026 (with .025 being nominal). Since the SAE standard trumps the AMA rule book, I've already sent a letter to the AMA to have them correct their rule book so folks aren't misled. Just saying.