Fairing screws

[nickst4]

I mentioned elsewhere that I've never been able to find replacements for the wide flat mushroom-head socket screws used by so many (Italian) bike makers. Little button-heads, flange-heads and widish slot-heads yes, but nothing the same as OEM on Morini, Cagiva or Ducati. I found a source last night though; ProBolt do a nice somewhat-conical stainless version at £2 each and titanium at £4. Needless to say, I'm still looking!!

Any hints on economic supply would be welcome, and I'd consider plated screws 'cos the Dart would look better with white ones, I think.

Nick, Norfolk

[MickeyMoto]

http://www.inoxbolt.co.uk/zen/index.php ... th=189_199 ?

[nickst4]

http://www.inoxbolt.co.uk/zen/index.php ... th=189_199 ?

Perfect! But at £2+ each?

Now I have to ask myself if £30 or thereabouts is too much to spend on a handful of screws...

Nick

[EVguru]

You can buy packs of countersink head stainless screws pretty cheap. If you know someone with a lathe, you could get them to knock up a batch of countersunk washers in stainless or plastic in the colour of your choice.

[MickeyMoto]

Hi,

I think the point is for fairing screws they are £2 each. You could try something like this:

http://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/A2_ ... lg_M5.html for 10p each, but in my opinion do not look right. I would also check the pitch, too.

You can buy countersunk Allen screws again for 10p and the washers are about 55p....

How original do you want to be?

Mike.

[nickst4]

http://www.inoxbolt.co.uk/zen/index.php ... th=189_199 ?

Perfect! But at £2+ each?

Now I have to ask myself if £30 or thereabouts is too much to spend on a handful of screws...

Nick

OK, I have to backtrack on that response: those screws all claim to have 11mm OD heads, both in M5 and M6 size. If this is true, then they would be a massive waste of money. My current count is 28 screws needed, ideally in three different lengths, so more like £60! And they'd have heads nothing like the 16mm ones of the originals. I've seen posted pics of ProBolt fairing screws fitted to a Ducati and surprise, surprise; there's a halo all round, suggesting their bolts don't have the right diameter head either.

It's not so much originality I'm after. Rather, a low-profile smooth bolthead that engages well with the material beneath and spreads the load. In other words, exactly like the originals!

All good fun...

Nick

[MickeyMoto]

I have the same problem with a Laverda RGS. A screw fell out and the repalcement is not the same, so I have had to hide it. I think the Italian fairing screw factory went bust in 1993!

[nickst4]

http://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/A2_ ... lg_M5.html for 10p each, but in my opinion do not look right. Mike.

Hi Mike,

Those Westfield ones are the common flange-head type, and I agree they look odd. Even ProBolt's expensive fairing screws are only 12mm heads.

So far, the only wide (15mm) low mushroom head screws available anywhere are the cheap-as-chips slot-heads that I've used on the Dukes previously, so that's the route I'll go. I drill a 2mm pilot hole in the centre of the slot and that is engaged by a little peg fitted to a special wide screwdriver blade, all to keep the screwdriver engaged so it helps in spinning them off.

I just thought that with a new bike wiv lots of big fairing screws, I'd track down some identical replacements.

Not so easy...

Nick

[MickeyMoto]

I think I had the last one from NLM a couple of years back.....

Maybe an opportunity for some enterprising garage machinist to knock up a few and make a few groats?