Spare fastener kits - any vendors?
 

Every time I get a new bike I end up spending considerable ammount of effort trying to figure out which spare fasteners I need to source for my spare parts kit. Then I spend even more effort trying to source them. Often I end up having to buy far more than I need - when I can't buy fasteners individually. Or I end up spending an obnoxious ammount of money on freight - having to order special fasteners from individual vendors - especially if I need to buy from the bike manufacturer.

As I never seem to be able to find a complete list to go buy, I tend to bring along the fasteners from the previous bike over to the new bike (just in case I missed something). This causes the fastener kit to bloat from every generation. It has gotten to the point now that I really need to go through it from scratch.

The kits that I find online may for instance be a complete kit for a particular set of component, i.e. a complete fairing fastener kit, or a crank case fastener kit, etc... when all I need is one or two spare fasteners of each type, independent of components.

What would have been very useful would have been a motorcycle spare fastener kit, with one or two fasteners of each of the most common sizes. What would have been even more useful is if there existed model specific kits - komplete with a list of specialty items that need to be sourced from another source (i.e. a specific type of oil plug, etc).

Now, assuming that I can't find such a kit, I could really benefit from a model specific list of fasteners to help me out in my own sourcing and compiling. The workshop manual is of little use. It only notes the bike manufacturer's own part number - but not the type or size. Nor do they provide a complete list, so one would need to go through the whole manual to note every fastener and then organize into a list with all the duplicates removed... Ofcourse they keep it cryptic - because they want to buy from them at obnoxious prices.

Maybe we could find a way to make a collaborative model specific lists somehow? Such a list would for instance be organized by type (head, length, width, standard typification, alloy, threads, etc), followed by bike manufacturer's and/or OEM part number, followed by a list of application areas for the specific fastener.

Do any of you have any good reccomendations as of how to gather a list of fasteners for a bike. The obvious is to look at everything that is in plain sight. But what about all those fasteners which require dismantling to identify?

I see a potential business idea here for someone - a webshop selling all model specific fasteners - both individually and as kits (essential, extensive, complete).

There are two new bikes in my garage now that I need to source fasteners for - A Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally and a KTM 390 Adventure...

There are fastener kits availalbe for some bikes but they are often upgrades to stainless steel or titanium and can be expensive.
I only every carry a few spare fasteners of popular sizes and have rarely needed them, a couple each of M5, M6, M8 and M10 nuts, washers and bolts around 15mm and 30mm long will fix most things by the side of the road or get you to where you can source the correct size.

You shouldn't really need any spare fasteners. If everything is tightened up correctly or thread-locked.

Just carry zip ties, gaffertape and your AA card. ;)

Are you ever really that far from a Halfords, B&Q or other supplier ?

I guess you could carry some long bolts of the common sizes and a junior hacksaw to make them fit anything.

I usually take a handful of common size nuts and bolts with me plus a small selection of other 'get out of jail' stuff - jubilee clips, cable ties, even a few pop rivets now and then. I also make sure I have all the tools I need for both likely emergencies and expected routine maintenance. If it goes beyond that then outside help is going to be needed.

What I have done on a number of bikes is look carefully at what fasteners are used where and change those that are likely to cause issues if I have to undo them at the side of the road. That usually means changing cross headed screws for allen headed ones that can be undone without mangling them. Years ago vendors used to sell complete sets of allen screws to replace the oe cross headed engine casing ones as nobody had JIS screwdrivers (and we were always taking our engines to bits back then :rofl:) but I can't imagine you'll be taking a brand new (and presumably still under warranty) bike apart at the side of the road now.