[Cappy]

I just replaced a pushrod.  When installing the rocker blocks, I used my torque wrench set to the 112 inch pounds as indicated in the workshop manual.  I thought it felt like too much, but what do I know?  While holding my breath, the torque wrench clicked on three of the nuts, then the last one stripped!  (That sinking feeling you get when you feel the nut loosten up)  The good news is that it it was the top nut, not the threads in the cylinder head.  Anyway,  I'm now like a ham - "I've been cured"!  From now on, I'm I'm going by "feel" rather than specs!

Cappy

[MotoJ]

Mr. Gurandun recommends the same- forget the torque wrench. I'd still use it for sprocket nuts, cranks, etc.

[barenekd]

If I were just stripping nuts, I'd go buy a bunch of Grade 8  nuts and cure that problem. Any nut that would strip at that low a torque should be scrapped anyway. Shall wee assume soft nuts are all over the bike? Cheap fixes.
Bare

[t120rbullet]

A click type torque wrench will get ya every time on an Enfield. I wouldn't use one on anything aluminum. The trouble with clickers is they feel the same if their just getting ready to click or just getting ready to strip.
I have a beam type wrench in inch pounds that I use on the head bolts and use the wrist on all the rest.
CJ

[Arizoni]

You folks can do as you wish but be prepared for the consequences.

The torques specified by a good source are always designed to be less than a value that will cause damage to the threaded fasteners or the materials the fasteners are screwed into (including aluminum).
This assumes of course that the proper bolt/stud/nut is being used.

Uneven torquing of cylinder bolts/nuts can and will introduce uneven pressures that can distort the shape of the cylinder leading to excessive wear on the piston(s) and rings.
Too little torque on a head bolt/nut can allow head gaskets to blow out when the engine is running and over torquing can bring the fastener right to its ultimate limit without any apparent sign of danger.
In this condition the slightest change in pressure or temperature can cause it to fail.

IMO, there is no way the average human can determine torque by using their senses with the same precision a torque wrench can give, even a poor torque wrench.

Rather than ignoring published torque values, buying a quality torque wrench is a much better plan.
 
If a fastener fails while it is being torqued it is much better to find out that it was defective and weak while assembling the parts than it would be to install it and have it fail later on when it is in use.

I am not suggesting that a torque wrench is needed for the common nuts and bolts that hold relatively unimportant things on but for critical assemblies I always recommend using a good quality torque wrench.

Of course, as always,  this is just my opinion.

[olhogrider]

Jim I agree with all that you said. The problem is proper materials and workmanship from RE. My 2011 had the front axle pinch bolt torqued to spec by the dealer. I could slide the axle in and out with my fingers! I cranked down on the bolt "by feel" until the axle was secure. Also, I agree about a beam type vs click.

[Edward]

Hi Clappy
Torque figures are always quoted for dry threads unless stated otherwise. If  the thread was lubricated or wet at the time of torqueing you will have overtightened it by about 20%, which could be why it stripped. BSA had a number of crank failures with their A7 model at Daytona many years ago becuase a mechanic, who should have known better, was lubing the big end bolts and then tightening them to the dry thread figure.
Regards
Edward

[Desi Bike]

I believe the torque specs listed are for new fasteners, not reused ones.

Reuse of critical fasteners in the aerospace industry is a no-no, due to the stretching of fasteners torqued to required value.  Restretching a used fastener to the required torque will often lead to a failure of components of the fastener (threads, head, shaft etc.) 
Repeated heat - cool cycles also leads to aging of a fastener as it stretches and returns to its torqued spec and in time, reuse of the fastener can be a road leading to failure.

I know its a bit of a stretch to compare Royal Enfield Bullets to the aerospace industry, but there is some interesting reading on http://www.fastenal.com/web/services.ex?action=FEDS&article=Reuse

If you don't want to read the whole article, keep in mind that last sentence ...

"There are a number of clear indications that the fastener should not be reused, however typically the decision comes down to the economics of the fastener(s) vs. the cost of a failure of the fastened assembly."

[Kevin Mahoney]

This is a case where you have to choose your battles. It is also where experience comes in handy. An engineering book has a torque spec for every fastener and application. That doesn't mean that you need one. A head is an application that I would always use the torque wrench for. this is for the reasons mentioned below. In a low tech engine like the RE I would not think twice about reusing a head stud as opposed to an engine I had built to race.

The rocker studs are an application where I would not use a torque spec. Mostly because it is a place where "tight enough" applies but also because they are so small that it is very easy to strip one.

I would torque the rear axle and swing arm fasteners but not the handlebar hold downs.

I am open to criticism for this but I am also old enough and have been around this long enough to have made many errors. It also helps when you understand the application and the reason a torque spec might be given.

I get calls from people who are panicked because they can't find a torque spec for a fastener where "tight enough" applies. If you are inexperienced I understand this inclination. After a while you learn to apply a gentle hand given the size and material of the fastener and come to realize that tighter is not always better.

[barenekd]

Great explanation, Kevin.
However, for some of you older guys I have found that age somewhat decreases your strength and the feel for torque values. In tightened some common bots to about 100 in.lbs by feel, I figured I check them with the torque wrench. I was only applying about 75 in.lbs. Had to readjust my feel for the stuff. Higher torque stuff, now I use the wrench.
Getting old sucks. Yah, Yah, It beats beats the alternative, but it still sucks!
bare

[Kevin Mahoney]

Whoaaaa I don't think you should throw away the torque wrench. I also think that anyone that thinks they can "feel" the right torque needs some education. What I am trying to say is that there are some critical items that should always be torque and some that just don't matter. A
new hand with a wrench is rightfully afraid about how tight things should be. For example after stripping a spark plug or rocker box stud you learn to be judicious in the application of torque.

[edthetermite]

As you get older and have more experience wrenching you realize that there is a range of tightness that will get the job done. This is where you learn to develop a feel for what is needed. If it doesn't come loose and the assembly functions as desired it's a done deal.
Big bolt/nut situations like flywheels and such really need a torque reading. But most stuff is not warranted IMHO.
I am a believer in blue and rarely red loctite for many applications. You can tighten something up to a reasonable point and then rely on the thread locker to keep things right.
These RE's are between a tractor and lawn mower engine. It ain't rocket science were dealin' with here.....  

[olhogrider]

I enjoyed Sing5s link to the old Triumph factory videos. Watching them assemble an engine using T-handle wrenches but no torque wrenches was enlightening.

[1Blackwolf1]

  Remember the the tighten it until 1/4 turn before snapping rule of thumb.... .

[Desi Bike]

 Remember the the tighten it until 1/4 turn before snapping rule of thumb.... .

Thanks how they know the weight limits on bridges. Keep driving heavier and heavier trucks across it until it breaks, then rebuild the bridge exactly the same, weigh the last truck then minus 1 ton for safety, paint the weight limit sign and post it.