Mako
Member
I installed a set of V&H Classic slip-ons on my 2007 Road King (FLHR) the other day (very nice sound, by the way) and followed the installation instructions including the torque specs on the clamps. The V&H sheet said to torque them to 12 ft/lb.
It seemed a bit low to me, but I wanted to do the install correctly. All seemed OK until I was washing the bike yesterday and found that the left side slip-on was loose. By loose, I mean that if the back two mounting bolts had not been in place, I would have probably watched the pipes blow by me at the next traffic light. I realigned everything and moved the clamp to the utmost edge between the header and slip-on and re-tightened.
My question is: Does 12 ft/lbs seem adequate to properly clamp the slip-ons to the header pipe? I don't want to crush the header pipe... Or, do I need to get better clamps than what V&H supplied (the OEM clamps seemed much sturdier anyway)?
It seemed a bit low to me, but I wanted to do the install correctly. All seemed OK until I was washing the bike yesterday and found that the left side slip-on was loose. By loose, I mean that if the back two mounting bolts had not been in place, I would have probably watched the pipes blow by me at the next traffic light. I realigned everything and moved the clamp to the utmost edge between the header and slip-on and re-tightened.
My question is: Does 12 ft/lbs seem adequate to properly clamp the slip-ons to the header pipe? I don't want to crush the header pipe... Or, do I need to get better clamps than what V&H supplied (the OEM clamps seemed much sturdier anyway)?
