[chicajacks]

Hey ninja peeps! This woukd b my 1st forum post ever. I have exhausted all search/google options looking for my answer but no luck. I have a 2009 ninja 250r and need to know if its ok to ride without that hexagon shaped bolt that is in the center of the handlebar triple tree/fork. I took it off and checked it out and it really just looks like its capping off the tube, which is really just hollow all the way through. I shook handlebars and nothing seemed loose. Reason I want to take it off is I came up with an easy way to hook up my cellphone holder to it. I cut off tge suction cup holder from the flexible neck of the holder. It fits perfectly in that fork/triple tree tube and doesn't really even move! So...what purpose does that hexagon bolt really serve and is it ok if it's taken off? Thx in advance for the help!

 

[earlthepearl]

U should added a Pic.....:facepalm:
Hard to say what ur really mentioning without that...Pic...opcorn:

 

[chicajacks]

Hmmm...yeah I hear you on that. Its that big center hexagon shaped bolt. Its right in the center of the handlebars. It seems to just cover the fork tube.

 

[earlthepearl]

Hmmm...yeah I hear you on that. Its that big center hexagon shaped bolt. Its right in the center of the handlebars. It seems to cover the fork tube.

Hmmmmmm.....Maybe someone will chime in.....
My center one is what holds my triple tree together...
Mine is where the triple tree bearings are....
Then i have the fork caps outside those.....
But i have a 2012 650

 

[chicajacks]

Hope so....thx!

 

[earlthepearl]

It's hard to tell what's what there in ur Pic......:facepalm:
Ur cell cam must be the same crappy thing mine is....LOL...:whistling:
But looking at it i thing the lower is the actual triple tree bolt n that upper may be a bolt ur instruments n other stuff are connected with...?...Maybe....
If it's the upper one i'd say ur good to mount ur thingy there....:thumb:


I wouldn't be messing with the bolt ur bearings are under till u need to get them greased......
NNnnnn those do get neglected a lot....:facepalm:

 

[byte2022]

Hey ninja peeps! This woukd b my 1st forum post ever. I have exhausted all search/google options looking for my answer but no luck. I have a 2009 ninja 250r and need to know if its ok to ride without that hexagon shaped bolt that is in the center of the handlebar triple tree/fork. I took it off and checked it out and it really just looks like its capping off the tube, which is really just hollow all the way through. I shook handlebars and nothing seemed loose. Reason I want to take it off is I came up with an easy way to hook up my cellphone holder to it. I cut off tge suction cup holder from the flexible neck of the holder. It fits perfectly in that fork/triple tree tube and doesn't really even move! So...what purpose does that hexagon bolt really serve and is it ok if it's taken off? Thx in advance for the help!

okay. Let's just start off by saying this. You never take off a nut on a bike and even believe that it's okay. Now. What is that but for? That nut is what keeps your front end attached to the frame. There are actually 3 nuts that hold it on but 2 of the 3 are made to hold the bearings in place and are 3 thread aluminum flat nuts( not meant for stress) The hollow bolt you speak of is hollow for weight reduction and is part of the lower tree. You can take off the nut and the bike seems fine but once the bike hits a bump where the front end is jolted the thin flat nuts ( much like spanner nuts just smaller)will stress and eventually break. If you wheelie like this two things can happen. Either the front end will fall off completely or you will stress the nuts bending the steering shaft which will damage the steering bearings. Now that being said the fork has pinch bolts which are part of the triple tree that hold the forks on the bike mainly but secondly help hold the upper an lower tree together. But they are not to hold the bike together. If you want a mount look at mounts by ram mounts or plenty of mounts on amazon and eBay.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Hey ninja peeps! This woukd b my 1st forum post ever. I have exhausted all search/google options looking for my answer but no luck. I have a 2009 ninja 250r and need to know if its ok to ride without that hexagon shaped bolt that is in the center of the handlebar triple tree/fork.

Welcome.

Short answer to your question is No it is not OK to ride without the Steering Stem Head Bolt (that's it's proper name). You need to replace it and properly torque it to 4.5 kgf·m or 32 ft·lbs (that's how important it is, has a required torque) it keeps the steering stem nut in place.

 

[chicajacks]

Ok...then I dont understand how some others do what I was thinking of doing. The only difference is they keep a large hexagon nut there in place of the bolt.

 

[chicajacks]

92517B76-574E-4546-AFC2-697D6CBF34F7_zpse688mli7.jpg Photo by nathansdad04 | Photobucket

 

[Blue Ghost]

Ok...then I dont understand how some others do what I was thinking of doing. The only difference is they keep a large hexagon nut there in place of the bolt.

If you are referring to what supersport bike's steering stem looks like, then I know what you mean. However the problem is your steering stem is much smaller and designed different. The close as you are going to get to that is the Yoshimura Steering Stem Nut

or NA Metal Craft StainlessCenter bolt

 

[chicajacks]

Sort of, except there's no middle. It's a simple nut/washer, so there's no center.

 

[earlthepearl]

Myself........:dance:
I'd go buy a mount that will work n just be safe....:thumb:
Sometimes u can niggarig things....:whistling:
But at times it is just unsafe.....:facepalm:
Stay safe....buy a mount....:thumb:

opcorn:


http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...niversal+Motorcycle+cell+phone+mount&_sacat=0

 

[Blue Ghost]

Sort of, except there's no middle. It's a simple nut/washer, so there's no center.

The stem tube in your pic has threads on the outside to accommodate a nut.
The Ninja 250 stem has an internal thread.

 

[chicajacks]

Yup...mine has it internal. I just find it so hard to believe that that bolt which is minimally threaded really, holds anything together really. I mean its probably less than an inch of thread and if I rub my finger in the tube I dont feel any split seam which would tell me that it does hold something together.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Yup...mine has it internal. I just find it so hard to believe that that bolt which is minimally threaded really, holds anything together really. I mean its probably less than an inch of thread and if I rub my finger in the tube I dont feel any split seam which would tell me that it does hold something together.

Consider it sort of a lock nut. It's not so much that it's hold anything together, it's keeping the steering stem nut (the one with notches) from loosening. There's not enough metal to put threads on the outside and torque it to 58 ft lbs like the ZX6 stem nut.