NOTE: If you care...the yahoo that started selling bolts on e-bay in Feb 2010 initially copy and pasted this post (including my pictures below) directly into his fleabay add...I nailed him 3/14/10 and he immediately re-formatted his add after I sent him a note asking him to do the honorable thing and pull it. Thus far he has continued to be a schmuck (4/5/10). The e-bay add is not me. - Mike The right footpeg is a well documented weak point on the BRP. Riding back thru the desert for miles without a right footpeg is the best you can hope for if one of these things fails on you...far worse if your not so lucky...they give way without warning usually at speed and landing a woop or jump. I have had 4 XR650R's (2 currently - ride 10-12k miles per year off road) and made three discoveries last year; 1. The constant "loosening" of the two footpeg bolts is due to the stock (soft) bolts stretching. See the pic below...this is off a stock XR with less than 500 miles. 2. Bolt failures (mine) have not been due to the threads pulling out. In fact I've been able to EZ out the studs without any damge to the stock frame threads. 3. The stock bolts are either not graded or standard grade (soft, low tensil strength) AND do not fully engage the full length of the frame threads. The highest grade of metric bolt is a 12.9. I have successfully replaced my stock bolts with these much stronger bolts. Unfortunately, the 12.9's are almost impossible to find in the correct size, and when I finally did, had to buy them in bulk. So as a result, I have fixed both my BRP's and have a bunch of extra bolts... So here is the deal; For $13 I'll send you a 50mm and a 55mm 12.9 socket heads (engage more threads than stock, too). 2 Bolts and 2 Washers for $13 shipped. No, I wont sell individual bolts, but if you need more than three PM me and I'll shoot you a price. When they are gone, they are gone....these are just extras I'm trying to clear off the shelf. (If you need to drill thru the frame I might still have a couple of 80mm bolts - PM me for special request) PM me if you want some. PayPal ONLY. Canada add $10...sorry but it is the only shipping service I can do via PayPal. XR400R Kit is the same as the XR650R kit but with two 50mm socket heads (instead of the 50/55 combo). $13 shipped. IF you could find these in the hardward store they would be $4-$6 each. Cheap insurance for a long ride on the seat or running over your own leg... Pics below are bolts from my own bikes... Cant see them go here: https://mikephotos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/XR-Bolts/15899538_z4mgU#1192299622_kmZut
For all those that PM'd me already, I'll be doing a trip to the post office on Friday to send all the requests I get this week...glad this is helping out a bunch of BRP riders!!
The grade 12.9 socket head is a good fix. It's how I did both of my XR's, and they both served me well for many miles.
Gaspipe, Thanks for the affirmation. Just following in your footsteps of the MANY blessings you have passed on to us BRP owners... legendary... Thanks again,
I noticed my bike had a socket and flange style bolt on the right peg bracket. Guess I'll have to take those out and look at them.
Check out the 3rd pic in the first post... "stock" bolts are on the left to be replaced by socket head cap screws on right. The rear stock bolt is a flanged hex head...to be replaced with the 55mm socket head.... That is assuming you have stock bolts in the right footpeg...if you bought the bike used good chance they have been replaced already with Joe's Hardware stuff that is inferior even to the stock bolts...that was the case on my '04... Hope this helps...
I've gone through at least four set of bolts including the harden set. The only better thing I can see about the harden ones is that they don't stretch and break, they only bend. It always seems to be mostly the hex head bolt though I've bent slightly the allen head one too. This is what happened on a two week Tasmanian tour I did earlier year. Fortunately I figured it out at a Tassie mates place and what we ended up doing is drilling and re-tapping to 12mm. Then inserted 12mm stud bar loctited it in (uber stuff) and used an nylex type nut. It now can't bend (I hope) but can see if it is loose cause of the marks on the nylon in the nut.
I'm about 220 pounds with my gear (my vest is about 25 pounds of, tool, parts, water,& my SPOT) but admittadly I'm not a big wheelie guy or jumper. I'm not driving my pig off six foot drops or flying triples. I do run about 8 miles of woops (5 minutes from my house) about 3x/week at about 40mph that generates enough force that my lower steering head bearing race needs to be replaced every 6 months (5,000 miles). If I'm ever more than 3 feet off the ground it is NOT intentional :eek1 . I can tell you with that level of abuse, that frequently, these bolts absolutely work. I'm in awe of the guys that can ride like they are on a motocross track and of course will generate alot more force on the pegs. Good news, as stated above, the hardened ones don't break, just bend. That means you don't run over your own leg.
Hey guys, I did the foot peg fix on my XR650R and it has held up great. One question, does the XR400 suffer the same issue? I am a "full figured" guy of 230 with gear and don't want to find out the hard way that I needed to do the same for my 400. R.
Rando, Per the microfiche the stock front bolts are the same for either the 400/650 R's. Looks like the two right footpeg bolts are identical on the 400. My guess is they are the same grade as the 650, and potentially the same problems, but I'm guessing. PM me and I'll send you some differrent combinations of bolts to try...I'm betting two 50mm bolts will be perfect....
Those of you who had PayPal'd me by Friday am have mail in transit. I'm gonna send Rando a couple of options to try but I am 90% sure we have a solution for XR400R's as well. I've got about ten or so sets left ...shipping a couple more later today...
I've had some inquires on fitment for other Honda XR's and here is what I'm finding; The design of the right footpeg bracket for the XR50R, XR600, XR400R, XR200R, AND XR650 L is similar/same in that the bracket extends the footpeg out from the frame 2-3 inches (unlike the CRF design where the footpeg bolts directly to the frame). This extension (moment arm) multiplies the force that the atachment bolts are subject to, hence the stretching and failure. So, upgrading the bolts on these other bikes is probably a good solution/insurance to possible failure. XR400R and XR250R Uses two of the bolts that are the same as the Front bolt of the BRP (Big Red Pig - XR650R) I've got a bolt set going out to be verify thread depth this week on a XR400R. If you have a XR250R and want to guinea pig a set, PM me. XR650 L The rear bolt is the same as the rear bolt on the BRP. Front bolt/stud is part of the bracket itself. PM me if you have a 650L and you want to upgrade/experiment. XR200R Both bolts are the same as the REAR bolt on the BRP. Pm me if you want to try a couple. The main thing I'm trying to verify is thread depth in the frames. I'm usually using a 5mm longer bolt to engage more threads, and in the case of slight variations, spacers/washers (supplied) can be used to maximize thread engagement. As soon as I confirm fitment on these other bikes, I'll post some kits for them...or if you just want to go for it, I'll put something together for you.
Do you still have more left? I leave in a month to do the Great Divide ride and would not like to deal with a footpeg issue in the middle of the desert!
Next batch going out Tuesday. Looks like the 50mm bolts will work on the XR400's too. PM me if you want XR400 info....
