A problem in the 89-2000 GS500 jetting FAQ...

[Nerobro]

In the jetting FAQ, it's recomended to use 10/32 AMERICAN socket head cap screws to hold the float bowls on.  The carbs are mikuni, and are metric.  10/32 is very close to a metric thread (m6 IIRC...) but it is not the same.  That should be changed..  Suggesting people use the wrong thread is a good way to create an aftermarket in scrapped carb bodies. 

[Egaeus]

Srinath strikes again!  He does carb work...maybe he is trying to create his own market....

[manofthefield]

Yeah, it was probably a Srinath recommendation... He says they're close enough and makes em work

[Nerobro]

When a hardware store will have the right parts, close enough isn't a good idea.  Buy the right thing.  Also it will eventually cause lose threads, which will make your float bowls come off. 

It's not a huge deal, but it's DEFINITELY not something that should be in the FAQ. 

[dgyver]

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=12929

The washers that go under the needle are #4's available at home depot or Lowes.
In addition to this... I replace the float bowl screws those damn  :x phillips head ones with allen head... 10-32 machine thread available in stainless steel is the best choice... so you can yank the float bowls off whit them still on the bike.... AKA nothing to remove... no tank, no fuel lines no air box... nothing. That's it.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[The Buddha]

10-32 is 5 mm not 6mm.
I have used both and the basic point is, not to over torque them. Finger power with short end of the wrench for leverage. Good gaskets and if required a gas resistant sealant will seal up the mating face.
The idea hasn;t been used by me personally for atleast 3 years.
The reason I used to do it - stainless screws are available quite easy in the 10-32 at your neighborhood Lowes and that very fact that its SS will get the corrosion with steel to a screeching halt. that alone is worth using it.
Here is the kicker - 5mm screws from Home depot are steel and not only that, they are such mediocre quality that iits easy to find 10-32's that fit better than 5mm. Several others have corroborated this as well.
I have hence switched to steel 5mm 12 mm long and 16mm long bolts which I buy from a bolt supplier to Nascar and other race shops. Boxes of 100 bolts cost 15 bones. Much better quality. heck 5mm from ho depot prolly will tear it up faster than the 10-32 stainless. The 10-32's had a heck of a lot more prescision and consistency in sizes.
The FAQ/Wiki is probably something pantablo or someone created with a cut and paste off somehting I posted looooooooong ago.
So, as I have observed - Ho depot types have pathetic 5mm and much much better 10-32 stainless bolts. Buying from a speciality high end hardware place you can do better than 10-32.
I used to buy 10-32's from Ho depot. When I said OK people are buying these kits from me on a regular basis, I decided to start acting like a professional and get some real hardware to send off to people. That's the short story.
No one has had the damn things get stripped or have had it leak and the warnings were all over the place a few years ago. I even made a huge deal when I switched to 5mm cos I bought a few boxes of these bolts.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Egaeus]

You have the ability to change the post if you want, Srinath. 

[sledge]

Something not adding up here, 10/32 is way over 5mm. What is the thread form of these 10/32 bolts? Are they BSF or American-Fine or some obscure cycle-thread usualy used on push-bikes? Assuming 10/32 relates to the OD it would be just under 8mm, 7.92 to be exact! ......10/32 is not a preffered size, at least not here in the UK. Does 10/32 relate to something other than the thread major diameter and if it does what is the actual size of the thread?......1BA and 2BA are pretty close to M5.... could be one of them. I am curious, can anyone enlighten me...Kenny or DG??


Imperial drills and taps rise in increments of 1/64. Prefered imperial sizes and metric equivalents:
7/32=5.5mm
9/32=7.14mm
11/32=8.73mm


     

[The Buddha]

Not 10/32, that is a 5/16th ... and its not that.
Its 10-32 machine thread. Its somehow 10 whatever and 32 threads per inch.
They are pretty consistently just under 5mm diameter. The cheapass hardware store 5mm's have been smaller in dia than the 10-32's as well as longer. Pitch - no idea.
A Stainless 10-32 from home depot will be so accurate and so clean ... way better than the crap they sell. Go to a speciality like Mcmaster-Carr or other speciality hardware manufacturer and those 5mm ones are much better.
Egaeus - I haven't even seen the FAQ or the wiki for that matter. maybe I should some time.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Egaeus]

dgyver has a link to it in his reply. 

[sledge]

Got it......The thread you are talking about is a"No10 UNF". (4.826mm dia/32TPI). Very close to M5x0.8 but there are differences and it will be a snug-to-loose fit. Mixing and matching metric and imperial threads is never good practise but its up to the individual concerned I guess.

Bolts are like anything else, you pay for what you get. If the bolt is a slack fit you can bet its been made to a loose tolerance to keep manufacturing costs down and volumes up. I cant believe M5x0.8 stainless socket-caps are unavailable in the US, forget the DIY stores and their cheap s**t and try a specialist fastener supplier instead.

[Egaeus]

They're available, just not easily.  Fastenal has them, I believe.

[The Buddha]

At the time I wrote that, I was not sure if I was going to be doing jet kits. I was doing it on an adhoc basis. So I had no horizon on using up 100 X 2 bolts using 2 of each per carb. In short 50 sets of carbs.
I am on the second lot (OK some I put in other bikes and other places) so its a worthwhile idea to buy the real deal. Ho Depot crap was total BS. The stainless 10-32  was 1000 times better even not considering that it wont rust.
Cool.
Srinath.

[thomasbien]

They're available, just not easily.  Fastenal has them, I believe.

Yes, they do.  M5x12 stainless were in stock at my local Fastenal.  You don't have to buy a whole box, I bought 4 for my '96 carbs for less than $2.