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[JCZ]

I thought I'd read about this before on this forum but couldn't find anything through a search.

Had to tell Babe today that even though she only weighs 115 lbs. that she has to loose some weight. 

Went out for a ride south of I-8, an area that we're not familiar with.....rode about 75 miles and ended up near the Mexico boarder at Tecate.  Just as we went around the last curve before the restaurant that we were headed to.....wham.  The floorboard mount bolt broke and everything went in the road.....to be ran over by the US Border Patrol's Super Duty. 

Anybody ever had this bolt break like this, unexpectedly?

[gadgetz]

Wow, no haven't seen or heard of that happening. Although I changed ours out to the standard mount which has two bolts, I thought the adjustable mount also had two bolts? Did you only have one or have you removed the second bolt? They seem to be quite large to be breaking from stress, hmmmm. 

[Chains]

Rear floorboards have 1 bolt and a locating pin. Never seen one break like that. Glad no one was hurt.

[grc]

It's not something I've ever seen, but with any fastener there is always the possibility of getting a bad part, or having someone over tighten to the point of exceeding the yield point.  I have seen many instances of studs and bolts in the auto business fail due to lazy people who assemble things with impact wrenches, but if no one has ever removed that bolt and reinstalled it I'm guessing you just got a bad bolt.

Jerry

[RGlideKid]

I'd have to agree with the luck of the draw bad bolt theory...especially since it broke while there was little to no weight on it, I'd say it was already cracked and waiting to shear through.
It's scary to think of the left side breaking when one of our gals was getting on the bike.  A person could really get hurt that way when all their weight is on one bolt. 
A bolt of that diameter should have a break strength of at least several hundred pounds, especially when it's tightened down properly and there's a peg plus the bracket itself helping add to the shear strength. 
I sure am glad Babe didn't get hurt, JC.

[JCZ]

My first thought was the bolt backed out and broke off but as you can see, that wasn't the case.  Also interesting.....it looks like it didn't break at the outside edge but inside a thread or two. 

The bracket, the floorboard and the Kuryakn Adj. passenger foot peg.....a pretty good size hunk of chrome.  I can't help but wonder what the boarder patrol thought when it came off.  He was following pretty close at about 65 mph.  We were only five miles from the Tecate, Mexico border crossing.

[RGlideKid]

And it's a VERY good thing that it didn't go under your rear tire as it exited your vehicle!  Something else to be very thankful for, JC. 

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Didn't you buy that MC in the North East JC?  Could be weak from salt on the roads that compromised the bolt composit.  They ride them in the north on salt roads all the time.   

[JCZ]

Yes, none of it escaped me.....I immediatly considered all the "what ifs" and said my gratitude prayers. 

No noise, nothing but I felt the sudden weight shift as he leg dropped down and she kind of bumped into my back.  Sure was strange looking down there and not seeing anything at all.

I've removed rear pegs and years later, rear floorboards but I never saw that view from the rider's seat at speed.  Kind of like when you see a Harley laying on it's side after an accident and you're seeing it from the bottom......just a sight/view that you're not used to seeing.   

I went to the dealership this afternoon to order the rubber pad (the rubber pad holds the pivot pins in place, so they are absolutly necessary, even for a short ride or vibration will work the pivot pins out).....after tax, $99.47.  That's a damn expensive piece of rubber with the little chrome spear down the middle of it. 

And the dealership that I stopped at yesterday to remove the broken bolt and put the new bolt in wanted to charge me $149 for an hour and a half labor.  They caught the wrath of JC.  I told them I would go on Yelp, Facebook (I'm not even on facebook and I'm technology challenged) and every other social media outlet and leave a review that would be strictly the facts if they didn't stop trying to play me for a damn fool and sharpen their pencil on the numbers.  It still cost me $100.

Incredable.....and I wasn't even there an hour and a half.  When they have you over a barrell they sure put it to you.  Now who was it that asked me awhile back why I have such a negative view of dealerships.

[JCZ]

Didn't you buy that MC in the North East JC?  Could be weak from salt on the roads that compromised the bolt composit.  They ride them in the north on salt roads all the time.   

Didn't even consider that Judy.  I did notice that the little rubber plugs had fallen out of the other holes and that they are all completly rusted.....seemed excessive to me.....not normal for that much rust here in the west.

Now thinking maybe I should change the other bolt just as a premtive safety measure.....proactive rather than reactive.

Thanks for mentioning that Judy!

[Twolanerider]

One bike around here had a bolt break in the right mount.  Ended up drilling it out and putting a heli-coil in the hole.

[Chains]

If my memory is correct the bolt is a 3/8-16 hard to imagine  rust had anything to with it. Perhaps previous owner moved boards and switched the bolts hard to say.

[GregKhougaz]

Sorry to read this, JC but glad you and Babe are okay. 

HD uses cadmium bolts for their strength and corrosion resistance.   See here:  The Engineer's Companion.    So, it's unlikely the bolt corroded.  While it could be defective it sounds more like it was badly over-torqued from the description of where it broke.   

Some time ago I went to an industrial Fastener store to change the stock mounting bolts to chromed stainless.  I was warned that the stock bolts were very strong and to be careful about using anything else.        Turned out I had some from Gardner Wescott that fit. 

[havenolife]

well mine done the same thing l bought the Harley goodies[ l think it was called they might have changed there name] floorboard extenders 1 inch had them on for over a year this was the right side as well we were getting on the bike and just as she the wife l just touched it a loud pop and it hit the ground boy was I pissed that it broke and happy she didn't get hert no real damage just like yours it broke with one or two rings or groves inside the whole l have a good friend who is the best welder in the world he just welded too the remaing bolt and was able to get it out with vice grips no damage or marks  battle scars of any kind l just chalked it up to bolt was to hardened l might add that once l put them on they were never removed again

[bakon]

Seen one break while getting gas. Just hit ground. Hot as hell that day and bikes were about 600 miles on them that day. Blamed heat. 
Saw one break on highway peg and on shifter linkage at highway speed. Both parts flew back at next rider. Broken bike cleared them easy. All needed drilled out as broke off flush to hole