The hardware store for your next Harley-Davidson project: bolts, screws, bushings, rivets, small parts

Bolts are the universal solution for many fastening problems. Whether mudguards on the rigid frame and Springer fork, cylinder heads on the Shovel cylinder or nosecone covers on the Evo housing, bolts and bolts are used all over the place on Harleys. The advantage of bolted connections is that they are detachable and can be used again and again. The factory has always used riveted, welded and soldered connections where the connection hardly ever had to be undone or where it should remain as it was manufactured in the factory for eternity. However, the customer could send such durable parts to the factory, where they were also gladly repaired at customer´s expense.

What kind of bolts and fastening parts does W&W Cycles have?

Complete bolt sets are offered for larger assemblies such as complete engines or engine housings, gearboxes, camshaft covers or primary housings. Our extensive range of hardware also includes: loose bolts and nuts with inch and metric threads in various finishes, washers and spring washers, rivets, split pins, grub bolts, stud bolts, dowel pins, threaded rods, bolt plugs and spacer bushes.

What is an imperial thread?

A bolt with an imperial thread differs from the metric or ISO threads commonly used in most countries in terms of diameter and thread pitch. Since the basis of the measurement system is the English-American inch with 25.4 mm. The bolt diameters are given in fractions of an inch. For example, 1/4" (i.e. a quarter of an inch). If you divide 25.4 mm by 4, you get 6.35 mm as the bolt diameter of the 1/4" bolt. The pitch is also given in relation to 1" (one inch), e.g. as 1/4"-24. The number after the dash indicates that 24 threads are counted per 25.4 mm bolt length. If you divide 25.4 mm by 24, you can see that the pitch is not exactly 1 mm or 1.25 mm, 1.5 mm etc. either.

Inch bolts were common in the USA and still are. Unfortunately, Harley mechanics have to learn to deal with this. We have compiled a few interesting facts under our Tech Tips.