Self locking nuts

[willowbrook]

Hi all,
The manual instructs to replace all self locking nuts when replacing the front axle. There are basically two such nuts on the damper fork. Is this really essential? Do you guys always do that? I know that they will lose their locking capability once unscrewed, but the local Salvo does not have those nuts and I have to go to a dealer

[curtis73]

I suggest replacing them, but if they're still really tight you can usually get a second life out of them, especially since part of your fastener retention comes from torquing in this case.

Your other option is to go to your local hardware store (yup, I said hardware) and get a grade-8 (or grade 10.9 if its metric) locking nut in the same size as the original. It will be $2 instead of $30 at the dealer. If the mega home store doesn't have your size, just look through a phone book or internet for a fastener company like Fastenal or we have one in L.A. called Union Fastener. Just call them and ask for your oddball size and they can send you some.