Article By: Daniel Donley
Photos By: Kerri Schindler
Stainless steel safety wire or what some call, speed wire, is something that has been around for many years and was originally used in the aviation and manufacturing industries in a time before there was Loctite. In many applications like motorcycle racing, we still use safety wire for bolt retention that is an added precaution over and above Loctite. With our racing influences today it was a natural transition to see custom builders start to use safety wire for other applications as well. This is a nice alternative to your standard, metal, bulky hose clamps that lends itself to many different applications such as fuel line, oil lines, securing header wrap, and for making a cool brake fluid reservoir.
What you will need: .032 Stainless safety wire Safety wire pliers or regular pliers Measure rule Needle nose pliers
Start with a 12” piece of safety wire.
Now, wrap around hose two or three times.
Twist approximately to 1”.
Then pull taught.
Twist tight approximately 8-10 twists per 1”.
Then, cut 1” from the base of the safety wire and hose.
Finally, bend back into itself in
a triangle shape to prevent from snags. One thing to consider is the more you bend this wire, the more brittle it becomes, so get it in place and leave it; it’s single use. Safety Wire is a cool addition to any custom motorcycle with the many different applications. Here are some examples of how we use it.
