Am I missing something?

[wcopley]

 

[JPMcGraw]

Yep. Missing a cap nut

 

[Msfitoy]

Missing nut that holds muffler in place...get that fixed before riding...

 

[dmonkey]

In case you need to order it:
NUT, CAP (8MM) 90443-KTM-970

Item 17 in this diagram.

 

[Kev250R]

Bummer! You might want to add some Blue Loctite to the new nut when you replace it.

 

[akirk626]

i just realized mine is gone too.

 

[m in sc]

wow. nice assembly time/check at the dealerships.

you can use a regular M8 nut till you get the correct acorn. use a lock-washer.

 

[wcopley]

Thanks guys

 

[jimzpsd]

Bummer! You might want to add some Blue Loctite to the new nut when you replace it.

Blue Loctite will not work, same with the red formula, these thread adhesives require heat to remove them, and in this case the muffler gets hot. Follow Hondas oem hardware and torque it to specs. (it most likely was not tightened all the way to begin with), Also, before you begin repairs, inspect the threads and make sure the are good.

 

[dmonkey]

I don't think the exhaust is getting to 450F at that tab which is what's recommended for red loctite... red and blue are each good to 300F.

 

[jimzpsd]

As you wish............I wonder why Honda doesn't use it then lol

 

[dmonkey]

Same reason there isn't a nylon insert in that nut to make it a lock nut, cost.

 

[jimzpsd]

I'm sure cost is not the issue..... Honda is known for doing it right. The oem cap nut is most likely splined to bite onto the mounting flange. Again, proper torque specs should be applied. And if this is/was a common problem, then yes time to come up with a fix, ...but I assume his nut was loose from day one or not even put on.

 

[Kev250R]

I've been running Blue Loctite on the Acorn nut of my Trail since this thread popped-up. I'm happy to report, no problems, although I haven't put more then 100 miles on my Trail since then.

I use a lot of loctite (both Blue and Red) on most of my off-road toys, never with any ill effects YMMV

Now i can attest that using JB Weld to re-attatch a broken bracket back onto the muffler of an air-cooled VW is a bad idea...

 

[SneakyDingo]

I use a lot of loctite (both Blue and Red) on most of my off-road toys, never with any ill effects YMMV

I only use red loctite on other people's bikes

 

[akirk626]

mine is gone as well.

 

[ShieldArc]

Mine is very tight.

 

[SneakyDingo]

I'm sure cost is not the issue..... Honda is known for doing it right.

Not being right from day 1 is where I'd put my bet as well. The bolts that had a torque spec on my bike have all been marked with a sharpie or a paint dot (most obvious on the chain tensioning bolts on the back of the swingarm).

Having disassembled and reassembled large portions of it, I think it's fair to accept that Honda knows what's right but is also taking the cheapest "right" option available. There's no protective coating in several areas where I expected to find some, like grease, antiseize or protective coating guarding against corrosion on, for example, the bolts attaching the skidpan to the bike. It was a surprise, but also not super worrying or troubling. It's pretty reasonable to me that on a bike that shakes a bit, you gotta go over the bike and check it over for anything coming loose on a somewhat regular basis.

Harley riders have known that bolts are consumables for decades.

 

[jimzpsd]

Of course there will be hardware issues here and there, and doing a safety inspection is also a must, (I do a preflight inspection prior to every helicopter flight). Perhaps Honda will issue a TSB in regards to this cap nut problem.

 

[MisterB]

Beyond adding to the torque required to loosen a nut, Loctite helps prevent it from unthreading and falling off if it DOES get loose.
If the acorn nut next to the muffler is 450 then your bike is on fire or running horribly. Break out the torque wrench and Loctite and be done with it.

If this nut is part of the dealer assembly then that falls into that sad category of dealer screw-ups.
After seeing the upside down battery thread I'm gonna check if there's a list of all the nuts, bolts, and parts the DEALER had to assemble. My bikes haven't had any issues but I've seen plenty of horror stories.
(lol gotta say the upside down battery may be the most ridiculous, usually loose or missing stuff)