Lately, I have been pulling bolts off my V-Strom and sizing them up for stainless replacements. After five years of Pennsylvania weather, the fasteners on the 1000 have begun to fail.

The exhaust bolts, part numbers 09103-08392 (diagram), are the worst so far. One of my muffler clamp bolts has only the three threads required to secure itself in place. It is the first rusted monstrosity in this photo:

The second bolt has only rusted on the surface of the bolt’s head, but it happens to be the same size and very visible. It is one of the two rear rack bolts, part number 09103-08341.

I have located replacements, as you can see. I plan on using a bit of anti-seize on the threads to counter-act any reaction that may occur between the types of metals. There are lots of stainless steel naysayers that recommend using only OEM materials. I prefer seized bolts over thread-less and rusted bolts, but that’s just me.

I have already installed one half of my stainless engine cover bolt kit, and throughout this winter I will be swapping out other deteriorating bolts that are not bearing a significant load on my V-Strom.