When I bought the bike the salesman, who is a racer and knows a lot about bikes, told me to always be sure to tighten the four bolts that hold the passenger grab rail on until they squeek. I take mine off and on a lot, since I like the looks of the hump only but have to carry stuff and need the bar and bungee hooks,. I always tightened it until I got a squeek, never thinking about how much torque I was actually giving it. Yesterday one didn't squeek where it usually does, so I gave it a tiny tug more and felt something give just slightly. I thought I had stripped the aluminum subframe. I started backing it out carefully, fully expecting either the bolt to break off down inside, or the threads in the subframe to be stripped. It came right out and the bolt is broken 3/4 of the way up, just under the head. It is twisted, offset just a little, showing daylight between the threads with just about as much metal as the size of the head of a pin holding it together. I can bend it with two fingers. Amazing! Guess I will change all the bolts and look up the torque specs and get a feel for what is right. I may tighten a new one until it squeeks and see how much I was overdoing it.
Mike
