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I've seen way too many rear pulley bolts shear off the rear wheel to not use new ones whenever the pulley gets removed and replaced.
I apply that same caution to brake rotors.
You can't see the damage that occurs to a bolt once it has been stretched by torque. We actually stretch bolts when we torque them, where in fact a torque spec itself is an indirect measurement of desired bolt stretch. Some bolts are sized and designed to be torqued and retorqued many times where they are never stretched beyond thier elasticity when torqued to required specs, but sometimes the spec'd torque takes them to their design limits where they are not intended to be reused by design.
You will find this with many modern auto engine head and rod bolts where the MOCO insists you use new bolts each time.
Myself, I play it safe and follow the MOCO's specs.
There are lots of invisible stresses generated on rotor bolts....Brake rotors get toutured by heat and rotating torque...When the rotor gets scalding hot it increases in thickness and places additional stretch on the bolts at their heads, then those hot stretched bolts are subjected to tremendous shear stress as the brakes are applied. A dragging brake often goes unnoticed where the rotor never gets a chance to cool between braking events and it enters those cycles at elevated temps placing even more stress on the head of those rather small screws.
Think about how often you apply especially the front brake and then imagine how many heat/stress cycles described above occur in the life of those bolts and maybe then you will do like suggested and toss the old ones in the trash.
Like you said, they are cheap, they are included and you already have them out......they are one small step from the trash can, huh?
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I agree w Oinker on the rotor bolts but on the rear pulley the bolts are much bigger and my indy uses anti seize and reused those bolts. Never had a problem.
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07 FLHTC 103" STAGE II, SERT W RTD, 84 HP 101tq.
92 FLHTC 175K MILES, X BRAND 235K MILES, FIRST BIKE 49 INDIAN, USAF 67-71
If your new rotors came with new bolts, then why would you reuse the old ones? That said, I changed mine to polished stock rotors and reused the old bolts without any problem.
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07 Streetglide Black Pearl
PCIII
AN Big Sucker(Chrome)
Fullsac Tru Dual Conversion
Rush 2.25 Slipons
IDS
I have always reused the bolts as long as I clean them and clean the holes. Never made any sense to me that you would change a grade 8 bolt instead of changing and aluminum rim, which is going to give first.
I believe that 99% of the horror stories you hear are related to not torquing things properly.
If your new rotors came with new bolts, then why would you reuse the old ones? That said, I changed mine to polished stock rotors and reused the old bolts without any problem.
Because the freakin' MoCo sells you chrome rotors with non-chrome fasteners, and then charges you more to get the matching fasteners! That's why.
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2009 Road King Classic
Vivid Black
What Oinker said plus I replaced with chrome bolts when I did mine.
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Ride Hard
John
2009 Vivid Black Road King ABS 50 State Slip ons, AC, SE Remap
2007 Vivid Black Street Glide SE 50 State Slip ons, AC, SE Remap IDS
2007 Vivid Black XL1200C/Gone But not forgotten
"Let,s see whats over that next hill"
