Hello everyone

The V Clamp Hinge on my 2009 Mu Sl comes loose every 20-30 miles or so. Nothing crazy but enough to allow some play in the main joint. I was thinking of using some Loctite Threadlocker Blue to hold in place. Has anyone tried this? Any other suggestions to keep the nut from loosening while I ride it?

Here is a pic of a similiar hinge from the dahon website

Did you tighten the lock nut after adjusting the bolt?
If you don't have a lock nut, I don't think you can replace it with a standard nut. The bolt on mine, which is a recent 2015 model, seems to be 7mm in diameter. So you'd have to ask a dealer for a compatible lock nut.

Of course, threadlocker loctite will hold it for one time, but if you break it to adjust the bolt again, the threadlocker will lose it's hold and then you'd have to reapply threadlocker again. The simplest solution is to tighten the lock nut. But don't make it too tight or else you might strip the threads. I would estimate around 5Nm of torque on the lock nut would be enough to keep the bolt in place.

Edit: oh, nevermind, I see in the manual that version B doesn't use a lock nut since the bolt doesn't have a socket head on the outside. I don't have experience with this type so I don't know. But I would guess that threadlocker would help. After you break the bond, it still adds a little bit of resistance, but not so much. If you're worried that blue loctite 243 is too strong, you could also try light strength 222 purple. It is easy to break loose. And will only add minimal resistance after it becomes loose. If you use blue loctite 243 and can't get it loose later, you shouldn't force the wrench. You should heat it with a torch for some time then try loosening it again. The high flow BBQ lighters work ok. Slow flow lighters probably aren't hot enough.

Thanks, I’ve also heard that acetone can remove loctite but have never tried it

Well, acetone won't be able to get into the threads once you insert the bolt with loctite applied. The high flow high output bbq lighter is usually next to the standard low flow lighters at the hardware store, $1 or $2 extra. If the fasteners are all stainless steel, then the hold force will be a little weaker because the quoted numbers on the loctite specs are based on steel or black oxide coating which react better with the chemicals. It turns into hard plastic. Small diameter bolts will also have less holding force than large bolts. So maybe you might not have problems with the medium blue with 7mm diameter bolt. But do not use the high red loctite. You'll never get it back out unless you use a blow torch for a very long time.