I was doing some maintenance on the bike this past weekend which required that I remove the crash bars. I've done this before several times, but this time did not go as planned. As I was remove the right side engine mount bolt, it started to get very difficult and was making loud screeching sounds. It was so difficult to turn that I rounded off the head of the bolt. I used my vice grips and got it out and went down to the hardware to get a new bolt. I was hoping that the new bolt would go in and not require a tap. Well, the bolt went in about 8 turns and got stuck again. As I was backing it out, the spacer that goes between the frame and the head came loose and now spins freely. This is preventing me from getting the new bolt out. I was able to get my vice grips on there, but since it's round, it just doesn't hold strong enough. Someone else suggested that I drill a small hole and put a nail or something thin in the hole, but there's just no room to get a drill in there. My only other thought at this point is to have somebody tack weld that spacer to the frame and/or head so that it can hold in place. I know that the head will need to be re-tapped at this point. Hopefully it won't require a heli-coil. Has anybody else had to deal with this before?
Hey, them look like the vice grips I lost last week. Flat jaw Vise grips don't work so well on a round as you are experiencing. You may wish to try the more curved jaw set.
It should just be aluminum debris from your head that is stuck on the bolt. If you have access to a slide hammer with a notched head to slip over the bolt, it should pop right out.
Nasty! I installed a set of SW-Motech crash bars last week and getting the frame/engine mount bolts aligned was a major pain. I'm not excited at the prospect of ever removing them after seeing your post. Matt
I like the slide hammer idea. I don't have one but I think such a tool would come in handy. Do you guys use anti-seize on these bolts? Would that have prevented this issue in the first place?
And of course SWMotech tells us to use Loctite! What is the recommended anti-seize for these bolts? All I have lying around is the aluminized stuff for use on exhaust fittings. I'm thinking they are stainless or chrome/nickel plated, then threading into the alloy block. Matt
I took the bike to a local mechanic who specializes in KTMs. He got the bolt out and also found out that there was already a helicoil in the head. It must come from the factory that way because I bought it new and this is the first time it's ever been to a shop. He's going to have to step up to a 12mm and he recommended a time sert as it would be much more reliable. He'll also have to drill the frame hole larger as it currently won't allow a tap to fit inside it and I don't want to endure the cost of pulling everything apart in order to move the engine forward to gain clearance. What a PITA.
Wow. That sucks. I need to pull my bars off and get some anti-sieze on there. I was really surprised at how far off the frame hole and engine hole where on one side of my bike. I ended up using a pry bar levered on the exhaust to push the frame up while simultaneously pushing the engine down before I could begin threading the bolt. Hoepfully I will be able to remove and reinstall without the frame moving. We shall see. Good news is those Time Serts look strong. http://www.timesert.com/ Matt
