I did it. Broke an exhaust flange bolt.

[duaneage]

If you have a block of aluminum you can make a drilling plate that can guide a drill bit on the bolt. I saw this on another forum for VX800 bikes. I would not worry too much about the missing bolt, I know a few GS riders running with missing bolts, some more than one.

But yer bike is so purty it's bound to bother you to the point you'll fix it.

I swapped my bolts for studs last year, I was SOOO nervous taking the bolts loose. I used an impact driver with socket and nursed them out. 2 were real nail biters, they either came right out or took 20 minutes of tapping and heat.

[1980GS1000E]

Thanks, Ranger. I may take you up on that. Any way, I think I figured out a way to do this. I did manage to unscrew this stubborn bolt some before it broke off. Judging from how long the other bolts are, there is about 7-8 mm remaining in the head. I also was able to drill all the way through the remaining piece of bolt that was still in the head prior to my use of the e-z out. So, the plan is to hammer on what's left of the e-z out, forcing it through the bolt fragment until it is through. (It broke off right at the entry point, so it's a tight fit, but not too big.) I started banging on it with a hammer and punch and made some progress before the punch broke off. So, I will try some more of that tomorrow with a new punch.

[duaneage]

Some of the bolts go straight through and into the spark plug area, you might try a PB blaster attack from the rear of the bolt if that's the case.

Nothing beats a little violence when dealing with stuck bolts.

[Nessism]

I wouldn't try drilling it until you get that ez-out, out. Maybe a sharp drift punch can get it to spin out? Salty_Monk put some helicoils in his GS1000's head with the engine in the bike so there must be some room to work, although he said he had to buy an extra long drill bit.

Drilling out bolts is fiddly work but not hard if you take your time. The key is to get into the exact center of the old bolt. If the first drilled hole is not centered, work it sideways until it is, and then go to the next sized drill bit.

[Road_Clam]

I do machining by trade, and I have to remove broken corroded studs and bolts frequently. The key to drilling out an old stud is to first have a FLAT stud surface to start with. You will also need a keen eye and a steady hand to precisely center punch the stud. It's very challenging to perfectly drill out a broken stud, and most bench top type drill presses can't accurately perform the task. You are far better off taking the head to a machine shop and they will use solid carbide tooling to precisely remove the broken easy out.

BTW, I have a rusted old set of easy outs in my tool box that have been there for the past 30 years. Easy outs are 101% useless by design...

[1980GS1000E]

A follow up-

I was very lucky on this-

You can see what's left of the offending bolt, the tip of the busted e-z out, and the punch that I used to hammer it through the bolt:







And here is the hole in the head:







It is only buggered up for about 3/8 of an inch or so, then the threads are good. Now I will get some stainless studs and fix this thing. You guys are so correct about using e-z outs. Don't do it.

[sedelen]

Great work! Sure you feel alot better with that bolt out. It's stories like this that allow me to keep my "New To Me" GS1000 stock mufflers in the
unopened box they came in last summer.

[duaneage]

Run a proper tap through the hole to clean the threads up and remove any hangers. Also good for getting clean metal to secure the stud with. I loctited mine in with blue loctite.

[1_v8_merc]

I think I'm going to buy a spare Head from a bike-yard, JUST so I can avoid this ****....
I just know I'm going to break every bolt on my 650.

Stupid jap-crap bolts.

[1980GS1000E]

Run a proper tap through the hole to clean the threads up and remove any hangers. Also good for getting clean metal to secure the stud with. I loctited mine in with blue loctite.

I chased them with a craftsman tap, the size is 8 x 1.25. Didn't know what I should secure them with, blue loctite you say?

[Road_Clam]

I chased them with a craftsman tap, the size is 8 x 1.25. Didn't know what I should secure them with, blue loctite you say?

Loctite will not work correctly on the head. Loctite when heated actually softens up considerably. I actuallu antisiezed all the bolts on my 1100 so as to ensure easy removal in the future...

[1980GS1000E]

Well, I just am not comfortable with the stock method at all. Studs are the way to go.

[Nessism]

There are high temp grades of thread locker, but thread lock isn't needed as near as I can tell. I use anti-seize on exhaust bolts.

[koolaid_kid]

There are high temp grades of thread locker, but thread lock isn't needed as near as I can tell. I use anti-seize on exhaust bolts.

I agree on both points. Use anti-seize. If you don't have any, the auto parts will probably have a $0.99 packet at the counter. I keep a small bottle myself, because I use it on spark plugs on all my vehicles.

[Ranger]

I agree on both points. Use anti-seize. If you don't have any, the auto parts will probably have a $0.99 packet at the counter. I keep a small bottle myself, because I use it on spark plugs on all my vehicles.

They have tape now too from loctite...