broken bolt

[03svrider]

one of my two exhaust bolts broke off when i was removing it to move the exhaust to get some crash bars on an 81 gs450l. i pretty much know i have to use an ez out to get it out. is it a good idea to drill and put the ezout in and then run the bike to heat up the bolt so it will unthread easier?

[nabrams]

Do NOT use an EZ-out (see other posts for why). There are many alternatives discussed in other posts (a million times). Be prepared for the drill/tap/helicoil route - about 50% of the time that's the only option.

one of my two exhaust bolts broke off when i was removing it to move the exhaust to get some crash bars on an 81 gs450l. i pretty much know i have to use an ez out to get it out. is it a good idea to drill and put the ezout in and then run the bike to heat up the bolt so it will unthread easier?

[Suzuki mad]

How much of the bolt/stud is showing? If you drill out and use an 'EZ out' and it snaps then its much more hard work to get it sorted.

If there is enough left out of the head then the first option is to use heat to expand the steel bolt/stud and get oil/candle wax/ or some lubricant down to the threads. Then using a pair of molegrips or vice grips undo the warm bolt/stud.

If you have welding gear and enough stud/bolt to get a nut on, weld a nut to the broken part and then undo once the weld has cooled enough.

If its snapped off flush then its drill and tap the hole. the main importnace of this This must be done is to get the centre hole centralised before drilling.

DON'T MOVE THE DRILL OR THE BIT WILL BREAK AND YOU ARE AS BAD AS IF YOU HAD SNAPPED AN EZ OUT IN THE BOLT/STUD!

If your not confident get a machine shop to do it for you. If your confident then slow down a little before causing more problems than what you wanted.

Posting a picture may help other advise.....

Suzuki mad

[03svrider]

wow. sounds like it isn't as easy as i thought. i'll just leave it for now as the exhaust isn't leaking ithout the bolt.

[nabrams]

Dude, I hate to burst your bubble, but if you don't have an exhaust leak yet you most certainly will soon. And once you do, the bike will start running poorly. Eventually the pressure on that pipe will cause it to bend the exhaust collar ever so slightly, allowing the leak to develop.
Go ahead, ask me how I know.

[t3rmin]

Yep. Please don't run it without that bolt...

Centerpunch the stuck bolt really good so you go in straight, dill it out, tap it. use some anti-seize on the bolts to save future headaches.

[salty_monk]

Unless there is enough to get hold of showing or to weld onto (& maybe even so if you can't weld...) the easiest solution to keep you riding for the Summer season is to drill the centre of the bolt & then tap it at 6mm (I think it should be 8mm) then use a 6mm bolt with a washer.

That's what I would do.... Anything else you risk some serious time off the road.

Dan

[03svrider]

wow. i bought this thing as a cheap alternative to driving my car to work. it seems more trouble than it's worth! every time i turn around there's a problem with it. i thought it would be a pretty reliable bike but now i don't know if it was worth it. how the hell am i supposed to get penetrating oil in there without flipping the bike upside down?

[salty_monk]

It will be... there's always issues with anything old when you first get it.

Think about what issues you'd have with a 25+ years old car??

Mine has never let me down.

Dan

[nabrams]

Man, take a deep breath...
If the bike is otherwise riding just fine, then this is NOT a reason to throw in the towel.
BUT, as I mentioned to you in another post: You WILL need to dive in and work on this mojo WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS. The cost of tools is very minimal compared to the hourly rate you'll be paying a "mechanic". It WILL take several weeks (at least) to discover and work out all the kinks. I've restored at least five non-running bikes to good daily riders, so I know. At the end of it all, you'll have a good reliable machine for a tiny fraction of the cost of a new bike.
The hard fact is that a 25 year old bike WILL have issues pop up and you don't want to be paying a "mechanic" for each one (especially since they will do a half a$$ed job).
By the way if that bike has the original R/R you will almost certainly need to replace it (the Electrosport R/R has served me well), or you'll need to trickle charge your battery every night (which, I am embarrased to say, is what I did for serveral years with my first GS450 I got 10 years ago).
All the information/know-how you need is on this forum. Expect to put in between 30 and 60 hours of time if you're a total neophyte. Just trying to give you a realistic estimate based on personal experience.

wow. i bought this thing as a cheap alternative to driving my car to work. it seems more trouble than it's worth! every time i turn around there's a problem with it. i thought it would be a pretty reliable bike but now i don't know if it was worth it. how the hell am i supposed to get penetrating oil in there without flipping the bike upside down?

[CA180]

Good luck...

I'm in the same boat with a used motor i picked up.

I havent had any luck yet. I tried welding nuts onto it, they backed off before the bolt. Tried slotting it and using an impact driver with a flat head, no luck. Now i'm only left with drilling it.

[03svrider]

i know. i know. just didn't want as much bull to go along with the bike. it runs perfect and is slow compared to my sv but what can you expect from a 450? i drilled the broken bolt out and helicoiled it. will be buying the bolt to put in there on the way home from work today. the thread tap with the helicoil set didn't tap all that well. maybe the opening of the hole was a little wider from drill movement. it seems ok now but we'll see how well it holds once i get the exhaust back on. if the helicoil doesn't hold i can go up a step because the helicoil i found on the other exhaust header is much bigger than the one i used on the side i tapped. fun fun fun. i have another bike to ride but i took all the passenger accomodations off when i got this bike and the fiance is whining she wants to ride (and that i'm in the garage too much!). thanks for all your help guys. you were right on with your answers and it helped me know what i was in for and how to prepare.