New to it all, and I have the FBoD!

[Anonymous]

Hello! I am a central Texan who was just lucky enough to get a GS450T last weekend for a song. I've never had a motorcycle, but I've done a lot of auto wrenching. I have posted pics at:

http://cornbread.com/phpix/?mode=album&album=suzuki

It has 25k miles on the odometer, I'm not entirely convinced it isn't 125k though. I'll be securing a title this week, I hope. It needs a LOT of work, and of most immediate concern is the FBoD, or, the Fork Bolt of Doom. Warning, big pic!

http://cornbread.com/linked_images/forkboltofdoom.jpg

I can move the bolt a little, but it's stiff, and I cannot entirely see under anything like a nut underneath. As you can see it is not tight on the fork tower, and there is a bolt missing on the "pinch joint". This could get a person killed, if I'm not mistaken. I was aware this was a project bike, no big deal really. I likelt have all the tools needed to fix it. I'm just not sure how. I'm sizing up the Haynes manual for the bike, and apparently the carburators have some literature I will need as well. A factory service manual is likely at some point, depending on cost and availability as well.

The bike sat for a while, but a new battery, drained and refilled tank later it's running! Like crap, but running! Needs new chain, FBoD fixed, brakes.....

I'd like to horse around a little though. Ideas on the fork bolt, and what I should be doing or not? 17mm fits well, and the impact wrench is right here. PB Blaster handy too. I have tried to tighten it up, but only a couple of turns at best and it's really solid. Any reading material reccomendations appreciated, I'm about halfway through this site now.

[Anonymous]

Start with a liberal application of 'panther pee', then hammer at it with the impact. The bolt holds the middle of the top triple clamp on, underneath is the large nut which holds the lower clamp in the fork tube. The most you can do is to ruin the threads in the lower clamp at which time you would need to locate a different one. However, you are correct in saying that it needs to be repaired no matter what. Find yourself a decent manual and dig in! 8) [/img]

[Anonymous]

Would it be possible to cut the end off of the bolt and screw it back in until it falls out?

Steve

[Anonymous]

from your pics it appears that the nut has been crossthreaded on and they couldn't get it back off easily so they left it. I would back it out and check to see how your bearings are as well you might be missing some. please take your safety seriously and replace what you need we all would like to see you on the road and not in the ditch.

[Clone]

Take that bolt out and dismantle the head. You will porbably have to clean up the treads with a tap, or is it die, I can never remember. Don't try to tighten it down any more only more damage can result. I'm not entirely sure that is the original bolt. It is probably a standard thread somebody tried to put into the original metric thread and it got stuck.

[Hoomgar]

Looks to me like once you get it out you better chase the fork pin with a good thread cutter. If they are real bad you may be redrilling and retapping.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree. That bolt has to come out. I don't mind chasing/tapping if I have to.

Why would someone do this to a bike anyway? Change the fork tower bearings I guess?

Thanks.

[Dark Jedi]

Take that bolt out and dismantle the head. You will porbably have to clean up the treads with a tap, or is it die, I can never remember. Don't try to tighten it down any more only more damage can result. I'm not entirely sure that is the original bolt. It is probably a standard thread somebody tried to put into the original metric thread and it got stuck.

FYI A tap threads the inside, a die threads the outside.

[mdole]

Welcome to the wonderful world of old bikes. My previous two bikes had front end damage when I got them but I found that I could get most everything I needed for junkyards to fix them up.

I also had a 1981 Honda CM 400E that my son started riding on. I could find parts for it as well though they took a little more searching and the use of a parts locator to find. The nut on the top of the triple tree was missing but I found that it was still available from Honda. It was a low mileage about 1100 mile bike when we got it that a University professor used to tool around Campus in Wyoming. He moved to Albuquerque to teach at U&M and decided that with a 60 mile commute he wanted a Goldwing so we got a really good deal on the CM. The only problems were that he took it apart to move it here and lost a few parts and managed to spill battery acid down a side and onto the swing arm.

I was actually a much more competent bike than I would have thought. I took it on a couple of 300 - 400 group rides and didn't really have any trouble keeping up as we cruised at about 75 and it would do that just fine and would actually start leaving bikes behind in the twisties.

Mike

[Hoomgar]

Yes, I agree. That bolt has to come out. I don't mind chasing/tapping if I have to.

Why would someone do this to a bike anyway? Change the fork tower bearings I guess?

Thanks.

Best guess would be they lost the bolt. Mechanical monkies :roll: