What's the toughest bolt you've run into on your GS?

[Anonymous]

hehe, atleast you broke the bolts putting them in. That means they aren't seized.

Steve

[Anonymous]

front drive sprocket, actually stripped the threads off the shaft while removing the nut, $250 US later at a machine shop the shaft is rethreaded with a slightly smaller nut size. :?

[Anonymous]

Steve I just put case guards on my 400 last week or so, didn't have a problem with the bolts, did have to grind the guards a bit to make them fit in though. THE toughest bolts or screws I've come up against were and still are on my spare carbs. They are the ones holding the rails on that hold the carbs together. I've started to strip the heads on a few of them, so someday when I really want to work on them I'll soak them in WD-40 and get them off.

On another note, helping my dad rebuild his tractor I've snapped half inch bolts(by hand) that were simpy rusted on, which was fine because they needed to be replaced anyways, the other 2 (1 snapped on came out) we got out using heavy duty wrenches and jacks. The tractor would actually lift off the ground simply on the bolt, then you'd jump on it and the bolt would snap or come loose. I guess I am stronger than I let myself believe. Better be careful with those carbs.....

[Anonymous]

Intake boot phillips head bolts.

[Anonymous]

Intake boot phillips head bolts.

Thanks David, I'm ready to remove those and replace the orings behind them. Oh well, everyone else complains about exhaust head bolts, and mine came out very easily the first time(and everytime since) so maybe I'll get lucky.

[Evil Hobbit]

Re: Exhaust

Anything with the exhaust bolts, I hate these!! I have snapped them, stripped the thread, cursed, bought longer bolts, cursed more, turned to drinking, and then cursed more.

my opinion...

I broke off two exhaust bolts, *&#*#. I drilled them and used an easy out, funny I never found them to be easy at all. I replaced the CHEAP stock bolts that are 24 yrs old with grade 10.9 bolts with antiseeze applied. I'm going to start looking for studs to replace them with next time I have the exhaust off.

[Anonymous]

Intake boot phillips head bolts.

Thanks David, I'm ready to remove those and replace the orings behind them. Oh well, everyone else complains about exhaust head bolts, and mine came out very easily the first time(and everytime since) so maybe I'll get lucky.

Guess you don't expect the intakes to be that difficult. Soak them with pentrating oil. Figure out how to hit them hard & square with an impact driver first time.

[Anonymous]

Ya, I'll add intake boot screws to my list. The "bottom" ones came out fairly easy. The fact that you're pushing towards the front of the bike doesn't help, since it's on the center stand. Like taking the oil drain plug out from the left side of the bike, you feel like you're going to push it off the stand and drop it. My solution was to put the seat back on and sit on the bike while really pushing into screw. If you can get the bottom ones, you can turn the boot in the direction of loosening it helps to break the seal on the screw.

So I'd vote for intake boot screws and carb screws. Or for that matter, ANY of the phillips screws on the bike, damn suzuki.

[Anonymous]

I just use needle nose vicegrips on the carb and carb boot screws. They aren't all that tight.

Steve

[Anonymous]

So I've been reading this and other threads on bolts and such, so I think maybe I should check my exhaust bolts. It sounds like a good idea to loosen and tighten them as part of routine maintenance. The anti-sieze stuff also sounds good.

I was able to loosen all eight on my 1100. Cool. I go over to the 850. They all loosened except the last one. So, being careful, I decided to get some of the miracle chemicals that are supposed to loosen bolts. I went to my local auto parts store and they had several, but no Aero-Kroil. So I bought B'Laster, which was the most expensive and I had seen a positive review of it on the web.

I sprayed the bolt twice and let it sit over night. I sprayed it again the next morning and wait a few more hours. Feeling confident because the other seven came out OK, I started to twist it--still tight, I twisted a little harder, and snap! It broke.

So now I'm in with the rest of you who have a broken bolt as a souvenier of a bad day. One thing I noticed after I was able to pull off the flange was that the penetrating oil never made it to the bolt. This amazing "penetrating catalyst" that's supposed to use "capillary action" to penetrate to loosen the bolt hadn't even made it through the gap between the flange and the head. Needless to say, I'm not impressed.

The worst part is that I didn't really have any reason for working with the 850. At least for the 1100, I have plans to put on a performance exhaust.

I tried an EZ out on the bolt (and some more B'laster) but what's left of the bolt is not budging. I think I'll just take it to the machine shop. I'm hoping I won't have to remove the head.

[Detman101]

I have to update my story. I encountered an even harder bolt last night.
My buddy Josh's Tachometer housing screw on his Honda CB400.
Tried a flathead and then a phillips screwdriver...no budge.
Used WD-40 and tried an impact wrench...stripped the hole. (Drat!)
Drilled a hole and used an easy-out....*SNAP*
*gave up at that point*

We tried everything and that bloody screw wouldn't budge. I told him to take it to a machine shop or continue riding with no tach like he has been.

Yeesh....
Dm of mD

[Anonymous]

Intake boot phillips head bolts.

Thanks David, I'm ready to remove those and replace the orings behind them. Oh well, everyone else complains about exhaust head bolts, and mine came out very easily the first time(and everytime since) so maybe I'll get lucky.

Might I recommend starting up the bike and getting the head nice and warm before you try this? Just don't delay in taking the screws out if at all possible. I did this, and 6 out of the eight came out easily: just placed a screwdriver on them, gave the screwdriver end a few good thwacks with a hammer, then carefully twisted them out.

The first one I tried to take out with the engine cold, and it wasn't about to come out. Stripped it proper. (I was able to get it loose later by twisting the whole manifold boot CCW a bit, then back, after I got the other screw out that was holding the boot on)

[Anonymous]

Exhaust, but I got it after a few days of 3 in 1 penetrating oil and a torch and a hammer. Thanks to all the good advice from you guys.

[gsbill]

I always used an anti sieze lube on those exhaust bolts..Mine always came off. They were removed a lot more often than yours probably were, heck...they sometimes even vibrated loose!

If you strip your output shaft, you can cut new threads with it right on the bike...

[EZ OUT]

Infernal Exhaust Bolts - GS Owner initiation

My GS Resources moniker was given to me by my tech friends at work with whom I shared my GS 850 travails when I broke two of the @#$%^ bolts off.
After worrying and calculating and checking with the local bike shop, one of my coworkers told be to just stop worrying and drill the damn things out!
Four days of PB blaster, heat from torch and taking ez outs to the brink of breaking convinced me to just drill away on those bad boys.
Tip - measure the depth of the new bolt against the flange to see how far the bolt goes into the head and mark your drill with tape or use a drill stop. Try to get the drill dead center. I didn't nail dead center, but was able to tap the portion of the old bolt which has now become one with the head and oiula! All I had to do was ream the flanges (or clamps) out a bit to accomodate less than perfect centering of the bolts. I was also leery of drilling too deep into the head and have a piston staring back at me that reinstalling the header required a washer - but so what? Took about 30 min and the bike was back on the road.