Removing a nearly rounded allen bolt

[westie]

Cemtex. Never fails.

If you have a mould you can shape it like a barbie and ........(give it to the children)

[Wired1]

I've never had much luck with easy-outs they always seem to break on me. I've used the dremmel with a grinding/cutting disk on the end but this needs a bit of room either side otherwise you'll cut the fariring. If the allen hole is buggered it's probably because the bolt is seized into whatever it's screwed into so you're probably going to have to drill the head off and hope that a quarter of an inch is left when you take the fairing off - which you can then get the vice grips onto. If you snap this off then you'll have to drill out the bolt and re-tap it for a new one, just remember to drill the exact centre and keep the hole smaller than the original bolt size otherwise it goes from a minor inconvenience to a major problem. But remember - it's only a fuckup if it can't be fixed!

[wysper]

Yeah I would like to know too.. and what method worked .. or didnt

cmon - you can tell us..

[ManDownUnder]

You may have to hacksaw across it and use a flat head screwdriver.

What he said but use an impact driver. 2 hacksaw blades side by side in the saw to make a wide(ish) slot, then impact driver it out. Another good option is a strauight bladed scrwdriver bit in a battery drill with the impact/hammer action lightly on.

Hammer away at it to loosen it. Start on a low setting, getting progressivley higher if you need to.

[oldrider]

I deleted my post about this becoming just another inconclusive thread because when I read it, I thought it a bit over the top and inappropriately worded.

I do however stand by the assertion that too many threads on KB (like this one) do just become inconclusive and taking up valuable space on the site.

Will this just be another one? or will you finally tell us what happened? John.

[Wired1]

I, for one, preferred your first comment. Fuck the PC brigade.

[boomer]

i took mine to my car mechanic who took it out; get a 1 or 2 mil drill piece. Drill into the head near the outside. then get a nail punch, place in newly made indent and tap anticlockwise with a hammer.

Job done.

next time.. don't be so ham fisted... imagine what you'd be like on a litre biek

[homer]

try using an imperial allen key , might just hold enough to loosen it

[erik]

I deleted my post about this becoming just another inconclusive thread because when I read it, I thought it a bit over the top and inappropriately worded.

Haha
I thought your post was a bit harsh, but agree it would be good to hear how things turned out.

[southernmike]

I'm guessing that it is rounded off because the bolt is seized in the thread. The previous owner would have had a better shot at getting it out with the allen key and obviously failed (Can't see them rounding it off when they tightened it up but it does happen)

Guess you will have to drill the head off. Remove the fairing. Extract the rest of the bolt.

[vifferman]

I'm guessing that it is rounded off because the bolt is seized in the thread. The previous owner would have had a better shot at getting it out with the allen key and obviously failed

... and then sold the bike because he couldn't do whatever it was that he needed the fairing off for.
"Ah crap! Can't get this bolt off. The bike's fukt now, so I'd better get rid of it!".
You know how it is.
Actually, my last bike had shades of that (posted on here). The sump bolt was completely rounded off, and VERY tight. There was also very poor access to get at it.
In the end, I had no option but to drill a hole in it, and use an Ezy Out. I very tentatively (bearing in mind the likelihood of it snapping, as has happened before) leaned on it with the spanner, then a bit more.... a bit more... CRACK!!
Uh-oh....
That doesn't sound good....
Opened my eyes....
The Ezy Out was still alive!
The sump bolt had given up its maniacal death grip on the sump!
Man, was I relieved.

[Badjelly]

I deleted my post about this becoming just another inconclusive thread because when I read it, I thought it a bit over the top and inappropriately worded.

A bit over the top? Inappropriately worded? I'll say, you fucking time-wasting tosser!

Oops, got a bit carried away there .

[oldrider]

A bit over the top? Inappropriately worded? I'll say, you fucking time-wasting tosser!

Oops, got a bit carried away there .

Ha ha, fair enough.

I went for a ride on my bike and it was just magic!

Read my post again when I got home and I thought, "That's probably a bit tough" so I deleted it.

You have every right to call me a time waisting tosser. Cheers John.

[Badjelly]

You have every right to call me a time wasting tosser.

And you have every right to call me a sad-faced git whose only remaining interest in life is in dragging everyone else down to his own pathetic level.

But you've got to wonder: has he fixed the bloody bolt yet?

[Max Preload]

i took mine to my car mechanic who took it out; get a 1 or 2 mil drill piece. Drill into the head near the outside. then get a nail punch, place in newly made indent and tap anticlockwise with a hammer.

That's ok if there's solid support behind it. But where it's merely a screw in a fairing join, damage is easily inflicted with any impact.

I'm guessing that it is rounded off because the bolt is seized in the thread.

I feel it would be more like the scenario whereby it was rounded by a not fully inserted key when the previous butcher... I mean 'installer' overtightened or even more likely went to loosen it.

I think 'breakaway' might be dead. I half jokingly sent him a text to come around on Saturday and we'd remove the bolt, but never heard anything back...