my local halfords looks like they are going bust. They literally only keep 2 of all the big sellers in the shop. It always looks bloody empty!

ok here`s a little trick i use when i have blind holes and studs

but like sid says be carful withthe ally or you may snap it

you need 1 small drill bit and one slightly larger torx bit

dirll a hole in the stud - cram in torx bit into predrilled hole

unscrew

if you can get to the back of the hole with some cranked snipe nose pliers though id try tightening the stud so it came through that back of the hole though first

if it starts to get tight its probably not broken of even so will need to come out the way it went in or it will damage the threads

I started drilling but it's relatively hard so stopped before i did more damage.

Phoned a few engineering shops who reckon that free hand drilling should never be done. All the ones i spoke to say if the component comes off then a small engineering shop should be able to get it out using precision equipment.

Gonna consult the Haynes to see what's likely to drop out if I took the cover off.

It doesn't protrude out the rear and the engineers say even though it is an open hole it's likely to have to come out the way it went in as the thread will be blind at the other end (summink like that)

Its pretty much botched now I'd say. I'm gonna order a new gasket, take the alternator cover off and see if an engineer can get it out :(

Anyone recommend an engineering shop in north/north-west london?

Its £100 for a new cover+gasket. I figure i'll see if an engineer can get it out, tidy the thread up and use an oversize bolt as it's not under much stress. I shouldn't need to order a new cover unless they want more then £40 to do the job.

I'll also see what the have on eBay.

Anyone recently written off a K3 willing to break it?

Get onto bike-breakers, www.partfinderukltd.com... Or Partlocator 09061 555 657, they'll contact loads of breakers for you for the cover. When you take it off you'll lose half your oil of course, but I'm not sure if the innards differ from the carbed bike or not-if not, everything inside is independantly bolted iup so nothing'll come out, IIRC.

So have you damaged the thread? If not, I would think a pro will still budge the bolt for you and hopefully you'll not need a new cover. They might even be able to do it on the bike...

OK, for those of you following this sorry saga. I got the alternator cover off.

http://www.curium.org.uk/images/misc/engine.jpg

Every engineer shop I got from yell.co.uk said they'd need to see it before they could say yay or nay and that it would need to be off the bike as it would need to be fixed onto a machine for precision work.

So here is the cover

http://www.curium.org.uk/images/misc/bolt1.jpg

Here is a close up of the offending lug/bolt.

http://www.curium.org.uk/images/misc/bolt2.jpg

I tried to drill it from the other side but it's relatively hard and it was difficult keeping the drill-bit central so i stopped before it got real bad. It's sunk from the other side but relatively flush with the side you can see in the photo.

Anyone with engineering experience care to comment? I'm taking it to a place in Watford (Bushey Hall Road) tomorrow morning and I've already ordered the replacement gasket from Suzuki.

hmmm looking at somthing in 2d is alot harder to comment on than looking at it in 3d

its a perspective thing + you take into account what you`ve done to the other side ie made it irrecoverable or better ??

but from what you show i`d say id have a pop at it with a very small drill increasing till i got the size for my numpty easy outs :D

cant see it being a problem

some companies charge lots for stuff like this and some will charge nothing at all , its all on the day and the folk your dealing with

as a guide id expect anything from £5 to £20 after that i think your being ripped off

I tried drilling it from the other side but it's hard as hell as the bolt head twisted before breaking off leaving a very uneven surface causing the drill bit to wander a bit. Once I got a decent groove for the bit it proved very difficult to get a hole, the material is harder then I thought so it appeared that the bolt was spreading so i stopped for fear of it making things worse.

I've set £40 as the most I'll pay. Probably over the odds but I don't want the bother of having to move the coils within the cover to a new cover.

Got access to a pillar drill? Now it's off the bike you could clamp it up and be guaranteed a clean hole...

Just removed two stainless bolts broken flush, didn't even have to drill it :shock:

As I said I've got a spare in the shed in Enfield if its any help?

its off a K2 but I think they are the same.

Cheers Mark.