Remove stuck Allen bolt

[squirrel_hunter]

While an Impact Driver is a fantastic tool I would advise to be careful where you use it. The mudguard mounting tabs on some forks are not terribly thick and so cannot sustain heavy blows from a hammer through an impact diver. This is experience talking. That said I don't know the design of the forks you are having this trouble with, just something to bear in mind.

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

While an Impact Driver is a fantastic tool I would advise to be careful where you use it. The mudguard mounting tabs on some forks are not terribly thick and so cannot sustain heavy blows from a hammer through an impact diver. This is experience talking. That said I don't know the design of the forks you are having this trouble with, just something to bear in mind.

Yes good point, All tools need mechanical sympathy and it is something I should have mentioned, thanks for pointing it out. If the brackets are of a flimsy nature then you can still use the impact driver but it is best to "back" it with adequate support and don't knock seven bells out of it.

[Mark_h]

Lots of useful stuff about general fixing challenges however :-

- The button headed hex is recessed so hacksawing a slot is a non-starter
- The hex socket came pre-knackered so an impact driver will not have any shoulders on which to apply it's impressive torque.

Also an additional impact driver tip is to make sure you have it set going in the right direction as it does a damn-fine job of tightening further already tight fixings and then shearing the heads off if you set it wrong leaving you with a very tight flush fitting stud... allegedly


Master plan update:-

Master plan after reviewing the thread is:-
1. Try the imperial set to see if I can get enough grip on it. FAILED
2. Try the hammer and punch method. Trying this next although will have to drill small hole in the button shoulders to give the punch somethign to punch against...
3. Try the drill the head off them mole the thread out approach
If 1-3 fail then live with sloppy front forks and accept that the mudguard aint ever coming off.


I now have 50 replacement bolts although it looks like there are only 6 places they would actually go on the scooter! Mr.Suzuki decided self-tappers are good for most plastic bits and random threaded fixings elsewhere. Next time you're cursing the SV fixings, think yourself lucky you have not got an Epicuro!

[Mark_h]

Extract from Suzuki design meeting minutes:-

Fixings. It was agreed that all fixings should have heads made of cheese but threads made of some impossibly hard material but with super-low rotation torque resistance.

Fixings. Any fixing location exposed to the elements such as within mudguard areas should be drilled all the way through thereby ensuring that the typically corrosive effect of the cheese/ali interface can be further enhanced by corroding from the other end too.

Zen. To ensure much amusement for anybody attempting to do anything on the front of an Epicuro, firstly ensure no service guide is ever available then stick a fixing behind a fork to hold the mudguard on that can't be removed with the fork in place. The circular dependency will create a zen-vortex bound to improve the general well being of anyone with a drive-way covered in hammers, punches, snapped drill bits and randomly hammered tools that may just fit.

After drilling the heads off I managed to get best part of 5mm of reasonable stud left sticking out which sheared as soon as I waved some moles in it's general direction.

In summary, it's been a bloody nightmare. I can now remove the guard and have re-tapped the corroded threads that I could get to but I now have two impossible welded studs in holes that my drills won't touch. Off to get some better drill bits on Monday. I'll hopefully be able to drill them out and re-tap the hole to improve the thread but may end up having to go up a size or use a nut and bolt. Or more than likely decide that two bolts are plenty and just evo-stick a couple of sawn off heads there so it looks pretty.

Dread to think what I'll find if I ever get around to dropping the forks out!

Anyway, sun's shining so time to park the scooter, put away the tools and get a few dead flies stuck to the front of the SV.

Use a smaller good quality pilot drill ( 3-4mm) when drilling out bolts, take your time with a spray of some fluid occasionally and once through it will be a doddle to drill with the correct size.