Triumphrat

UJMrider · 08-11-2005

Okay, I'll confess to being somewhat ham-fisted when it comes to mechanical things. This has manifested itself in two ways:

1. When trying to remove the stock handgrips to replace them with thicker grips, I did not have a metric allen wrench to remove the throttle-side end cap from the handlebars. I used an SAE wrench that was too small. result: Rounded allen screw and now even the proper (2.5mm) allen wrench won't engage the allen screw.

2. When trying to remove the tank I didn't check to see whether my ratchet was on "tighten" or "loosen". Turned the crank on the tank bolt once and 'snap' - the bolt head popped right off.

I assume I'll need to "drill out" the screw in the handlebar cap and the remainder of the bolt on the tank, right? So my question is, how is this done? Do I use a drill bit that is almost the same size as the piece I want to drill out? And what do I do once I drill through it? Will the recalcitrant bolt just fall out or do I need to put in something (like a broken shell extractor for a rifle) in order to get the broken bolt out?

Related question: Once I get the handlebar caps off, what's the best way to get the grips off? WD-40? Any special precautions I should take? I want to put a lower, flatter bar onto my bird. I've already found the bar, just need to get the old one off. And I'm using aftermarket grips, too, so I don't need to worry about re-mounting the bar end caps on the new handlebar.

Tumbleweed · 08-11-2005

WD-40 should do the trick on the grips.
Keep in mind that the switch housings have a small tab which fits into a hole in the stock bars. You need to either drill your new bars, or remove the tabs (probably the easiest solution).

As for drilling bolts, I'll leave the podium to someone else.

T'Weed

lancashirelad · 08-11-2005

There are stud removers available for just this purpose, you drill into the bolt then thread in the stud remover which as it is opposite thread (ie left hand instead of right hand) to the bolt/stud once tightened in you can remove the bolt/stud. The broken allen screw on the bars is probably to small for this, make sure when you drill that out you use a small enough drill to not touch the thread in the end cap.

maxpower · 08-11-2005

lancashirelad,
Good call. There are called Screw extractors on this side of the pond. Google has info

I bought a Kit at Sears Hardware that includes 3 different sizes and their appropriate drill bits.

SWare · 08-11-2005

A screw extractor (sometimes called an EZ-out) is what you need. You may get by without drilling on your bar end bolt if there is enough for the ez-out to grab. Also on your tank bolt, you may get lucky if there is enough left to grab with pliers. Sometimes when a bolt head pops of like that the tension on the threaded portion is relieved. It may just back right out for you. If not your right back to drilling which is what you expected anyway.

I don't think there are any left handed threads on any of the fasteners on these bikes. Always loosen by turning counter clockwise and tighten by turning clockwise.

stan

TBSstunta · 08-11-2005

Another option is to sacrifiec a small bolt and just JBWeld it into the allen head the then turn that out.

As for the tank, it has two bolts holfding it in place, but you really only need one. Use some blue loctite and dont worry about it.

[ This message was edited by: TBSstunta on 2005-08-11 08:44 ]

lancashirelad · 08-11-2005

see, its true what they say about the USA & England, 2 countries united by a different language....or summat like that.
Anyway its nice to see all these Triumph lovers in the USA.....
ps still waiting for my crash mushrooms (frame sliders??) to arrive at Jack Lilley from Skyking in the USA..

jimmyj900 · 08-11-2005

EZ-Outs are the way to go for smaller bolts. Check your local hardware shop for sizes and drill bits to match.

You'll also need a "T" style tap handle for control of the small EZ-outs -- using an adjustable wrench will encourage breakage and if you break of an EZ-Out you're pretty well screwed since they're hardened alloy steel.

Use a center punch carefully to center the drill bit in the screw and be extra careful not to let the drill drift off-angle or you'll trash the threads and make removal about impossible.

A thread tap of the correct size would also be a good investment -- just to clean the threads up afterwards and remove any threadlocker or sealant.

You probably can't get left-hand (reverse-twist) drill bits locally but you can find them at www.mcmaster.com. Using a reverse-twist bit (with a reversing drill!) will often spin out a broken screw while you're drilling the pilot hole for an EZ-Out. Well worth having around in the sizes needed for the EZ-Outs. McMaster also has a 2- to 3-day turnaround if you order in the morning.

The main thing is to remember this, so write on the blackboard 100 times:

"LEFTY LOOSY, RIGHTY TIGHTY" :-D

Jim

vonbonds · 08-11-2005

Hey Martin...let me just say good for you for trying to do your own work. When I went to the Classics rally last year I didn't know how to do anything besides put air in my tires and fill it up with fuel. Thanks to fellow trat.net members I am able to check my own valves now among other things. Just keep trying and you will eventually get the hang of it!

Tom

parrycm · 08-11-2005

Martin....

With respect to the bar end, I had a very similar situation. Although I used the correct allen key, it was stuck so fast that I could feel the bolt wasting.

In fact I got it off quite easily without recourse to drilling etc etc as follows. Peel off the rubber grip to give you more room to work in. Wrap some masking tape around the circumference of the bar end to protect it. Then clamp a mole wrench (what you chaps call a vise wrench or vise grip?) on the bar end - make sure you've clamped it on pretty tightly. Then gently turn the bar end anticlockwise (i.e. lefty-loosey) and you should find that it loosens the bar end and bolt nicely.

For the tank bolt, a stud extractor is the way to go but drilling the hole in the bolt is tricky - you need a good drill bit. I'd recommend tapping the bolt with a centre-punch to make a pit that the drill bit can get a purchase on - makes it a lot easier to start and to make sure the drill hole is centred on the bolt.

Of course, since there are two bolts holding it down, you could just forget about the broken one!

Edit - I forgot to say that I fitted lower bars on mine recently, and I drilled the new bars to accommodate the locating lug on each switch housing. That was easy, just centre-punch the right location and then drill the hole.

But what I didn't realise is the bloody things are asymmetric! The righthand hole is something like 6.25" from the bar end and the lefthand one is 6" - typical!

So, unless you plan to cut off the lugs, measure your stock bars carefully before drilling.

[ This message was edited by: parrycm on 2005-08-11 13:08 ]