gwpreckshot
Dogrobber
I am new to the K1600, having mostly owned airheads previously. I purchased a used 2012 about 18 months ago and am just starting to get it ready for travel in the post COVID world and am filled with frustration and woe. Not that I don't expect this kind of stuff - remember I told you have owned motorcycles before (airheads).
OK, I was dismounting my wheels to take them for new tires. Back one comes off a bit hard, but no big deal (I did break off the first T50 torx head tool I tried but it was an unbranded Harbor Freight POS and my own fault for using it). The front one was a different story. First, I didn't have a 22 mm hex tool for the axle. Whew, the forum comes to my rescue and I used a reverse 13/16 spark plug wrench. Brake calipers come off clean and neat. I didn't forget the ABS sensor. I got the bike blocked up underneath the engine and had some space under the wheel and I am ready to take off the fender. The plastic fender is held on by four torx head machine screws that I believe are made out of stainless steel. The second to the last freaking torx head machine screw seizes in the aluminum fork body and quick as you please twists right off. The last one comes out fine (purely as a personal insult I am sure).
I have been here before. I actually said this to myself, "you have been here before." I got a drill and bits and drilled a hole for an easy-out in the threaded section of the machine screw left behind in the fork body. I then got my easy-out (mis-named if ever a thing could be). Yes I put some penetrating oil on it. No it did not come out. Yes my easy-out snapped off. Of course it snapped off. What else would it do? The machine gods returned to my side as I had drilled all the way thru and was able to tap the broken piece of the easy-out out from the back side with a small punch.
SO . . here I am. Time to retreat, regroup, and seek counsel from others who have played this form of whack-a-mole. Do I continue to try to get the misbegotten worthless crap laden corpse of the machine screw out without messing up the threads of the aluminum fork body or do I just say to Hades with it and drill all of the remaining machine screw out with no regard to the what remains of the hole and rethread it to a larger size? I don't plan on going back into the garage tonight especially since I have already splashed two fingers of Jamison's in a glass and am planning on a repeat. As I said, I HAVE been here before.
One last observation. I own a product called "anti-seize." I actually use when assembling dissimilar metal fasteners. I understand I purchased this bike used, but I learned to use this from my brother-in-law when we worked on my airhead. It didn't always work, but it did make things much easier. Sigh, . . ..
Anyway, if anyone has a observation that might help, or a vote on which way to go - jump in the pool. I did run a quick search on seized fork screws and didn't seem to get anything recent. Thanks in advance.
OK, I was dismounting my wheels to take them for new tires. Back one comes off a bit hard, but no big deal (I did break off the first T50 torx head tool I tried but it was an unbranded Harbor Freight POS and my own fault for using it). The front one was a different story. First, I didn't have a 22 mm hex tool for the axle. Whew, the forum comes to my rescue and I used a reverse 13/16 spark plug wrench. Brake calipers come off clean and neat. I didn't forget the ABS sensor. I got the bike blocked up underneath the engine and had some space under the wheel and I am ready to take off the fender. The plastic fender is held on by four torx head machine screws that I believe are made out of stainless steel. The second to the last freaking torx head machine screw seizes in the aluminum fork body and quick as you please twists right off. The last one comes out fine (purely as a personal insult I am sure).
I have been here before. I actually said this to myself, "you have been here before." I got a drill and bits and drilled a hole for an easy-out in the threaded section of the machine screw left behind in the fork body. I then got my easy-out (mis-named if ever a thing could be). Yes I put some penetrating oil on it. No it did not come out. Yes my easy-out snapped off. Of course it snapped off. What else would it do? The machine gods returned to my side as I had drilled all the way thru and was able to tap the broken piece of the easy-out out from the back side with a small punch.
SO . . here I am. Time to retreat, regroup, and seek counsel from others who have played this form of whack-a-mole. Do I continue to try to get the misbegotten worthless crap laden corpse of the machine screw out without messing up the threads of the aluminum fork body or do I just say to Hades with it and drill all of the remaining machine screw out with no regard to the what remains of the hole and rethread it to a larger size? I don't plan on going back into the garage tonight especially since I have already splashed two fingers of Jamison's in a glass and am planning on a repeat. As I said, I HAVE been here before.
One last observation. I own a product called "anti-seize." I actually use when assembling dissimilar metal fasteners. I understand I purchased this bike used, but I learned to use this from my brother-in-law when we worked on my airhead. It didn't always work, but it did make things much easier. Sigh, . . ..
Anyway, if anyone has a observation that might help, or a vote on which way to go - jump in the pool. I did run a quick search on seized fork screws and didn't seem to get anything recent. Thanks in advance.
