Well, I'm deep into the 800 re-do project and ran into my first mechanical issue. While taking the exhaust off (Hard Krome American classics) I discovered a good thing to add to the list of "What Not To Do".
I had seen the little steel cosmetic allen-head bolt plugs in all 4 exhaust flange bolts, and figured the PO had replaced the original studs with allen socket bolts, and figured no big deal. When I got the plugs out though, I found a different set-up.
They had left the original studs but used chrome plated allen-socket nuts to hold them on. I have never seen these in the wild before! They're kind of cute, and they may work really well in some applications, and just be the cat's meow. However, in this case the installer failed to put any washers under them, and the nut was all the way down to where the studs were nearly flush with the end of the nut. So a ball ended allen wrench would not gain purchase in the nut, because it would not go in nearly far enough to bite.
Needless to say, I had some difficulty in removing them, trying about 7 different tools before finding a winner. Thanks be to God that they were unable to tighten them very tight - or I'd still be trying to get that front bolt on the rear cylinder loose....
Sleeve nut... finding one to fit properly is pretty difficult.
Are you trying to tell us that since you have owned that machine this is the first time you have taken the pipes off?
hey. wanted to ask what tool got it out and pictures if you got it of the tool? Also should i take off my pipes on my bike and why should I?
thanks and great post
Quote from: CDNRatMan on March 26, 2015, 13:26:15 PM
Are you trying to tell us that since you have owned that machine this is the first time you have taken the pipes off?
Never had a reason to take them off, until now....
Quote from: HappyRider on March 26, 2015, 19:17:05 PM
hey. wanted to ask what tool got it out and pictures if you got it of the tool? Also should i take off my pipes on my bike and why should I?
thanks and great post
Happy, I used vice grips and/or the short end of a allen wrench on the 3 easy ones. The hard one with no access, I tried 2-3 different allen wrenches and allen sockets, 3-4 different sizes of vice grips, 1-2 sizes of needle-nosed vise grips, needle nosed pliers all with no luck. Finally dug around and found the right size allen wrench with-out the ball fitting on the long end and was able to wedge it in there and then use a box-end wrench on the short end for leverage to loosen it. Then I was able to turn it 1/6 of a turn at a time with that allen wrench until it came out. Of course, the stud came out with it, so the nut never did loosen enough to get a ball-end allen wrench in there. Had to turn it all the way out 1/6 turn at a time.
You probably do not have these on your bike, unless someone added them, and if they did, hopefully they put a washer or 2 under them so the nut doesn't go so far onto the stud. If done properly, I could have used the ball-end of the allen wrench, and then got into them on an angle, and it wouldn't have bad.