Help help I have broken a bolt on my motorbike

[JabberingNIC]

OK, I was tightening up the bolts at the top of the forks that hold the handlebars to the forks.
Then- *SNAP*. One of the threads broke.
I've got other bolts, but the actual thread is lodged in there good and tight.
What do I do?

 

[idea]

Take your bike to a dealer (i.e. if you ride honda, dont take to suzuki) and explain the problem. They should be able to provide you a new fork crown as a replacement part.

Next time, use threadlock and torque it up correctly.

 

[carolinacp89]

Drill it out or use a stud extractor.

 

[SeamusB]

Drill it out as YODA says, or get a good pair of vice grips on that bad boy and turn it out by hand.

 

[chrisathornchurch]

Cool. see you in five.
Usually, seeing the dealer would work but I think they stopped making these things in the early seventies.

 

[owllord93]

Yeah, I second that answer ... down to the dealer it is.

Incidentally, great hsing-I site! (I don't do hsing-i, but have begun bagua.)

 

[lj89]

Do I need to measure the thread width or can I just drill the thing out with any old bit?

 

[funmom]

Crikey, you all answered as I was typing my reply! How many bikers are there on MAP? Perhaps a biking sub-topic in the off topic area is due

 

[lostsoul]

If you didn't break off the bolt but just stripped it then your will need to run a tap back through the threads to clean them up.

 

[arinkleff]

Measure it! oh please for the love of all that is good measure it!!!!

And you may need to re-tap the hole as said above

 

[classynaima]

be careful, and mesure the bit. you don't want to destroy the threads.

i had this happen to the bolt that held my centerstand on. if the threads get wrecked you can use a helicoil on them.

http://www.contractorstools.com/helicoil1.html

what do you drive? i drive a 72 /5 bmw.

 

[Janel]

The thing's broken clean - a few mm above the yoke, so there may be enough to drive it with a centerpunch or saw and big screwdriver.
It's a BSA Bantam D10.
Well, more accurately, it's a frame and engine that was lying in a field and I'm putting together.
Once all is complete, a pic will be posted in my journal

 

[romeo1136]

I guess if the head has snapped off then trying to get the bolt shaft out could be done with a drill. Still would mean some bloody good and precise drilling though. I guess you could drill an oversized hole and then tap a new thread out?

Even if the bike was made in the 60's or 70's parts really are usually available!

Thanks for the heads up on the xing yi website. I do try, even if I havent done that much to it over the xmas period.

 

[asdfa]

here is a fairly good tip sheet on drilling out a bolt.

http://raskcycle.com/techtip/webdoc9.html

 

[mayemerald4ev]

yea if you can do it ANY other way give that a shot first. helicoil will never be as strong. and it is a p.i.t.a.

nice ride! i have been looking at an old 52 bsa... i really like the old english bikes.

here is a shot of my r75.

 

[seanO]

Cool- I can get parts. Parts aren't the issue.
Thanks for the fact sheet. It's pretty much a first bike, though I've ridden other ones in an 'unnoficial capacity'.
p.s. they stoppped making the bike in the 70s
here's a pic of more or less what the bike will look like;

 

[agentrotard]

Looks VERY like my old MZ TS-125 - which is hardly surprising for those in the know

 

[dfinc1987]

DAMN DAMN DAMN.
I did it the way I was supposed to.
Sawed in the the few mm that was sticking up, tried a big screwdriver. Nothing.
Tried a centerpunch. Nothing.
cut off the bit I tried the screwdriver on, got a centerpunch and drilled though.
The bit broke off.
DAMN DAMN DAMN.
Oh gods, open the good black earth and swallow me whole for cursed is he whose drill bits break inside bolts.

 

[suraj]

heh... welcome to the wold of old motorcycles!

 

[superperson]

I think the thread was pretty bad anyway. Most of the threads in the frame have been mauled at some point.
With any luck, we can sort it out tomorrow... with my dad present...