Hello All,

So my head bolts (I think that's what they are called, the bolts on either side of the spark plugs) are looking pretty rough, they came like that when i bought the bike, just nasty with discoloration. I tried cleaning them up but they are a royal pain to do while on the motor. This being my first Harley (or V-twin for that matter) I wasn't sure weather or not they could be removed to clean without causing issues. If they can be removed easily are there any tricks i should know about? And if not are do you guys know of any tricks to clean them? I know they make covers you can put on the bolt heads but i'm having a hard time justifying spending 40 bucks on them.

Thanks Again!

 

try removing the rear tank bolt and tip the rear of the tank up, then prop it up with a piece of wood or something to hold it in place. Or use never dull rub on let it stand to a milky paste and wipe it down.

 

Dont pull your head bolts or you will be spending a lot more than 40$ to replace
all your top end gaskets.

 

Good to know, that's exactly what i was worried about.

 

You'll also risk warping the cylinders and heads. The head bolts need to be torqued down in proper sequence and stages.

 

If they look like crap just cover them with caps or a head bolt bridge... there are probably a dozen different options to chose from. The head bolt bridge is available in chrome or black if you don't care for shiny.

 

Changing the gaskets is a given.

You just have to make sure the piston is TDC when you loosen it.

Sorry guys I'm working on slo mode these days.

 

Scrub 'em up, show 'em who's the boss, but don't take a wrench to them if they're holding good!

 

Well i'm really glad I asked, I was worried I would royally screw something up if I just took them out.

Thanks Guys