Buggered bolt extraction
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,125
Likes: 51,446
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Think haydon's are great? Do yourself a favor, get the bike running with one of them installed, open the cover and put a timing light on it and get shocked at how loose and then big S wave the chain gets at 2500+ RPM's, The Haydon is just bouncing it's little cheap *** off almost allowing the chain to touch a screw boss on the top of the primary.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 10,767
From: SE Michigan
you already did what I would have suggested, had an issue with one of the fasteners on my primary when I changed fluid, my son and I actually looked at it together because when **** like this happens, I can start to get a bit grumpy....my son works in a machine shop so stuff like this is his jam...we tried to tap in the bit, but even though it stuck in, as soon as we started to turn it, it started stripping out, so i backed off and went with a larger bit....and i tapped it in until I couldn't pull it straight out with fingers....this ruins the fastener, but once I got the wrench on the bit, it creaked and snapped loose
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,328
Likes: 2,205
You probably need to weld a nut on that with a MIG welder at this point. If somehow that didnt work, I like the idea of drilling off the head and then removing just the threaded part of the bolt (hopefully with the same MIG trick, but if not, perhaps with vice grips).
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,125
Likes: 51,446
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 13,526
Likes: 34,692
From: Pine Flat Dam/South Bay Area, CA
This. Slot the head of the fastener with a cut off wheel and loosen it with a hand impact driver (the kind that you hit with a hammer).
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 847
Likes: 700
From: NE
Another vote for this method, its the best option at this point.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,125
Likes: 51,446
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Pro tip for anyone else who may find themselves needing to pull the tooth block, get a big punch or 1/2" rod and smack the bolt head a couple times before you try the allen. It shocks them loose so the socket isn't taking the full brunt of the force.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 806
Likes: 1,139
From: West Texas
A carbide burr on a die grinder would be my second choice. Get the broken extractor out of there before you can move on to anything else.
OP, if you are not set up well to tackle it, just take the bike to a welding or machine shop and let them do it. Probably won't charge you more than a half hour labor and it will make it easy for you and not damage anything.
Last edited by Gas Smasher; Nov 8, 2022 at 05:16 AM.
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Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,125
Likes: 51,446
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
I have done a lot of broken and damaged bolt removal over the years. Welding is a very effective way to get them, but you have to be set up properly and be pretty good using a decent welder. What I would do on this one is get a thick washer with a inner hole a little smaller than the OD of the damaged screw. Welding the washer to the screw is easier than trying to weld a nut with a small ID to it, and you can get good weld outside of the broken extractor. Grind that weld smooth and then get a nut, maybe a 5/8 or 3/4, whatever ID is just smaller than the thick washer, and then weld the nut to the washer. Don't go after it while it is still orange hot, but remove it while it is still hot so the heat overcomes the Loctite. It will come out. Most times you can get a good bite on the outside of the thick washer with pliers or vise-grip and spin them out, but having to work inside the primary you won't get a good angle on anything so a nut and a socket wrench is what I would do.
A carbide burr on a die grinder would be my second choice. Get the broken extractor out of there before you can move on to anything else.
OP, if you are not set up well to tackle it, just take the bike to a welding or machine shop and let them do it. Probably won't charge you more than a half hour labor and it will make it easy for you and not damage anything.
A carbide burr on a die grinder would be my second choice. Get the broken extractor out of there before you can move on to anything else.
OP, if you are not set up well to tackle it, just take the bike to a welding or machine shop and let them do it. Probably won't charge you more than a half hour labor and it will make it easy for you and not damage anything.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,328
Likes: 2,205
Taps and EZ-outs and things like that are your worst nightmare when they break. There is no drilling that with anything that'd realistically be used in any normal drill.