Hey guys,
I was installing a sissy bar on my 2009 Iron and when tightening the last rear fender strut bolt, it bound up on me, just short of being fully tight. Now I have a loose nut and bolt that I can't seem to tighten all the way down, nor can I loosen it to back out and start fresh. To make matters worse, I used loctite... Trying to figure out a way to remedy this problem without having to remove the rear tire to get heat to it. How screwed am I fellas?

 

That being a socket head cap screw isn't helping. If you can possibly get a needle nose vise grip on the the nut, you could carefully use a drill starting with the smallest size that will fit inside the hex and going gradually bigger til the screw head pops off.

 

Thanks @QC! That is a good suggestion. No room to grab with needle nose. I will have a hard time getting a dremel grinding wheel in between. This is proving to be a real PITA.

 

If you put it on a lift; will the wheel drop enough to get something in there?

 

@QC not enough to get a torch or heat to it. I can barely sneak a wrench around the nut in there.

 

If you can get a no end wrench on it, give my suggestion a try. Just make sure you out some masking tape or protection on the surrounding chrome in case you slip.
Good luck.

 

@QC, Thanks Man! I will give it a shot and let you know.

 

Be patient and take your time. No need to rush now

 

How about disconnect the shocks and raise the bike, letting the swing arm drop?

 

Not sure. That was my first thought, but also will require me to call in a couple favors, as I am ill-equipped for that procedure. The more I think about this, the more I realize I will have to move the rear tire regardless, because I need to heat heat the bolt or nut to break the loctite. FML