Light Bar Mounting Bolts

[Seaking]

My light bar will be the death of me.. 6 month after getting the bike the bar got loose and I could tighten it but man what a pain in the patootie to access those bolts properly etc..

 

Earlier this summer I stopped at a Yammy shop in Maine to get my shock replaced under warranty and they were kind enough to fix a wiring problem I had in the front.. but in the process they took the bar off, but appears it didn't get installed properly as I've been having to re-tighten it all the time and it never seemed to really tighten..

 

When I put the bike up on jack recently to do some winter maintenance on it, I noticed how very loose the bar actually is and that one bolt is completely loose.. It won't tighten yet it won't come out. I'll have to pull the whole front fairing off to access it properly but alas, I can't pull the fairing off if I can't get that bolt out to move the lights out of the way.. what the heck?!

 

So the big question is: what part of the triple tree are these bolts actually threaded into?

 

It always seemed that if I didn't get the bolt started at just the perfect angle they would simply turn and turn and turn but never tighten, then angle it a bit and boom it would tighten.. It seems there is something amiss other than a stripped bolt or dead threads back in there and I can't see well enough back in there to determine what the heck is going on.

 

the two local Yami shops can't even figure out what bolts I need to order to replace the existing ones as apparently these bolts magically "poof" appear whenever they need to install a light bar..

 

Can anyone toss in some insight to this problem or even be able to help me acquiring new bolts for this issue?

 

I purchased the extension block which move your light bar ahead enough to permit your fairing removal without taking down the light bar but once again I had issues installing this block because of that acute angle of the bolt issues.. I could never get that block to tighten up properly..

 

A most frustrating situation.. sigh...

 

Almost to the point of ripping the whole dang thing off and buck-sheeing signal lights up to the fairing and adding highway lamps to the forks.. at least they won't come loose after a few hours of riding..

 

help!

[gunboat]

i myself have never had this problem. but a couple of years ago i bought the "L-bracket" that lowers the driving lights so you can pull the faring off with out droping the driving lights. i am not sure abolt the bolt size. but i think i used blue locktight when i installed the bolts back in with the L-bracket.

reguards

don c.

[atlm]

I had issues removing and reinstalling the original passing lamp button-head bolts that were on mine. The ball end allen wrenches couldn't get enough "bite", and normal allen wrenches were at the wrong angle. I ended up bending a normal allen wrench to get them off, which also worked well to tighten them. Since that felt a bit Mickey Mouse to me, I replaced them with stainless steel allen bolts, with a thin coat of anti-seize on the threads.

 

The stock size is 8mm dia, 1.25 pitch, 35mm long. Ace Hardware had them. Niether Home Depot nor Lowe's (by me) carries stainless steel metric allen head.

 

The bolts go through 2 holes in the bottom of the metal bracket that the fairing bolts to. That bracket is bolted to the top triple clamp, as well. If that bracket wasn't bolted to the top triple clamp straight, the bolt holes for the passing light bracket will not be lined up. That happened to me the first time I disassembled everything to lower the front end. I ended up disassembling everything again, loosening the metal bracket at the upper triple clamp, inserting the passing light bolts (temporarily) to align everything, and re-tightening the bracket at the upper triple clamp. After that, everything was lined up nicely, and the passing lamp bolts go right in by hand.

 

Hope that helps.

[Seaking]

Wow, many thanks M8.. a lot of info there.. should help a lot..

 

The "threaded" part that the bolt goes in, is not actually on the triple tree but that bracket that is BEHIND the triple tree (asking to confirm, still a little confused)

 

The bolt you list, is that for the stock light bar bolt and will is also work for the block?

 

I feel more confident that I will be able to finally get this frikken light bar locked down tight, once and for all!!

 

The way you describe it makes sense for it to be hard to tighten if the shop loosened it all and didn't set it back properly afterwards when they did the wiring fix..

 

many thanks!

[atlm]

I thought the lower fork clamp itself was threaded, but I'm not 100% certain. I don't remember a bracket behind it.

 

Look at the first picture in this thread:

[ame=http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1656]Passing Light Spacer - VentureRider.Org[/ame]

 

The black tabs below the headlight are the bottom of the large bracket that holds the front fairing in place. The gray aluminum fork clamp behind it is threaded (I think). You should have round spacers that go between the black tabs and the passing light bracket.

 

The bolt size I listed is for the passing light bar. For the block, it looks like the countersunk thickness takes the place of the spacers, and the stock bolts should work. In the first picture in the thread above, it shows a normal allen head bolt resting in front of the block, so it looks like that person got rid of the button head bolts, also.

 

I would put some anti-seize on the threads of the bolts you have and see if they can be threaded in by hand, without the passing lights in place (no load on the bolts). That should answer a lot of questions.

 

I'm wondering why a shop would loosen that bracket to look at wiring. The only reason that bracket needs to be removed is to remove the top triple clamp. I'm concerned that your issue might be thread damage from the bolts being cross threaded when installed. That would also make them very difficult to re-install tightly. Again, threading them in by hand, with anti-seize on them, and trying to tighten them down without the light bar blocking your vision of what's going on should give you answers.

[Seaking]

Thanks M8.. I'll have a look at it and be able to confirm what you pointed out..

 

At worse case scenario, I'll arrange a pass through bolt with a nut at the back end if that works.. and mostly likely will Dremel carve a notch at the bottom of the inner / outer fairing to make it easy to access those bolts..

 

Its a shame that such a set up is pooched, much like the VStar oil filter setup requiring you to drop the exhaust.. sigh..

 

I'll get to it after Xmas.. keeping an eye on the weather just to get that last year end ride before deciding to start this task..

 

Thanks again M8

[Seaking]

Alrighty then.. progress report..

 

I did some careful looking around and saw what some other shop had done to destroy my mounts.. though I can't actually say which shop it was but I have my suspicions..

 

Here's what I discovered.. there is a tang that sits in front of the mounting holes that are tapped into the lower triple tree and this metal ain't very sturdy.. at some point, someone had loosened the tangs, which are part of the support frame under the front fairing (that what holds up your radio gear and headlight assy).. when they tightened everything down, the tangs didn't align up properly so anytime someone else tried to put the light bar bolts in, they had to go in at such a precise angle otherwise they would cross thread and munge up the threads on the triple tree.. not the bolt.. Hard to explain but there is a inner shroud under the support structure that impedes the accessing of these bolts which contributed to the disaster I have at hand.. I could most likely take the whole fork assy apart, pull the lower triple tree bracket and have it tapped again to make it all better.. but what a lot of work JUST for that.. nah.. not for me..

 

As previously mentioned, I was then going to simply get longer thinner bolts and pass it through the hole and bolt it from behind but for the life of me, there is no area around here that sells hex insert bolts of that size.. its amazing what you can't get around here..

 

However I found that if I use a 7/16 bolt, I am able to get a thin walled socket into the extension bracket (there's a thread showing the adapter here somewhere).. the adapter bracket brings your light bar forward enough so you never have to remove it to take off your fairing..

 

With the adapter bolted in place with nylon lock nuts, it's not going to go any where.. The light bar itself gets bolted to the adapter with lock washers under the bolt heads and locktite on the bolt threads and this should be the very last time I ever have to worry about a loose light bar again.. NO KIDDING.. eargh.. lol..

 

I had to pull everything apart again tonight only because the 7/16th bolts I used have shanks that are too long for the intended use.. so now that all is apart again, I might take the time and try to get some proper photos of what I'm doing to better explain this..

 

I know a lot of people suffer the loose light bar syndrome and I can see where it's all started from.. dang Yamaha engineers need to work on the bikes they design once in a while..

 

Now I need to find new fairing attachment bolts as well.. someone stripped 4 of the 6 bolts when they had this apart the last time.. at $1 a bolt and $2 for the nylon washers, no wonder they didn't want to replace them.. sheesh..

 

ANYWAY... Ya'll have a great holiday!!

[hillrider]

Seaking - Your post made me feel better. Of the two bolts you mention, one of mine is stripped in the tripletree, and the other is broken. Half still in the tree. Trying to keep from pulling the whole fairing just to drill out the broken one. No joy yet.

[Seaking]

Seaking - Your post made me feel better. Of the two bolts you mention, one of mine is stripped in the tripletree, and the other is broken. Half still in the tree. Trying to keep from pulling the whole fairing just to drill out the broken one. No joy yet.

 

ugh still IN the tree.. yoikes that sucks..

 

have you tried any "easy out" tools? it's like a reverse threaded drill bit that drills into the bolt shank and then slowly engages it backwards to allow you to keep turning it out until it comes all the way out.

 

I took a dremel to the lower part of the shroud to make it easier to get to the bolts.. better alignment..

 

Once you get that busted bolt out, you now know how to remedy the problem.. it might even be worth your while to go to a local machine shop and ask a machinist there if he's able to make a house call to come tackle your broken bolt... might cost you some coins but it would be all the better than having the front end taken apart..

[hillrider]

The dremel tip is a good idea. The problem right now is the small titanium bit is too short for the drill to get to the tree. If i ever get the hole started, I've got some left handed bits to try to back it out with. Failing that Three different styles of easyouts. First - get a hole in the bolt.

[Seaking]

The dremel tip is a good idea. The problem right now is the small titanium bit is too short for the drill to get to the tree. If i ever get the hole started, I've got some left handed bits to try to back it out with. Failing that Three different styles of easyouts. First - get a hole in the bolt.

 

Hence why it might be best to get a hold of a traveling machinist who would have all the right tool for all the weirdest of jobs.. I chatted with a buddy who is a machinist and explained to him your dilemma and he said it's a doable job.. as long as the guy has the right tools.. Start calling around.. you'd be surprised.. and it would most likely be worth your while.. *I* certainly wouldn't try it on my own in there.. too much of a mess lol..

 

However, I got my light bar done today and will be starting a new thread with pics.. w00t

[hillrider]

Finally got it. Last trick was to use dremel to cut slot in back of bolt. Use offset screwdriver to run bolt far enough through to grab with small channel locks. (I've got a pair 6" long with 1/2" jaws)

[Seaking]

Finally got it. Last trick was to use dremel to cut slot in back of bolt. Use offset screwdriver to run bolt far enough through to grab with small channel locks. (I've got a pair 6" long with 1/2" jaws)

 

When there is a will, there is a way =)

 

Good on ya M8