This one caught me off guard completely, I’ll be honest…When working on older bikes I always expect to find some rusty seized bolts here and there – it’s just part of it! And to be honest, very last project (as it happened to be 23 year old DRZ400) was not that bad as from what i have seen taking it apart, previous owner did a good job greasing all the stuff that had to be grease (well at least most of the bolts with copper grease)…
Apart from this one… And no it’s not a dreaded swing arm pivot bolt (that one came out super easy, thank you for asking), it was probably something even worse than that!
A bolt that holds linkage attached to the frame, and no, the bearing was fine (well not fine, but it was spinning), the bolt seized inside of the inner race of the needle bearing, and obviously there was no way of getting it out…
Did I mention that the access to it was blocked by the frame? Yeah, so hammering was not an option…
Day after day I was trying to heat up that linkage with a torch, dripping some oil inside in hopes that it would penetrate deep enough to loosen it up… eventually it moved a bit and then got stuck…
In the end, it had to be chopped off by a mighty saw and obviously a new bolt ordered – and a tenner for a freaking bolt is quite a bit I would say!
So here we go, ladies and gentleman – grease your bolts! (and if wondering what grease to use check below or go straight to this post: “What grease to use on your motorcycle?” )
Explore More!
A list of posts about Bike Maintenance and General Modifications that might be Interesting to know!
General Modifications:
- Throttle Tamer Mods (4 ways to tame your horse!)
- Projector headlight conversion from right side road traffic to left and vice versa.
- How to make your own Exhaust or how to modify an existing one.
- Power Commander (PCV) and Thoughts on it.
- Brake Snake / Pedal Anchor – why and how!
- Lighter Clutch Mods:
- How to make motorcycles Cable Clutch lighter! (Part 1/3)
- Cheap ways to make your motorcycles clutch lighter! (Part 2/3)
- How to make a Hydraulic clutch lighter on your motorcycle! (Part 3/3)
- How to make Custom Clutch or Throttle Cables – Easier than you thought!
- How to make clutch lever lighter (Yamaha XT660Z Tenere Specific)
- Rear Suspension and Drive-Train:
- How to extend the life of Cush-Drive rubbers.
- The dangers of motorcycle lowering links, Important things to know!
- How to swap rear shock spring with no special tools!
- The Best Motorcycle chain lube!
- How to set motorcycle chain slack when suspension is not standard?
- How To Remove Stubborn And Hard To Reach Chain Adjuster Bolt
- The List of Most Useless Adventure Motorcycle Mods And Bling!
- Dangers of the lowering kits (things to know before Lowering your Bike!
Bike Maintenance:
- How to pass MOT the first time – every time!
- How to Maintain your motorcycle Locks (works with all locks!)
- Best Suspension Bearing Grease!
- What grease to use on your motorcycle?
- How to shorten Life of your wheel bearings! (Or what not to do to them!)
- Why should you grease your bolts! (And not only Bearings!)
- What is the best Chain Lube for your motorcycle?
- How to buy used Motorcycle – Free Guide.
