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Stuck linkage bolt

cWj

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mynameisnotslimshady
Hello, BanditFriends. Silly question time.

So, I was hearing a squeak when I bounced the suspension and decided to get a look at and re-grease all the swing arm & suspension bearings.

All of them came off fairly easily (once I could get around fun obstacles like exhaust pipes, with the exception of the bolt on the lower linkage that connects to the dog bones.

It will NOT loosen. While on the bike, the bolt head was starting round. I finally removed the linkage with the bones still on to get some extra purchase with breaker bars and cracked a-not-exactly-cheap socket head in the process.

Suzuki didn't use a reversed thread here, did they? Are these bolts Loctited from the factory? This is my first time touching these bolts, but I got the bike used. I guess someone else could have overtightened it...I did notice it was the only bolt with the head pointed to the right side of the bike.

I've had the bike since 8300 miles and it's at 35000 or so, but it is usually inside.

At this point I'm ready to just find another linkage on eBay.
 
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I would heat it up with hot air gun. Mat have red thread-lock on it, I can't remember how hot it has to get to release. 150deg ?
 
You want to heat the nut, or if the linkage itself is threaded heat the threaded part you want the nut to expand slightly from the heat making the bolt easier to remove
 
Tried a heat gun to no avail. Gave up and took it to a local Lube and Rotate place. A tech there did what I would have done had I the implements: put it in a vise and hit the nut with the impact gun. The bolt head got chewed up, but I had already rounded it so no big deal. They also didn't charge me anything (the tech: 'I know how screwed up working on motorcycles can be').

Thanks for the tips, all the same. I want to learn some welding so I probably need to get a torch anyway.
 
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Tried a heat gun to no avail. Gave up and took it to a local Lube and Rotate place. He did what I wanted to do had I the implements: put it in a vise and hit it with the impact gun. The bolt head got chewed up, but I had already rounded it so no big deal. They also didn't charge me anything (the tech: 'I know how screwed up working on motorcycles can be').

Thanks for the tips, all the same. I want to learn some welding so I probably need to get a torch anyway.
Just a silly question we’re ya using quality metric tools
 
Glad you got it.
 
Just a silly question we’re ya using quality metric tools

It's my 24-yr-old 96-piece Craftsman set. I guess it's not Snap-On, but I've never had a problem with it before. I'd say tool choice/availability and tool user were the mitigating issues. That nut, as I suspected, was threadlocked on.
 
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Never had any problem with fasteners Kroil or Knock r loose worked every time on my 01 b 12😜

Do either of those work on industrial strength thread goop?
 
I agree on the brand of tools not being the problem. Just so it was the right size. But, seems the damage was done before attacking the threadlock problem. But, in my 60 plus years of wrenching, a lot of live and learn appeared through the years of bicycle, motorcycle, truck , car, drilling rigs and production equipment mechanical career.
Did take all the suspension apart on my '07 1250S Bandit at 60K miles with no problem several years back. Drilled holes and tapped and put grease zerts in all of it. Now at over 100K actual and still lovin it.
Keep on keeping on.
 
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