Biggest PITA Job?

gatdammit · Oct 16, 2020

Just wanted to put a fun poll out there for worst screw, bolt, nut, fastener, procedure, etc. that you DIY fans have come across. I recently found mine, and I've all but take the friggin' motor out of this pig.

The swingarm-side bolt for rear wheel hugger. My god, what a frustrating little M6 chore. Just a simple and common hex head of three total that hold the rear hugger in place. However, the wheel/ tire impedance make it so you can't put a T-handle on it. So, simple Allen wrench, right? Wrong. The clearance from said tire fools you into starting the removal, only to eventually butt up against the tire and almost start a fire from the friction. Oh, and you have to bend the hugger over the swingarm just to get the Allen on the hex stud, and keep it there while you swing the wrench maybe 20 degrees because the hugger only bends so far. Finally, for you older gents and ladies, being bent over with a Michelin in your chest while you braille the bolt because you have a subframe in your face and the rear hugger blocking the rest of your vision is just totes funzies. I seriously contemplated taking the entire wheel off for this stupid piece of plastic that doesn't even keep water from spraying up my back...

Discuss.

Motosapien · Oct 17, 2020

I am trying to visualise a scene doing this! Simple things completely complicated. Most essential chores made into a means to make owner go to the service station to do the job! Margin is spares and service

Relax · Oct 25, 2020

I would have just removed the wheel for the few extra minutes it takes if it was that frustrating. Luckily I haven't had to do much work on mine, so the worst I have come across is removing the front calipers without scratching the rims. I don't know why every video I've watched shows them coming right off, but I had to squeeze the calipers with my hands to retract the inside pistons before I had enough clearance to wiggle them between the rotors and the rim. And that's with fairly worn pads. I can't imagine how I would get new pads on.

gatdammit · Oct 25, 2020

Having removed the rear wheel, not worth it. Chain, rear caliper, high torque...sucks.

If you think that front brake job sucks, my #2 worst job would have to be bleeding the rear caliper. Spent days trying to get the air out. Plagued a lot of members.

Relax · Oct 25, 2020

gatdammit said:
Having removed the rear wheel, not worth it. Chain, rear caliper, high torque...sucks.

If you think that front brake job sucks, my #2 worst job would have to be bleeding the rear caliper. Spent days trying to get the air out. Plagued a lot of members.

Rear wheel removal is just the one nut, nothing else gets disturbed. I was able to apply the correct torque by just having my foot on the rear brake with the bike on the center stand. There are two published torque settings, the lower one is the one you need. I can see big problems trying to achieve the higher one.

Bleeding the rear brake does takes a little longer than the front, but not enough to cause any issues for me.

mentalist · Oct 26, 2020

I removed my rear hugger the other month because i was using a taller tyre for a trackday and wanted to use tyre warmers, I snapped the little bolt in the center of the swingarm next to the shock bolt!!
After the trackday I fitted my center stand, removed the rear wheel, removed the lower shock to swingarm bolt. This enabled me to lower the swingarm just enough to get my air drill in and drill out the little ba@~td, re-tapped and managed to re-fit the hugger, didn't take all that long to be fair.

nickwst4 · Oct 26, 2020

Relax said:
I would have just removed the wheel for the few extra minutes it takes if it was that frustrating. Luckily I haven't had to do much work on mine, so the worst I have come across is removing the front calipers without scratching the rims. I don't know why every video I've watched shows them coming right off, but I had to squeeze the calipers with my hands to retract the inside pistons before I had enough clearance to wiggle them between the rotors and the rim. And that's with fairly worn pads. I can't imagine how I would get new pads on.

My method works every time, so long as the pistons aren't seized: unbolt the calipers from the fork legs with the pads still in, and then twist them sideways against the discs. This forces the pistons in and you should have plenty of clearance to slip the calipers off the disc and past the rim. The force required is nowhere near sufficient to warp the disc.

Nick

N4teTheGreat · Oct 27, 2020

I'm still angry about this one bolt when I was swapping out my airbox lid. I haven't pulled the rear wheel or tried to bleed the rear brake yet but the fluid is looking pretty dark, so I'm about due.

gatdammit · Oct 28, 2020

Ya, those airbox bolts suck. Similar to the headlight housing. Machine screws and plastic rarely last multiple breakdowns.

N4teTheGreat · Oct 28, 2020

Headlight ones are awesome in comparison, but also annoying. I could only get like 1/16 of a turn before I had to reset the tool in this tight space, I think it took my longer to get that bolt in and out than it did to fumble with the tank.

gatdammit · Oct 29, 2020

You wanna get really mad, watch a video of airbox access/ tank removal on a Monster 821...criminal what they did on this bike.

N4teTheGreat · Oct 29, 2020

Fully aware and I often wonder why they couldn't have done that for the Hyper. I suppose having more of the tank in the frame instead of sitting on top of it makes sense given how tall the bike is, but damn. I dread the 6k from now when I'll need to clean my sprinter filter...

Biggest PITA Job?

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