I also think it's just the head and not the thread. Usually is. I just took some brake calipers apart. I got one out of 8 bolts undone. The rest all rounded off. Drilled off the heads and all 7 bolts came out by hand.
I was just about to launch into a rant.... stuff like this just chuffs me off... all for the sake of 2 bobs worth of never seize applied at the factory.
Aha... have done a google image search and see what you mean Sev... and it is an er... disappointing design. Additionally, is there a lack of mudguard to increase the likely hood of it becoming seized? Is it possible to get radical with it and cut the bolt either side of the shock bottom? And if that fails at least you may be equipped with a suitable mechanical aid to vent your frustration and cut the whole thing into many pieces before hurling them into the nearest canal.
One last thing you could try @terryphukwit is to set the impact wrench to 'do up' rather than 'undo'. Sometimes that can shock it loose ie a quick blast on tighten before trying to loosen it. Mind you, your impact wrench will probably launch the bike into the garage ceiling/wall in a clockwise direction, so stand well back
I’ve just had exactly the same fun with mine! Tried and broke everything you have! Really bad design, crap access, coupled with ferrous and non ferrous material corroding each other, especially when wet. My tie rod bolt was seized in arm aswell. Was changing shock anyway and I found a nicer swingarm for not much money so just replaced both. Still needed to get tie rod off, so took it into work and heated the area on swingarm around bolts with Oxy Acetylene, not much, up to about 150c and quickly impacted both of them off. Had to grind a small hex socket to get it through access hole. Got some new bolts from Rapido and put back together. It’s worth taking the swingarm out to grease the axle, had to knock mine out all the way and was “dry as a nuns c…!”
Just caught up with this thread, bringing flash back of my last Christmas vacation, spent going through the exact same thing on a 996. Soaking, heating, broken tools, drilled and finally cut to free the shock! I have also a 848 and told myself it will need the same sort of treatment one of those days! As for the “as dry as a nun’s c”… prefect description on my top linkage!
I get the feeling these bikes need taking apart and maintaining a lot, I have a new arm that Sev donated, I have a replacement shock but may go Ohlins now, I have new bolts and can now see why they seize in there. Just need some time to strip it all out now.
Terry, completely right there! That was a new to me 996 with one previous owner and a good service history… but not the rocker arm! That thing never saw grease or oil… and to be dry like that it must have been missed at the factory!!! So I am taking a brave pill and will take the 848 (that I have owned from new) appart, and grease everything that is still okay and replace the rest! Your post will then become very handy!!!
Well .....I removed mine (1200 multi) ..came out ok ... used ceramic grease ...had a bit of a struggle getting shock to align ....so I removed top bolt ...luckily easy to get to ....hard to tell what's happening still when re fitting bottom bolt but all ok. Had to compress shock to get top bolt back in ....but better messing with that bolt than trying to align the troublesome bottom bolt. Applied gorilla tape patch over the bore on the swingarm ...I already had one on and it's remained (very).stuck was hard to get off ...needed heat and solvent.
Hi, Im back from the TT and ready to get on with this, did have an issue with the regulator, luckily only 10 miles from home so managed to get home and quickly swap the one out of the monster. Anyway bike is in the air and ready to be torn apart, I have ordered a 46mm socket which I was sure I had, an 85nmm spring, and a new chain link. As soon as the socket arrives im on it..
So today was strip out day, got my neighbour round to sit on the bike so I could undo the rear wheel, broke a Snap On ratchet and a 900 long breaker bar, is now booked in at the local bus garage to undo the nut, bike really does not want to come apart..
