Best way to remove a worn / siezed Allen key bolt is to use a cheap torx bit half size up a beat it in hard !! works 9 times out of ten, drilling out and using easy outs is the next stage but a pain.
I used to think exactly the same and haven't thrown away my Halford's Professional stuff. Snap On just fits better. This is especially true of their Allen sockets - which we use a lot on our bikes. The Halfords stuff is a poor fit and buggers fasteners sooner rather than later whereas the Snap On stuff does not. Handier still if you've a mate in the motor trade than can get any replacements handled for you. Just my 2p that's all.
A little heat works wonders on stuck fasteners. Especially if they have been put in with thread lock. Label up fasteners as you remove them. Bag them, or as I did, line them up on a workbench on to of a length of masking tape and write where they came from underneath. If you remove them and put them in a big pile, you'll be head scratching down the line.
Why? Used it for the first time this weekend on an old side stand, clutch cover, front sproket cover, etc, really manky stuff, and they came up lovely. Only thing i'm not sure on was the gold from the side stand bracket was a slightly funny colour, hence this question. But it may have been a manky colour before i started, just hidden under the grime.
I use Halfords cycle degreaser which is citrus based and is not too strong. For heavier degreasing I use Machine Mart undiluted soluble degreaser, it is meant for use in parts washers but it works very well when used on it's own for smaller parts. For all my big items I use a parts washer but it is very big at 75 litres and costs quite a lot to fill it up and keep it topped up.
Starting to put GSXR back together, learnt: You can never take enough pics. The more little bags with more little notes in the better. Wiring is a bitch. If they could harness the kinetic energy created by a washer landing on a garage floor and exploding to a far flung darkened corner the world's energy crisis would be solved
Hi, renovation is sometimes frustrating, especially when screws have heads that will not respond to Allen keys/spanner or screwdrivers. I am renovating a Yamaha BT 1100 at the moment and last week spent a whole evening trying to remove some rusted in screws that had "welded" themselves to the frame. Failing to get them to move as the heads seemed to be made of peanut butter, I invested in a set of Pro Grabit bits from Screwfix and within ten minutes the offending screws were out ready for new ones to be fitted. Not many things do what they say on the packet, but these are good bits of kit. Follow the instructions, and once the business end bites, put a spanner on the shaft and turn it anti clockwise and the most stubborn item is moved.
Hell, only 3? I go for three per section, 3 for Swingarm, 3 for rear suspension, 3 for front end, and 6 for body work! Then I go back and figure out what's missing. Another trick is to take a piece of thin cardboard (like a shoebox lid with the ends facing up) and poke holes in it with the diagram drawn right on the box. Put the bolts in the holes, this will ensure they get put back in the right location during reassembly.