[greggers]

How do I remove one of the exhaust header studs in the cylinder? One of them, er, broke... 

(Lesson for me: pay more attention to the lock nut on the torque wrench...)

[TWinOKC]

If you are lucky and there is some of the stud sticking out = WD40 and vise grips to unscrew it, otherwise very carefully drill the center of the stud and use an "easy out" to remove it.

Push come to shove -    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OULe_J7OlmA

Best of luck to you

  

[greggers]

Picked up some bolt extractor sockets, was able to get it out with one of those. I didn't know such things existed before, but I should have known I'm not the first dummy to do something like this. I'm just glad I didn't have to do what was in that video! The threaded part broke just outside the smoothed part (technical terms...), so I was able to use a slightly larger socket and get it out alright

[Andy]

Push come to shove -    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OULe_J7OlmA 

Wow.  He'd rather break off a fin than take the engine out of the frame to get access? 

[Ducati Scotty]

Expediency.  And that looks like a Honda Rebel, so nothing too collectible was damaged.

Scott

[Andy]

Expediency  Laziness.  And that looks like a Honda Rebel, so nothing too collectible was damaged.

Scott

Fixed.   

[Ducati Scotty]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other BUT expediency is a better word to use when your boss asks

[greggers]

So in the process of looking at fixing this, a couple questions have arisen:

1) Since the header gasket is going to be sitting somewhat exposed until I get a new stud, should I replace that as well? It's white and flaky as people have mentioned before, doesn't show any specific damage but I don't know what the material is, if it needs to stay sealed.

2) The finned bracket that holds the header on, in looking at it I realized it never sat flush to both sides of the cylinder. The top bolt closer to the outside on the right was flush, but the lower one on the inside was raised off by about 1/2" or so, with some of the threaded part of the stud showing. It looks like the bracket on the side that broke (due to over tightening of course) is also bent inward a bit now, so I'm not sure I could make it site flush at all. Is it supposed to sit right against the cylinder on both sides?