Author Topic: Front disc removal?  (Read 1916 times)

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Silverback

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on: November 24, 2021, 04:52:03 am
Anyone have tips on how to remove the front disc from disc plate?  I dont know what they put them  on with but they are not budging. I am going to try heat gun to try to soften up any adhesive.   Those 6mm allen screws might get buggered up if i put too much torque on them.
2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.


Ove

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Reply #1 on: November 24, 2021, 10:02:05 am
My rear disc had loctite (or similar) on them from the factory. So that's probably what you're up against.  Heat should break it down, try a few expansion, contraction cycles.


Richard230

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Reply #2 on: November 24, 2021, 02:22:51 pm
I replaced the front disc on my 2011 Bullet last month. It was a real bear removing the retaining screws. There was no hint of any adhesive. I tried a propane torch but it didn't help. I was able to remove two of the six screws without screwing up the hex depressions, but the rest of the screws became buggered up and they still wouldn't loosen. I finally resorted to cutting a vertical slot into the top of the screws with a Dremel tool and then cut a horizontal slot to make two wedges in the top of the screws. I then used a hammer and a chisel to turn them bit by bit and they finally loosened and followed that up by turning with a pair of locking pliers.

Then it was a hassle to find new screws that had a low enough dome so that it would not hit the brake caliper carrier when the wheel was rotated. At the time that I tried to order the screws the were out of stock at Hitchcocks and I finally ordered them from the UK RE importer at a huge cost of around 15 pounds for the screws and another 27 pounds for shipping to the U.S. And then it took 3 weeks to arrive as they had to special order them from India.  :o

In the meantime, I found a suitable set of stainless steel metric screws at a local hardware store for about $1.50 USD each. They turned out to be the right size but their domes had to be ground down in order not to hit the caliper carrier. Eventually the correct screws arrived and I replaced the hardware store screws with those. I might add that the screws fit very tightly and I coated them with anti-seize compound in the hopes of making them easier to remove in the future.
2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM Duke 390, 2002 Yamaha FZ1


Silverback

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Reply #3 on: November 24, 2021, 05:46:28 pm
Wow just wow!  Never been up against something like this on a bike before.  Oh well i guess i will be apending extra time in the garage today.    Thanks for the heads up.
2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.


AzCal Retred

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Reply #4 on: November 24, 2021, 07:01:41 pm
Parts like this are a corporate liability concern for RE, so it's understandable they wouldn't be too anxious for you to be "in there", no reason for them to make it easy. Maybe some "Liquid Wrench" penetrant oil might ease the process?
A trifecta of Pre-Unit Bullets: a Red Deluxe 500, a Green Standard 500, and a Black ES 350.


Haggis

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Reply #5 on: November 24, 2021, 09:26:52 pm
Just removed a couple of discs today.
They definitely have a locking agent on them and they were very tight, but they all came loose without too much trouble.
Didn't use any heat or release oil.
Off route, recalculate?


Silverback

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Reply #6 on: November 24, 2021, 09:30:10 pm
Going to get hex socket and try again.  I will hopefully get better leverage.
2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.


Richard230

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Reply #7 on: November 24, 2021, 10:22:57 pm
Parts like this are a corporate liability concern for RE, so it's understandable they wouldn't be too anxious for you to be "in there", no reason for them to make it easy. Maybe some "Liquid Wrench" penetrant oil might ease the process?

Not only did I use liquid wrench but I also tried Mouse Milk that a pilot gave to me a couple of years ago and a lot of tapping. I even tried using a hammer driven impact driver after letting the lubricant sit for a few days. Nothing worked, but then the screws were installed at the factory 10 years ago and had been exposed to the elements during that time so there was some corrosion on their ends facing the wheel.
2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM Duke 390, 2002 Yamaha FZ1


Ove

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Reply #8 on: November 24, 2021, 11:16:55 pm
That might not have been corrosion.  I had a white residue on the threads, which was the thread lock. I was unable to remove the first two bolts, so I just used a paint stripper on its low setting in 3 bursts of a few minutes with an hour or so in between (to cool) and they reluctantly gave up. Use good long handle Allen keys. I use the T-bar type, using the short end in the head and the long shaft in hand for leverage. The wheel was off the bike and flat on the floor, held by my feet!


Silverback

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Reply #9 on: November 25, 2021, 04:24:20 am
First off thank's for all hiw replied.


My is a 2012 classic . Ni corrosion but atuck in there.

There was some white sealant in the threads.

The 6mm hex socket and 2 foot breaker bar did the trick.

They came off easy.

Problem was the two heads i had tried with regular Allen wrenches were buggered up.

Ugh!!!!  Tried your chisel idea but i was too impatient.

Whipped out the harbor freight counter top drill press and put three passes thru center of screws.   Going just a bit lager each time.

Then i tapped in one if those bolt extractor and backed them both out without incedent.

First time that bolt extractor worked. Lol...

Now i just need two screws or i may just settle for the hardware screws with heads slightly ground to clear forks and brake caliper.

Thanks all

2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.


tooseevee

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Reply #10 on: November 25, 2021, 11:55:34 am
Wow just wow!  Never been up against something like this on a bike before.  Oh well i guess i will be apending extra time in the garage today.    Thanks for the heads up.

           Sounds like the same stuff they used on the male threaded nipple that was in the gas tank bung of my '08 AVL. The (crappy OEM) petcock screwed onto this nipple. No amount of torture would free this nipple. I even found a bolt that fit inside so that my best Vice Grips could clamp down on it without it just collapsing. With a strong young neighbor holding the well wrapped & taped tank, I hammered on the seriously clamped down Vice Grips until I finally threw in the towel.

           That's when I ordered the correct self-centering drill and tap, cut the nipple off flush with the bung, drilled the nipple out & rethreaded the whole bloody thing. 

           Whatever the stuff is, it's very seriously permanent.
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Bilgemaster

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Reply #11 on: November 25, 2021, 08:50:48 pm
'Richard230' had mentioned trying a "hammer driven impact driver" for this task without success, but I am wondering if the persistent tappity-whack of one of those impact drill-drivers or wrenches, whether pneumatic or electric, might not have been the tool for this job?

A couple of years ago I picked up a tiny ΒΌ" hex drive 18V DrillMaster closeout one at a Harbor Freight Sidewalk Sale for like $5, chiefly because it shared the same battery type as my cheapo but perfectly acceptable drill for my modest needs, and while I question whether that particular Tyrion Lannister of cordless impact drivers might have been up to the task with its fairly anemic 320 inch-pounds of wallop, surely its heftier cousins might have sufficed, perhaps with a bit of added heat?

For what it's worth, attached for ready reference is an image of the box my miniscule and now discontinued model of cordless impact drivers came in showing various details. It may not be the droid you're looking for, but a beefier one like one of these electric ones sorted by price might be: https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/impact-wrenches.html?category=2104&order=price-low

« Last Edit: November 25, 2021, 10:43:42 pm by Bilgemaster »
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Richard230

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Reply #12 on: November 25, 2021, 11:53:36 pm
I also tried an electric drill impact driver attachment and that didn't work either. Eventually, all of those methods only served to round out the hex depressions in the pot-metal securing screws.  :(
2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM Duke 390, 2002 Yamaha FZ1


Silverback

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Reply #13 on: November 26, 2021, 06:48:16 am
The 6mm socket snd breaker bsr was super easy.  Wish i would have done it first.  I had the screws that weren't buggered by my initial effort off in about 5 minutes.
Well worth the 5 dollar price for the socket.

2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.


Silverback

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Reply #14 on: December 11, 2021, 02:59:06 am
I was able to get new allen head screws from the local industrial nut and bolt place. Sweet!! 
2011 uce classic 500,  carb converted and trails bars.