Wow, got myself in a pickle.

[kawahonda]

Working on my right handlebar on my CT70K0.

The right handlebar came with a broken off stud. I've waited until yesterday in an attempt to extract it. It looked easy enough, I thought.

I let some oil soak through overnight and then I begun.

Vice grips. Nope, that's not working.

Welded a nut on the stud. Broke the stud off even with the surface while trying to turn. OK, great.

Drilled a hole through. Gradually got larger until I was near threads.

Against my better judgement, my friend was over, and he told me to EZ out it. What I tried to tell his ass was that if it didn't come off with a welded nut, it is NOT coming off with an EZ out. Against my better judgement, I did what he said.

Snap...there goes the EZ out tip. This is WHY I like to work alone.

Since then I've been pounding on it. Not sure when/if I should just give up and get some reproduction bars. I would really, really prefer to use my bars, as they are a 8/10 condition and I have no problem using them on a restored bike.

 

[lukelaw1]

Soak the bar in evaporust for a week then try again.

 

[allenp42]

Been there, but not on handle bar stud. EZ outs are harden steel and break up into small pieces if you have a good punch. As long as you don't damage the front side of the bars by tapping, you don't have a lot to lose.

For what it's worth, I have never had success with using an EZ out on these studs. I just had a local guy who is a machinist remove a couple for me. He was sure an easy out with work once he got a hole in the center. He lost the bet. He drilled them out and re-tapped to M8 x 1.25.

 

[69ST]

I'd center punch the end of the stud, then drill it with a carbide bit. You're looking to free the broken EZ-out fragment, so you want a small diameter bit. Should be fairly straightforward to remove the EZ out, once the stud has been drilled through. At that point, you could use a Dremel & small stone to enlarge the hole.

The saving grace in this project is the location of the hole. It can be welded, drilled and re-tapped, leaving no outwardly visible traces. Just wrap the outside of the bar with a wet towel, to ensure that the chrome cannot overheat where the damage would be visible. That "tail" which fits inside the bar camp will be seriously discolored, but who cares? It cannot be seen, in-situ.

Once the hole has been plug-welded, a flat washer can be used to relocate the new hole.

I saved the best for last...

There's a good chance that you will be able to use a Helicoil, or timesert and not have to weld anything. If need be, a shop should charge no more than $25 for an M8 Helicoil...and that, imho, is a tad on the high side.

You're nowhere near screwed on this one.

 

[kawahonda]

My big fear is having to retap oversized which won’t work.

 

[kawahonda]

I'm going to go ahead and drop this off at the machine shop tomorrow. I'll bring a knob with me so they'll know what to set it up for. Should be salvageable!

 

[69ST]

Just fyi...m8 helicoil requires overdrilling the hole for m10 threads of the helicoil. This repair may be beyond your current skill set. Trust me, it's really not a big deal for a machine shop. This should turn out just fine.

 

[hrc200x]

Does the part the bolt broke off in appear to be plug welded into the bar in two places? Could the plug welds be drilled, the round "dowel" part with broke bolt slid out and a new one made or taken from a bent/junk bar and plug welded back into place?

 

[69ST]

There's really no need to make the repair process so involved. The threads need to have normal structural strength and be reasonably centered + perpendicular...that really is good enough.

Most times, drilling the broken end then running a tap through it is completely adequate. First few of these I repaired by welding-in a hex nut. So, a new threaded plug could be machined and welded-in with the original left in place...just drilled for stud clearance. It's just simpler to weld, drill and rethread the hole. It's not even necessary to completely fill the hole first, just get a couple mm of solid metal around the perimeter.

 

[TENACIOUS T]

So here is my theory on why they get like that . Bike tips over - tears a hole in the hand grip - dirt goes in the handle bars - sets in there for 30 years rusting the threads on the bolt ! That's what I found . I might try this trick on the next one , If it broke off flush I would center punch it drill the hole out at least 75% - pound in an Allen wrench and try turning it in . Theory is - your working with clean threads going in - not the rusted threads coming out . Because the hole is a threw hole the stud will just fall out the end of the bars ( that's after you pry the Allen wrench out of the stud ) . Will it work ?

 

[69ST]

So here is my theory on why they get like that . Bike tips over - tears a hole in the hand grip - dirt goes in the handle bars - sets in there for 30 years rusting the threads on the bolt ! That's what I found . I might try this trick on the next one , If it broke off flush I would center punch it drill the hole out at least 75% - pound in an Allen wrench and try turning it in . Theory is - your working with clean threads going in - not the rusted threads coming out . Because the hole is a threw hole the stud will just fall out the end of the bars ( that's after you pry the Allen wrench out of the stud ) . Will it work ?

Most likely, it wouldn't work. There's no need to sacrifice an Allen wrench, there are extractor tools available. The problem is twofold. Small diameter bolts just don't have enough material to work with, in many instances. The bigger issue is the fact that there is both expansion, iron oxide occupies more physical volume than iron...and...the incredible amount of friction (static and dynamic, if the fastener could be broken loose) in the threads. That's why the stud breaks in the first place. The only way a hard-rusted specimen might be broken free would be courtesy of "blue wrench persuasion"; you'd need to heat the threads to bright cherry red and have enough stud for Vise grips. It'd be a fugly mess, there's no way to isolate the heat.

Simplest fix I've found, and it was almost by accident, is to centerpunch the broken end (they usually break off flush), drill it, then run a tap through. That has almost always worked, for me. In those rare instances where it didn't, an M8 Helicoil was all it took.

As for why these get so rusty, what you suggested is possible, for sure. However, IMHO, condensation & 4 decades is the most common cause. Any zinc plating on those threads will go away, if not from normal use, then by doing its job. Once that happens, bare iron/steel rusts quickly. I've got boxes of old handlebars and most of them are surprisingly free of rust...internally. You do make a good & valid point that the design will hold water...kinda like the split rims, an unwanted check valve. Easy enough to prevent this. If you even suspect water is in there, just unscrew the knobs and let everything air dry for a day, or two. Personally, I apply a light coating of antiseize compound; grease should be nearly as effective.

 

[fatcaaat]

Actually there is an interesting point right there. I also use anti-seize when I put them together. But why not, then, also add a heavy squirt of WD40 or your choice of protectant down the tube on assembly and maybe even as part of your maintenance? I guess it might be overkill for well maintained bikes, but it certainly would help prevent any future issues.

 

[kawahonda]

What makes this difficult is the fact that you have 1.5" of threaded bolt broken. That really blows--that's a lot more metal than the average bolt which makes everything more difficult!

fatcaat--you bring up a good point...something that I actually do but not on these. I always put a thin coat of waterproof grease on axles, brake pivot arms, etc. Obviously the axle doesn't move so grease isn't necessary, but, if you've pulled out as many axles as I have...you'll see that it's a prime spot for corrosion...and I live in the high desert where we don't have rusty things. The hope is that thin layer of waterproof grease will help mitigate that.

You could do the same for these handlebar studs as well!

 

[69ST]

Actually there is an interesting point right there. I also use anti-seize when I put them together. But why not, then, also add a heavy squirt of WD40 or your choice of protectant down the tube on assembly and maybe even as part of your maintenance? I guess it might be overkill for well maintained bikes, but it certainly would help prevent any future issues.

I dislike the smell of WD40. It'd be kinda messy in this application. Just unscrewing the knobs a couple of times annually would probably be enough to keep the threads from rusting seriously...unless there's saltwater inside.

 

[kirrbby]

So here is my theory on why they get like that . Bike tips over - tears a hole in the hand grip - dirt goes in the handle bars - sets in there for 30 years rusting the threads on the bolt ! That's what I found . I might try this trick on the next one , If it broke off flush I would center punch it drill the hole out at least 75% - pound in an Allen wrench and try turning it in . Theory is - your working with clean threads going in - not the rusted threads coming out . Because the hole is a threw hole the stud will just fall out the end of the bars ( that's after you pry the Allen wrench out of the stud ) . Will it work ?

I've done a similar thing using both Allen, and torx insert bits...like you use in a screw gun. The torx actually works best.
It might work here. The remaining stud would all have to have threads on it...you couldn't run any unthreaded stud INTO the bar. Also...ime, if you can get the stud to budge...in or out, at all, you can remove it.
Back out a half turn, then back in a half turn, out a full turn, then in a half turn...

Break the rust loose, then screw it into the bar so it can clear out of the threads. Kinda like when you tap new holes. You have to work it back and forth to keep the threads clean and clear of debris.

 

[cjpayne]

I dislike the smell of WD40. It'd be kinda messy in this application. Just unscrewing the knobs a couple of times annually would probably be enough to keep the threads from rusting seriously...unless there's saltwater inside.

You don't like the smell of WD40???? I must be weird then.lol. Actually, my grandfather is the one who introduced me to it when I was a kid. Sometimes when I smell it, it reminds me of working on cars with him. Trying to get a rusty bolt loose, he asked me, "Havent you ever heard of WD40????"===Dumb look from me.lol

I know its too late for this in this instance, but.........
If there is any stud left to get some visegrips on, position the stud upright, heat everything up cherry red, spray with PBblast until it cools and puddles around the stud(LOTS of smoke involved), let it sit awhile, then twist it out. When it cools, it will thermally draw/force the penetrant into the threads.

 

[69ST]

You don't like the smell of WD40???? I must be weird then.lol. Actually, my grandfather is the one who introduced me to it when I was a kid. Sometimes when I smell it, it reminds me of working on cars with him. Trying to get a rusty bolt loose, he asked me, "Havent you ever heard of WD40????"===Dumb look from me.lol

I know its too late for this in this instance, but.........
If there is any stud left to get some visegrips on, position the stud upright, heat everything up cherry red, spray with PBblast until it cools and puddles around the stud(LOTS of smoke involved), let it sit awhile, then twist it out. When it cools, it will thermally draw/force the penetrant into the threads.

WD40, coolant, burnt friction linings, and most of all differential oil top my list of unpleasant mechanical smells.

The point about using the torch is that it's damned near impossible to leave the chrome plating intact. Once the chrome is injured, in a visible location, you're faced with the cost of re-plating.

 

[cjpayne]

WD40, coolant, burnt friction linings, and most of all differential oil top my list of unpleasant mechanical smells.

The point about using the torch is that it's damned near impossible to leave the chrome plating intact. Once the chrome is injured, in a visible location, you're faced with the cost of re-plating.

My least favorite smells are burnt clutches(automotive) and burning automatic tranny fluid. Smells like DOOMED to ever get home.lol

When doing the studs, I just focus heat on the stud entry point, in hopes of not damaging any finishes. Works most the time.

 

[scooter]

Let’s have a little fun with this topic. If you have a bar with a broken stud. Post a before picture for the qualification committee to deem worthy of entry. Follow that up with another picture when you completed the challenge, along with the total time it took you to get it out and a new stud threaded in.

Kowahonda you’re currently on the clock. The committee deemed your bar worthy of entry

 

[kawahonda]

$60+ dollars is what it took for me to remove it.