And today's stupid question goes to......me! Starting to go over my recently purchased 748R and finding a few things to do. Today's job is replacing the black fairing fittings with gold/yellow zinc ones, more original which is the look I am going for. The daft question is; what size are the wing mirror bolts? I have tried a 3mm allen (too small) and a 4mm (too big), also various torx bits. None see to fit. I am guessing they are a 3.5mm allen (hex) head - can anyone confirm? TIA.
If you mean the shear bolts I'm pretty sure that standard ones needed a 4mm allen key but if they've been off a few times the heads do tend to get burred up as the bolt is only brass.
As above. If they are rounded off then try hammering a slightly larger torx bit in and carefully undoing them. Make sure to buy some replacement bolts and have them at the ready. I also used to use copaslip on the thread and only do them up to just above finger tight.
Thank you all very much @Hughdg @XH558 @Birdie @RickyX and @cookster (for agreeing!). I do fear that the bolts have been rounded off in previous times. One does appear to be a 4mm (albeit a little butchered), the other I am pretty sure is a 3.5mm which is odd and a very unusual size if I am right. I have ordered a 3.5 allen key and will proceed with due caution AFTER I have sourced replacements (thanks to RickyX). If the Allen keys don't work I will try a larger torx or a dremel slot. I hope this is not a Paul Phillips sprocket moment in the making!!!
Any dealer should have them in stock (not cheap) as they break at the slightest provocation, knocked one of my mirrors off the SPS getting it out of the house the other week. The bolt is designed to break and leave a stub protruding from where it goes into the mirror which in most cases can be unscrewed with your fingers. Shouldn't be any need for risking damage to the fairing support or worse trying to use a dremel.
I have just replaced mine with stainless, if you do come off the least of your worries is a new mirror, when I had an off it pulled the threaded insert out of the mirror and no other damage to it, just glued it back in with epoxy adhesive. Steve
EJ i confess to having bought a couple of those pesky shear bolts when we met at on yer bike a few weeks back. get a few of them as they are quite fragile. i managed to break mine walking past the bike and brushing past the mirror whilst it was on stands in the garage!
I am going to stick with standard as my plan is to get the bike as standard looking as possible - mainly fixtures. A trip to the zinc platers is on the cards come winter. I think I can (just about) afford the money for the exorbitant bolts. I enquired about the screen / fairing screws if you thought £4 - £5 is expensive - gulp!
I'm puzzled also ... but more as to why they were specified in the first place ? There are lots of engineering situations where a "sacrificial" component is used to confine damage to one area , but I don't get it in this case .... ..... I'm probably missing something obvious ...
Guess if the bolt didn't break it would be a lottery as to whether you damaged/broke the mirror, fairing support or the fairing itself. I've managed to knock a mirror off 4 or 5 times over the last 17 years of owning the 916 style of bike but it has always been the bolt that has broke and never the more expensive or unobtainable parts.
All sorted. 2 new brass bolts secured. One original is ok for reuse, one is knackered. 3mm by the way. Thanks again all. Richard
If you chuck the bike down the road,saving a mirror isnt going to be my first priority.I cant really see the point in having them in the first place.I just cant visualise a situation where they may be of use.But thats me.Each to their own.
When I had the std mirrors on and needed some new bolts, I bought a 200mm length of threaded brass bar instead with brass dome nuts to finish it off. Might have helped save the fairing stays in case of an off.
When I had my 999 the mirror break bolts had been replaced by stansrad stainless ones. When the bike fell over once (uneven ground/stupidly short side stand) it smashed the f+ck out of the mirror frame. They are a good sacrificial part to have
