Removing rear windshield bracket allen head bolts

[macx]

After a lot of struggling, most of it futile, to get those out, I finally decided to get the right tool once and for all.
Any 3/8" drive sockets or swivels or anything is just too big to fit in that area.

I had gotten the long shank ball end allen wrench set but the L end of it kept getting in the way of turning it and I couldn't
get any real torque on it.

I already had a 1/4" drive ratchet and extensions so went to sears and got a good quality 6mm 1/4" hex drive socket.
There's just enuf room alongside the headlite bracket to get it in the head of the bolt and add a couple 4" extensions to get the
ratchet straight down below it with the handle just under the forward edge of the gas tank & oil coolers.

By turning the handlebars the opposite direction to open up the access space to that bolt, I was able to get a regular short 6mm
allen wrench on it with just enough room to turn it to break the bolt loose. Then I used the 1/4" drive setup to turn it out and then
back in to reinstall it, going back to the regular allen wrench to get that last little bit of torque on the bolt, of course using a
dab of blue loctite.

Now the only remaining aggravation is getting the bolt started when installing it.

I'm spacing the bracket down about 1/2" with flat washers to lower the CalSci windshield a little and reduce the excessive amount of airflow under the leading edge, so got the longer bolts I needed at Lowes - a 30mm long 8x1.25 regular capscrew with a 13mm hex head. There is plenty room to get a 1/4" drive socket on that bolt.

To turn that in I also got a 13mm 1/4" drive swivel socket while I was at Sears.

I've got the B&W "tall touring" bracket with the long center bolt, so had to get a 90mm long 8x1.25 bolt to lower that also. Hard to find, but you can get them online either thru McMaster Carr (however only in 10 packs) or Fastenal (you have to set up an account). The standard bolt is a 70mm long bolt. You can also use a regular hex head bolt there - fairly easy to get a 13mm swivel socket on it using a couple extensions. Easier than lining up a hex or star bit to get into the head of that bolt.

Bottom line - do not get a CalSci windshield! Too much airflow under the leading edge, too much airflow thru the cutouts, and not much reduction in buffeting on the helmet even with the tallest shield. Probly cuz it's just too narrow at the top.

Not to mention the expensive B&W tall touring bracket required, the fact the windshield doesn't fit the bracket without flexing the windshield or, better, hogging out the mounting holes, and at least on my bike the bracket isn't sturdy enough to hold the windshield from flopping all over. One of the rear mounting ears on my new $100 bracket broke off within a couple hundred miles from the flexing. That's why I had to remove that pesky bracket again, to weld up & reinforce the bracket and add some bracing from additional mounting points at the forward mount points to get more triangulation to keep it from flexing and breaking again.

Altogether a totally unsatisfactory purchase. But for now I've got so much invested in it I'm going to do what I can with it. After getting it to fit properly, including "massaging" the bracket also, it isn't worth what it would cost just to ship it someplace, let alone the over $300 investment I have in it. But some day, when I get sufficiently disgusted with it, that whole mess will go in the trash and I'll start over.

[Dr. Strangelove]

a little OT

I had the long ball head hex wrench and faced the L being too long--I cut it to make it work then used a small, can't remember the size--box wrench to tun it.

Slow going but it worked.

[macx]

The allen wrench would be a 6mm, so the wrench you'd use to turn it would be, too.

I had stopped at good ol Harbor Freight and bought a set of those ball end long allen
wrenches (already had a set of non-ball end) but didn't want to cut it.

So - spent a few bucks for the 1/4" drive 6mm allen socket and it worked sooo nice.

All those bolts are being replaced with hex head so I can work them with that 13mm
swivel socket. Plenty room for the hex head bolt and the 14" drive socket on it and,
with a couple extensions, is just about a piece of cake - well worth the few bucks
for those 1/4 drive tools.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Doh!
of course, it would be 6mm

[frankc]

A timely post. I took the bike out today and noticed the windshield shaking a bit on the right side. At then next traffic light I inspected the mount and the rear attachment point was loose. It looked like it was going to be tough to get at in order to tighten the allen bolt, but now I know what to do - thanks!

Frank

[DJ Downunder]

It's easy once you know how.. and have done it a few times.

I changed the long standard bolts for shorter ones.. They don't need to be that long.

Hope these pics help.

David

[rsperko]

Are those rear bolts load-bearing? I took my windshield off and tried to put in shorter bolts, but one is not going in all the way. The other did just fine, same length. I don't want to force it, but I don't want to remove it if it is required. Are these bolts just for holding on the bracket or do they hold something else together too?

Thank you,
-Rick

[Airman]

Are those rear bolts load-bearing? I took my windshield off and tried to put in shorter bolts, but one is not going in all the way. The other did just fine, same length. I don't want to force it, but I don't want to remove it if it is required. Are these bolts just for holding on the bracket or do they hold something else together too?

Thank you,
-Rick

They just hold the windsheild mounts. I use a long T-handled ball end allen wrench for this I was tempted to use blue lock-tite on it, but if you strip the head you're in serious trouble. You know, like taking the triple tree off. This is one of those jobs where if the wrench slips, you need to step away from the motorcycle for a bit and access what you're doing wrong.