the 12 little header bolts

[scarylarry]

any tips for those little pain in the asses...had leak there after storage this winter...cranked em down best I could and no more leaks, but the gaskets should definetly go...don't want to spend days getting those bolts off and on

[3W-lonerider]

go to sears and get yourself a 10mm swivel socket. not a socket and swivel seperate but the one made as 1 peice..works wonders..and it's 1/4 drive, this does the trick for me.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00943196000P?prdNo=9

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Keep them wet a day or two before you plan to remove with WD-40 or other penetrate....A swivel socket and extension is your friend  

[hubcapsc]

I get them off with this low profile curved wrench...



... cranked em down best I could ...

I think those studs might break off easy... I took my mufflers on and off
a bunch of times when I first got my bike, and was always careful/lucky...

I wonder if it works to use anti-seize on something that gets so hot?

-Mike

[eric in md]

yep anti sezee is great stuff .. put on all the bolts and screws on my bike .. fairing screws , pipe hangers, exhaust studs, every bolt that a remove i put some on . it dont take much to save you lots of problems 

[Patrick]

Generally getting them off isn't the problem,but, if you find a stubborn one a little heat should take care of it.. Those copper rings can be a bit stubborn, try not to scratch the ports/sealing surface too badly.. I prefer the aftermarket/fiber gaskets[Viking, I think they are].. If the stud threads are rusty, just chase the threads before reinstalling the exhaust.. Just snug the nuts, which means very lightly tightened.. I tighten from inside out and go over them several times, repeat a couple times after several rides.. They're not hard to get at and I just use a short wrench, but, a wobble socket is a good investment.. The key is to not get 'heavy-handed' as these little studs seem to be made out of lead and twist off quite easily..

[Jess from VA]

If I'm not mistaken the torque value for header bolts is only 7lbs.

[YoungPUP]

Get a GOOD set of kevlar sleeves, and back them off when the motor is hot, also for removing the stock metal gaskets, sharpen a small screwdriver to a fine edge, and use it to slide under the gaskets, and then pry them out.

[franco6]

If I'm not mistaken the torque value for header bolts is only 7lbs.

xactly ,any more and you ll soon have striped threads in your head

[Ricky-D]

I'm sure everyone on this thread realize the "bolt" that is being discussed is actually a stud.

If when looking at the underside of the heads bolts are present, then something has been changed and it should be restored back to the stock configuration.

The stock studs are perfectly engineered, specifically to avoid breaking off the actual stud part that is threaded into the head and additionally to avoid stripping the threads out of the aluminum heads.

Some have tried to avoid replacing the studs by employing bolts and reaming the exhaust pipe flange bracket to allow the use of bolts.

Talk about retro-engineering and you will find this is a great example of the worst practice.

Jus sayin'

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