Welshman

Work & work / life balance stuff. Living in the countryside instead of the 'burbs, closer to grandparents etc....
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What's not to like! I've already asked San if we're going to meet up for a ride out this year. He said he needs to get his bike fired up first.

euan

Finally got out for a couple of hours today - first time since Sept/Oct.

Knee holding up OK

Bike seemed rather reluctant after I stalled it while stopping to work out exactly where I had got lost - this has happened in the past, although I had been pootling gently along a single track road with heated seat and grips on, which can;t have helped the battery.

Surprisingly few bikers about given it was dry

Shiskine

Oldies like Welshman will be thinking, "if only" ...

Man sues BMW, alleging motorcycle seat gave him two-year erection

Welshman

I think it was a custom Corbin seat - the missus ordered me one as soon as she saw the story

Nottm_S2

I'd need water wings to ride mine atm

I run down by the river Trent and its very close to bursting its banks currently..

Even the S is hibernating

euan

Anyone ever heard of wheel bolts being overtightened to such an extent that they could not be removed?

I took my K1300GT in for a service last week and they can't remove the rear wheel, they say because the bolts have been overtightened.

They have tried heat, release fluid, and have now started to drill them out

The risk of further damage is quite high, and thus expensive.

It was an independent fitter that last did anything on the wheels when new tyres were fitted in September. Trouble is, this fitter is 50 miles from the BMW dealer where my bike is, and he claims it is impossible to overtighten bolts.

I'm not sure who to believe, but either way it is going to cost me a lot of money and cause a lot of grief resolving it.

Not sure what to do really.

Welshman

I haven't heard of this happening before but of course you can overtighten a bolt - why does the manufacturer give you a torque setting for each bolt - which is - I think - 60nm for the rear wheel bolts.

What I find surprising is that they can't be removed using conventional means. I'd be interested to know what they find when they've got them off.

euan

Yep, 60 Nm is what the Motorrad technician said,( who thinks an air gun was used to put them on, hence the difficulty getting them off.)

They got one out, then drilled the head off another, which leaves 3 stuck - I either get the bike taken in a van to the tyre fitter (which would cost c £60 as it's 60 odd miles away), or ask Motorrad to drill out the remaining bolts.

The risk is that the overtightening and/or the drilling out damages the soft alloy wheel (which is £500 to replace) and/or the drilling damages the carrier which the wheel bolts on to.

I am wondering whether I should commission an independent inspection, but not sure what that would identify at this stage, or how useful it would be - legally speaking, I expect I would have to give the fitter a chance to remove the stuck bolts first before making a claim.

The independent would want me to get the bike back to him to remove the 3 remaining bolts, but aside from the transport cost, if he also has to resort to drilling them out and damages stuff it is more argy bargy about whose fault that is.

It's not the only cock up by the fitter - they also replaced a front spacer incorrectly meaning the ABS sensor has been rubbing on the wheel ring which has worn a few mms off it - this will therefore need replaced.

Welshman

Been thinking. Can't the Beemer garage work out what the bolts were torqued up to? If you progressively increase the setting on the torque wrench i.e start at 60Nm where the wrench should "click" to indicate that at least that much torque was applied to it - by say 2 or 3Nm each time, you'll establish fairly accurately what torque has been applied by the numpty fitter.

There must be a risk that either the wheel - most probably - or the hubcarrier - possible but I think less likely - has been damaged by overtightening the bolts.

Will you need an independent inspection? Won't the BMW dealer be regarded as sufficiently expert in the event you want to recover the cost from the independent? I wouldn't take it back to him based on his performance to date.

euan

Good thinking on the gradual torquing up point - that would certainly be a way to verify it.

I would quite happily rely on the beemer dealer's advice, but I am unsure how it "would stand up in court" so to speak.

Could the independent not argue they were partial given that they stand to gain from additional work and new wheel, carrier etc? Do you think I would need to give the fitter a chance to rectify it, or would small claims court see it the way we do and that not reasonable to take it back?