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[spence]

Hi all,
I have a problem with the top handle bar fixing bolts on my 500 es bullet.The previous owner had fitted a set of awful high rise handlebars and when i went to change them back to standard i discovered that he has stripped the thread on one of the bolts fixings inside the casquette.His solution was araldite(and then sell the bike of course ).I think that maybe the only correct repair would be to tap and re thread out to a larger size.Has anyone encountered this before and is there enough metal to be able to do this?Any thoughts or other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers chris.

[Exile]

What about drilling out and fitting a helicoil? I think I would investigate that before I went drastic with the drill bits..

[PeteF]

It's common I'm afraid. The top bolts are only supposed to be nipped up, it's the bottom ones that do the work. Because of this, if you did Helicoil, it wouldn't be stressed too much. I think there's room to drill through and put a nut at the back.

[Jonesy]

Hi Spence,repair using a8mm Helicoil,i had the same problem.

[Norm]

If you can get a couple of chrome 3/8 whit bolts you can tap it to 3/8 whit and it is the correct size for the clamp plate

[Alan R]

As per PETE F-------- Put a nut underneath...

[Norm]

Hi Alan, only problem with putting a nut on the bottom is you need a 3/8 shoulder on the bolt because the holes in the clamp are 3/8 so you would have to drill the casquete out to 3/8 or make up sleves to fit inside the top of the casquete. Trust me I have done many and tried several options. The sleve is also not too good because if it lifts up slightly inside the clamp you can't get the clamp off

[Norm]

Also I must admit I haven't seen one of the later ones stripped out because they are twice the length and are 8mm but the early short ones strip easily and this one is a later one unless it has been fitted with an early casquete

[spence]

Thank you all for your replies.I have to admit ive never used a helicoil before always shied away from them a bit because they dont seem like a proper repair(if you know what i mean). Drilling through and fitting a bolt with a sleeve sounds like one option worth considering,then i guess you could get a good amount of torque on it without fear of stripping the thread again.However i do have a set of whitworth taps. So i guess its decision time and search the shed time for the right bits!Alan R have you used the drilling out and nut on back method?