Hitchcocks Forum

Hi folks - I've renovated and fitted a newer casquette on my 94 bullet and as a last job I am refitting the handlebars. Unfortunately, I have found that one of the threaded holes in the top of the casquette, designed to receive a bolt to hold on the handlebar clamp, is pretty much chewed away to nothing. On the newer casquette these holes are about 40mm deep.

I am considering my options and the one I am favouring is to drill through the casquette from the top and fit a bolt with a nyloc nut on the bottom, underneath the casquette.

The old casquette had threaded holes all the way through it, so I am thinking that drilling through is not going to compromise the strength.

Any thoughts / advice before I get out the Bosch?

Is there enough depth to get a thread repair insert fitted (helicoil)? If done right they are as good or stronger than the original. Most good mechanics have sets and it is not that difficult/expensive. Advantage is you can stick to the original size fixings rather than have an odd one.

Hi guys------------- OUDAIOS, hello again matey !!! Hope you enjoyed Reg Prescott back there ??...It's always seems to be those top ones that give trouble....As RODGER says a correctly fitted helicoil is as strong ( if not stronger) than the original....But if your hole already goes through to the inside of the casquette then you now have 3 options, ie}---- Helicoil only.........Drill and bolt (as per your suggestion)........OR}....... combine the two ??.. If you opt to use the locknut, then try and fit the biggest diameter washer underneath it such to spread the clamping load. The handlebar clamp plate on top will be doing that for you as well................

This is not a new problem, the original early ones were a pretty average design with short fine threads. The later Indian ones went to a longer bolt and an 8mm metric thread. I have to do Super Meteor at the moment, just waiting on the new studs to arrive. I can't see any problem with going all the way through though

My 1995 Casquette threads have striped due to bad manufacturing , the threads are so thin , they drilled too deep for the shouldered part of the bolt and left very little for threading section , my plan is to go for a Fury set up if I can find the fork covers and smiths brackets and covers but until then I'll have to helicoil them or try the long bolt option if the inside part is flat enough for a nylock nut .

I had the same problem on a '93 bullet and I drilled & tapped for M8. Didn't know I was achieving an RE upgrade! M8 much stronger than original so I'd have no hesitation repeating if necessary on another casquette. Stephen

These always get stripped (on both Redditch and Indian bikes,) because folk don't understand the tightening process: The idea is to tighten the 2 top shouldered bolts first, that's the purpose of the shoulder, to bottom out and prevent further tightening. Then get the real clamping force on the handlebar with the lower studs which are much more firmly located. The Redditch Factory recognised this problem and redesigned the fixing for the 1959 season with a conventional split clamp but of course this was too late for the Indian production line!
REgards, Mark

Yes as Mark says the top two bolts should be just nipped and not over tightened and the two lower ones should do the clamping, once the lower ones are tight there is no way the upper ones can come loose.

Wow ..just nipped ! I can see why there were so many tales of woe .
My workshop manual instructs 3.30 Kg-m or 286.0 LB-inch , This is the official Madras manual values from the 90's .

Phil think about it when you tighten the lower two fixings side pressure is put on the top two they are simply anchor points the clamping is all done with the lower ones, with the side pressure on the top ones they cannot come undone.