uh-oh...stripped windshield bolt!

[burkazoid]

All,

I just wanted to catch you all up with where I am. I basically removed the entire windshield by disassembling it, leaving only the one left bracket still held on by the crooked bolt. I cut a groove in the top of the head to see if I could work it out with a stout screwdriver, but no luck there. I sheared off the head, and flattened out the sides to get a better hold with a vice grip. Other than turning only about a millimeter to the left or right, it wouldn't budge any further.

So, after work today I'm going to drill it out and tap out the threads. I went ahead and removed the entire bracket from the bike, and looking from the other side the threads don't seem to be damaged, but just in case I'll stop off and pick up a tap after work.

It's been an interesting little exercise. At the very least it allowed me to take the windshield assembly apart and clean it properly. After having ridden 400+ miles on Friday it was pretty disgusting. There are crooks and crevices that you don't even know are there until you take it all apart, and yet somehow the bug splatter manages to find it's way in there. For those of you who regularly ride even further, I don't know how on God's green Earth you manage to keep that thing clean during such a trip.

[dogdoc]

You can't, that slider windshield is just a dirt trap, after cleaning a few times it will look scratched.

[cactusjack]

I found that when trying to reinstall my windshield assembly, sometimes the bolts would be hard to turn. I chased all the threads with a tap and had no further problems.