• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Mirror mount threads stripped, what to do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Billyboy
  • Start date Start date
B

Billyboy

Guest
Like the title says, my right mirror mount threads are stripped. Is there a way to glue the mirrors on? (JB weld?) Drill and tap?, but I'll need bigger mirror bolts. Or should I replace it with the parts bike brake lever?

What is involved with changing levers? Will I have to remove the throttle and right switches?
 
JB Weld will work. If it's not completely stripped, you could possibly get away with using plumbing tape on the threads. That said, if you have the lever, it's not hard to swap them out, the hardest part is bleeding your brakes afterward, and if you're careful, that won't be to bad either. If you have a single bolt holding the lever, you'll have to take out the 2 screws in the switch assembly, the throttle tube and switches will then come off, loosen the lever, and take it off. You'll have to swap the brake line, to the new lever. If your parts lever has a good light switch, I would suggest unplugging the switch in the headlight housing, instead of taking the switch off the lever, as it can be a pain to adjust properly. Then just bleed the brakes, and put throttle and switch assembly back on.
 
I wouldn't recommend doing any permanent attach stuff on those. I would say check for a new mirror... it shouldn't be too expensive, and a lot easier than trying to re-thread everything.

Levers are pretty simple to remove. The brake lever is a single nut/bolt. The clutch lever is also a single nut/bolt, then disconnect the clutch cable.
 
Thanks Luke. I think I'll replace the lever.

Basketcase, It's the lever threads that are stripped. The mirror threads are good.
 
Ah. Well, that makes things easier :)

You could also look into a helio-coil (sp?), but, again, the work isn't worth it for the cost of a new lever.
 
I'd JB Weld the mirrors in, then when you need to replace the mirrors, change out the lever.
 
What's a heloi-coil?
The cool part is that my parts bike is loaded with good pieces. I'll use a lever off it.
 
Jethro said:
I'd JB Weld the mirrors in, then when you need to replace the mirrors, change out the lever.
Click to expand...

You think like me. I'll scratch me head at it after work and see what seems easiest.
 
It works great as long as there's not a lot of torque involved. I've seen it used on the track for those pesky easy-to-strip aluminum frame spots that hold on bodywork.
 
Another interesting option is HTS-2000 ---> http://aluminumrepair.com

There is a pretty good video on the website that shows how to use it to repair stripped threads. It is apparently stronger than aluminum, but with a lower melting temp, so it lends itself to all sorts of repairs that would be difficult to do any other way.

The only downside is that for this repair you would want to remove the bad brake lever anyway, to avoid melting any plastic or rubber parts near the repair area.

There was another GS'r who used an earlier version of this stuff to repair (actually replace is a better word) broken fins on his head and block, and unless you were REALLY looking carefully at the pics you couldn't tell there was ever a problem.

I have some but only recently bought it, so I don't have personal repair experience with it yet.

Regards,
 
Billyboy said:
Like the title says, my right mirror mount threads are stripped. Is there a way to glue the mirrors on? (JB weld?) Drill and tap?, but I'll need bigger mirror bolts. Or should I replace it with the parts bike brake lever?

What is involved with changing levers? Will I have to remove the throttle and right switches?
Click to expand...
What about a small helicoil would that work?
 
Always thought?but never tried. What if you put JB weld in the stripped hole and greased the threaded bolt. Thread the two together and let dry?I'm thinking, once dry the JB will not stick to the grease and you'll be able to back out the bolt keeping the threaded JB in place??Just thinking out load.:-k



 
Billyboy said:
Like the title says, my right mirror mount threads are stripped. Is there a way to glue the mirrors on? (JB weld?) Drill and tap?, but I'll need bigger mirror bolts. Or should I replace it with the parts bike brake lever?

What is involved with changing levers? Will I have to remove the throttle and right switches?
Click to expand...

Get yourself an M10X1.25 Helicoil repair kit. They are expensive, but FAR cheaper than a new m/c assembly.
 
That does work to a point, but only for light applications. The JB Weld can't handle much torque on the "threads", it holds like crazy if allowed to stick to the threads. You can actually unscrew the mirror even without grease, but you'll need to apply a new coat of JB when putting it back.
 
My mechanic/friend/riding coach says he can toss in a heli-coil in 5 minutes. No problem.
 
That's cool, I didn't think there was enough material there to do a heli, but since you can, that's the best way to go.
 
All the suggestions on greasing (or not greasing) JB weld and backing out the mirror after it hardens are EXACTLY like what you see them doing on the HTS-2000 video. The only difference is that the HTS-2000 is a permanent fix, and if the demonstration video is any indication the fix will be stronger than original.

I saw a live demo at the Chicago Motorcycle show (where I picked my HTS-2000 up at), and each demonstrated repair was EXTREMELY impressive to see.

Regards,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top