This may be a stupid question but i was out with my brother on his 2012 RT last week and the right side panel was a little loose so we went to tighten it up with a torx or star bolt whatever you want to call it but his have little nubs in the middle of the head so a regular torx driver wont fit, i figured his tool kit would have one but it just had a regular torx, how do we tighten those up or get them off. My 08 GS doesnt have any of those locking bolts or whatever they are called?
thanks
You dont want to mess with those. Those are safety torx bolts (nipple in middle) that have the studs on the other side and go through the grommets to hold the panels together. If you loosen or tighten then it will change the angle of the stud and could be issues aligning the panels back up if and when the come off for maintenance.
2007 M109R LE - To many MODS to list. Its cheaper that way!!!
I started riding motorcycles in 1964, and have always had a bike since now my 2nd RT. I've been fortunate to have had few failures on the road, but have developed a set tool kit that I always carry.
Leatherman and Gerber make great kits, a couple of which I consider "must haves". The Leatherman kit, is a multi-blade knife that has one blade that is a tool holder, and has star, hex, allen, straight, and phillips bits included (nominal extra price). The Gerber kit is a retractable set of pliers, with a saw, blade, can opener, and other useful blades. I add TWO flashlights, a HD compressor/light, a tire plug system, a Radio Shack "Cold Soldering Iron", a pencil Digital Volt/ohm meter, a small Swiss Army knife, with scissors, a small coil of solder, fuses, 10 feet of black and red wire, a small assortment of crimp connectors, electricians tape, and a folding tripod stool. All of this fits in the rear trunk, and takes surprisingly little room.
I've found that with these tools, there are few breakdowns you can't fix. Other items that I carry are a quart of oil, rags, octane booster, and a small first aid kit.
Pick the best tools you can afford, and happily, you probably won't ever need them.
2014 RT SE6 Rider
X - Honda Rider
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You dont want to mess with those. Those are safety torx bolts (nipple in middle) that have the studs on the other side and go through the grommets to hold the panels together. If you loosen or tighten then it will change the angle of the stud and could be issues aligning the panels back up if and when the come off for maintenance.
So if the bolts are loose now he should just leave them? We are just trying to tighten them up a bit.
Originally Posted by rbob
Went on a 18,000 km trip last summer and all I used was the tool pouch to help fix the Harley's with me.
Bob
LOL sceptical is good, He has never taken the panel off, at least not himself, maybe the dealer. But the bolts are spinning free on that right side.
Well then, the panels still have to be pulled off and the screws tightened with a security bit. The screws cannot be tightened with the panel still on. Even then you are going to have trouble figuring out what position the pin should be.
Well then, the panels still have to be pulled off and the screws tightened with a security bit. The screws cannot be tightened with the panel still on. Even then you are going to have trouble figuring out what position the pin should be.
Thats weird, wonder why, my panels just pull off normal like any other bike. Oh well i will tell him to drag it back to the dealer if he is worried about it. Thanks for the help as always!
Thats weird, wonder why, my panels just pull off normal like any other bike. Oh well i will tell him to drag it back to the dealer if he is worried about it. Thanks for the help as always!
The studs when looking at them from the inside point up a little and go through a grommet of the other panel to hold everything together. Once you take the panel off it will be easier to understand. Your buddy maybe able to just tighten them up after he removes the panel. If he still feels uneasy about doing it then a trip back to the dealer is prob best.
2007 M109R LE - To many MODS to list. Its cheaper that way!!!
Originally Posted by latony007
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