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I'd like to shoot the person that thought putting tapered head bolts on K5 front brake calipers was a great idea. I'm sure each PO of this bike flinched every time they removed them. I'm just that last in line and the socket for the hex tool is toast. Even with a new hex socket tool has no chance of getting these out. The inside corners in the head are already rounded. With the tapered bolt head I can't grab it with anything. Drilling it or slotting it is a no go.
To add insult to injury I had removed the 1st 3 bolts when the last one finally gave up and rounded off. Had a 5/8" bolt tig welded to the socket head of the stuck bolt to get it out. Didn't think to the others were in bad shape so...reinstalled them. Dumb move. Should have replaced them all. I can feel each of them giving a bit at the modest 20lbs of torque as I started installing them again. What a shit design.
Thought to use the flange bolts from my GSXR1000. They were about 3/4" too long. Bikebandit and other sites typically list the OEM bolt with the same tapered head. The only sites that I see carrying flange head bolts for of the same length seem to be made from titanium, and are likely from questionable ebay sources over seas.
While I get this latest bolt welded and removed I'd appreciate any suggestions for suitable replacements.![]()
https://www.mcmaster.com/95735A671/ me thinks?
A dab of valve lapping compound on the end of the bit before it strips the bolt has saved me some head/heartache in the past.
What's the difference between a bolt and a screw?
First you screw, then you bolt.
Pro-Bolt USA.
can even get the stainless pre-drilled ones
https://www.probolt-usa.com/stainles...c-ssfbmon190r/
Stainless is terrible for those bolts. You only get a few uses out of them before they begin to get suspect.
A word of caution on those bolts, dont use allen keys with the rounded head. Only use ones that are flat and sit straight in.
I use titanium for those bolts now. Its a pretty common type of bolt in ti.
So why can't you buy a 10.9 grade bolt that fits?
1. Measure bolt length.
2. Determine threading. They're always metric. Probably M8 1.25 but maybe not, so measure twice.
3. Buy 2 replacement bolts (Amazon, Home Depot, etc.) that meet above, if you are paranoid use grade 12.9. Flanged bolts are nice but you can just use washers.
They're not guaranteed to round off just because they are stainless. It just becomes more likely vs non-stainless if they are torqued improperly, galled, rusted, etc.
2023 KTM 890 Adventure R