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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.