Rear hugger on a 2014 Crosstourer

[Tony Res]

Hey Guys

The bolts that hold on the rear hugger to the swinging arm have sheared off, I have only just noticed the hugger was loose and on investigation I find that the hugger is just being held on by the single bolt on top of the driveshaft, it looks like over time the nuts have come loose on the front bolts and the weight of the hugger has chopped them off one by one.

As the bolts are part of the aluminium swinging arm it would be a pain in the ass job to sort out, the only easy solution I can see is if I can get a lightweight hugger that would stay in place with the one available bolt, the original is quite heavy as both the hugger and frame are metal, does anyone know of a smaller plastic or carbon replacement that may do the job or of a jacket I could get for the rear shock and maybe stay naked?

Sensible suggestions welcomed...     

[robinreliant]

Hello Tony res,
I don't think I can help much, but to start with I would strongly recommend against a bodge to overcome your problem! If the new hugger breaks off again it could well lock up your rear wheel as it goes, or cause lots more damage.

Sadly the only solution is to extract the two broken bolt ends from the swing arm and this will entail removing the rear wheel and removing or swivelling the silencer. Not too difficult if your bike has a centre stand.
Getting the broken bolts out requires proper tools unless you are lucky enough to have enough left to either tap out or grip with a mole wrench.

Unless this sort of work is easy for you I recommend you get help with the bolt removal.

Sorry, I did say I couldn't help much. But in my opinion the CT very much needs a hugger!

[Tony Res]

Cheers for the reply Robin, I am going to leave it for now, I have ordered a R&G RACING SHOCKTUBE PROTECTOR COVER from Ebay and I am going to just ride naked, I usually use the bike for touring in good weather so I will just jetwash it every now and then and maybe down the line I will get something lightweight custom made for it that will fit on the one fitting left... 

[Fastvan61]

Hi Tonyres

I've got a 2104 CT which I'm just changing the rear tyre on. I fitted a pyramid hugger which I won't go on about but the fixing into the arm should be bolts rather than studs. So it should be possible to get some grips on the one that's protruding at least. Give a good soaking with penetrating fluid first. Try turning it clockwise slightly before unwinding. The other fixing looks flush with the arm which is a bit trickier and may need an extractor or drilling out. Either way it'd be easier with the wheel out of the way. Good luck. Rob

[__Ray__]

Originally Posted by Tony Res

Cheers for the reply Robin, I am going to leave it for now, I have ordered a R&G RACING SHOCKTUBE PROTECTOR COVER from Ebay and I am going to just ride naked, I usually use the bike for touring in good weather so I will just jetwash it every now and then and maybe down the line I will get something lightweight custom made for it that will fit on the one fitting left...

Jet washing a suspension is not a great idea.
You can actually damage the seal or get water in. Lot of people underestimate the power of these things and is the cause of a lot of problems on all places where a seal is applied like forks, shift and drive axles and bearings.

[Tony Res]

Originally Posted by Fastvan61

Hi Tonyres

I've got a 2104 CT which I'm just changing the rear tyre on. I fitted a pyramid hugger which I won't go on about but the fixing into the arm should be bolts rather than studs. So it should be possible to get some grips on the one that's protruding at least. Give a good soaking with penetrating fluid first. Try turning it clockwise slightly before unwinding. The other fixing looks flush with the arm which is a bit trickier and may need an extractor or drilling out. Either way it'd be easier with the wheel out of the way. Good luck. Rob

Cheers mate, I will speak to the shop I use and ask about drilling and tapping to get some new bolts in there...

[Tony Res]

Originally Posted by __Ray__

Jet washing a suspension is not a great idea.
You can actually damage the seal or get water in. Lot of people underestimate the power of these things and is the cause of a lot of problems on all places where a seal is applied like forks, shift and drive axles and bearings.

Cheers mate, I am talking about a sprinkle every now and then, I have only washed it once since I bought it 10 months ago.

I am also going to look into getting the holes drilled out and tapped with new threads so I can refit the original hugger...

[hoppicker]

Over the past 50 years repairing all types of machinery I have been faced with the problem of sheared off studs and bolts hundreds if not thousands of times. I have tried many different methods and my first option has always been one I was shown by an old welder when I was an apprentice. He hated using a drill, but was magic with any type of welding kit. The trick is to build up whatever is left of the seized thread with a high tensile welding rod, then weld an old bolt to it. Have a cuppa while it cools down, give it a soak with WD, tap it on the end a few time to wake it up, then try unscrewing it. It nearly always comes out first time. If it doesn't have another go.
 The theory is that the intense local heat needed to build up the bolt causes it to expand slightly, making it expand in the hole. When it cools it shrinks a bit smaller than it was originally, especially if the tapped hole is in cast iron.
 The risk of drilling out the broken thread and re-tapping the hole is that if you are doing it free hand, with a pistol drill, is the drill bit wandering of into the softer aluminum. Eezi-outs just expand the thread in the hole making it even tighter.
 My advice is find a good local Agricultural engineer. He will have skills the spare part changing lads in the bike shop don't possess.