Service

SERVICE

Paul Dean

Torx trix

I have a 1993 Harley Fat Boy. Just recently, I accidentally dropped a two-by-four on it and dented the headlight. Dumb, huh? Then, when trying to remove the chrome panel behind the headlight to get at the light’s mounting bracket, I did an even dumber thing and tried to use a metric Allen wrench to remove the American Allen bolts, which quickly boogered up the button-head screws on the sides of the panel. The sockets got rounded-out so badly that the correct Allen wrench wouldn’t work, either. I eventually got the bolts out with Vise Grips, but in the process I gouged the chrome plates under the bolts and had to replace them.

Is there any trick way of removing button-head Allen bolts that have gotten rounded out? The domed heads on these types of Allens don’t really have any sides, so they’re almost impossible to grab with Vise Grips or anything else. Suggestions? David Sekerka Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

There indeed is a quick and effective method for removing damaged Allen-head screws: Use a Torx driver. Torx is the trademarked name of a holt or screw design that uses a starshaped socket in the head. And because Torx drivers are six-point tools, just like Allen wrenches, they can be employed to remove damaged Allens. First, select a Torx driver that is just barely too big to fit into the Allen socket. Position the driver so its star points align with the remaining corners of the Allen socket, then tap the driver into the socket with a hammer. This will give the driver good purchase in the socket by cutting six new flutes into the interior walls. Then just use the Torx tool to remove the screw or bolt. (For obvious reasons, I recommend using a ‘Aor Vs-inch-square-drive Torx tool instead of hammering on the plastic handle of a screwdriver type.)

This technique works not just for button-head Allens, but for any kind of damaged Allen fastener that is recessed or in a location that makes it impossible to grab with Vise Grips. And while 1 don 't advocate anyone hammering on tools that weren 't designed for such abuse, this technique, properly done, won 't damage the Torx driver. But even it if does, gaining the ability to remove a damaged fastener without affecting any other components makes the cost of the tool well worthwhile, even if used just one time.

Wallowing to the Max

I have a handling problem with my ’95 Yamaha V-Max. As the bike nears speeds of around 120 mph, it starts wallowing severely. It also wallows in shallow curves (no hard cornering) at speeds as low as 65 mph. I took it to my local dealer, but it still wallows after all of the following things were checked, adjusted and/or torqued: front axle nut; axle pinch bolts; upper and lower triple-clamp pinch bolts; fork-brace bolts; steering-head bearings; front-fork oil level; fork-spring free length; fork air pressure; tire air pressure, balance and seating on rim; rear axle nut; swingarm bearings; all wheel bearings. I’ve also replaced the shocks with new stock units and tried about every possible combination of spring preload and damping adjustment. But the problem persists.

I’m stumped and the dealer is at his wit’s end. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Gerhard Kohler

Bay City, Michigan

Most V-Maxes-as well as the Venture touring models from which they are derived-are inclined to wallow in the manner you describe, some worse than others. Primarily, this results from the mating of a huge, heavy and enormously powerful engine to an extremely long chassis that isn 't nearly as rigid as those on most other highperformance bikes. Another contributor to the wallowing is the rear wheel, which had to be offset 10mm to the right of the bike’s centerline so the ultra-fat rear tire would clear the left swingarm leg (which also encloses the final-drive shaft). What’s more, the V-Max’s prodigious power, combined with the bike’s use more as a stoplight racer than as a backroad burner, tends to wear out rear tires faster in the middle than on the sides. This results in a squarish tread profile that adds to the wallow quotient.

There is no really good news here, except that our experience has shown that the wallowing can be minimized by using original-equipment tires, which were specifically designed to optimize the V-Max’s handling characteristics, and by replacing the rear tire if and when the middle section wears enough to alter the tire ’s original, round profile.

The numbers game

I recently bought a brand-new 1995 CB1000 Honda and I am very happy with it, but I’m curious about the final gearing. At 60 mph, the tach reads about 3800 rpm, but all the road tests on this model say the engine should be turning somewhere between 3400 and 3500 rpm. Are my tach or speedo off that much? If I change gearing, will my speedometer be affected? I’d like the engine to spin fewer rpm on the highway for a bit more relaxed cruising, such as 3200 rpm at 60 mph. Any help would be appreciated.

Creighton Howard Dallas, Texas

The speed-at-rpm figures published in magazines usually are calculated mathematically, not observed by visually comparing tach and speedo readings. This practice is followed because speedometers and tachometers vary quite a lot in accuracy from one to another; and both are purposely built to err on the high side so a rider won’t inadvertently exceed any speed or rpm limits. Consequently, the combination of a speedo that ’s almost dead-on and a tach that reads at the upper end of optimistic could easily produce the numbers you describe. This is the only rational explanation, since all stock CB1000s were equipped at the factory with the same final-drive gearing. If you change that gearing, however, your speedometer will not be affected; it is driven by the front wheel. □