# Bolts on motorcycle
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 25, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019 "2014-07-25T13:26:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hawki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawki)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/1 "2014-07-25T13:26:10Z")
Some airhead has the bolts for my motorcycle seat on so damn tight I cannot even turn. Don’t know what to use to try and loosen the damn things! Those aren’t the only bolts that are screwed…I think most of em’ are. Don’t know if locktite or such had been used. I really cannot imagine a little penatrating solution would help.
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### Author:  [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/2 "2014-07-25T13:41:34Z")
More leverage. Get a piece of pipe for your wrench.
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### Author:  [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/3 "2014-07-25T17:54:58Z")
If they have Loctite on them, use heat.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/4 "2014-07-25T20:09:51Z")
10W40? - Let it set a bit after applying.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/5 "2014-08-01T04:52:26Z")
Moving this to General Questions
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/6 "2014-08-01T05:05:28Z")
Having spent many years in the motorcycle biz, I’ll tell ya, Suzuki didn’t fuck around! They built shit to stay together. They used some kind of loc-tite (it was Orange!) that defied all attempts to loosen up. The bolts holding the seat on my 90 DR took a four foot breaker bar to remove.
I’ll say this, however: Best (Actually, ‘favorite’) bike I own. NEVER broken down.
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### Author:  [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/7 "2014-08-01T10:14:49Z")
A longer bar will certainly help, but be careful you don’t snap the head of the bolt off. Penetrating oil might help, but if all else fails apply heat from a torch. The heat will surely do the trick, however, as with my thread on a stuck bolt the location it’s in might prevent you from using heat. In my case the offending bolt is near a gasoline source and yours is near your seat. It wouldn’t take much to turn your seat cover into a flaming seat cover.
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### Author:  [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/8 "2014-08-01T14:32:50Z")
I really can’t imagine some real penetrating oil would hurt.
It may help to tip the bike as much as you can to get the oil into the threads.
WD40 is NOT real penetrating oil.
Let it soak in. Hit the bolt with the biggest hammer you can. Repeat.
Then get a breaker bar and a torque wrench socket. Push/pull it in both directions.
Repeat the p.o. soak, hammer.
See if you can rent an electric torque wrench. The sharp vibrations seem to do the magic.
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### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/9 "2014-08-01T15:15:11Z")
PB Blaster usually works well. If you do try an impact wrench, be sure to use impact sockets and not your normal 12 point.
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### Author:  [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/10 "2014-08-01T15:25:14Z")
PB Blaster. Reapply for a few days before attempting to remove
My Dad used to use a small torch to heat the bolt up, then douse it with ice cold water. Heat it up again with the torch, then the cold water again. The heat cycles can help loosen it up.
Might want to have access to an EZ Out extractor kit for the possible snapped off bolt though.
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/11 "2014-08-01T16:45:51Z")
How big is the bolt? How long? Have a nut or threaded into a frame part?
50% acetone, 50% automatic transmission fluid = superb penetration oil.
If a small bolt, might use a hammer drill instead of an impact wrench…
Everything else said up thread.
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### Author:  [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/12 "2014-08-02T03:52:34Z")
Liquid Wrench is a good penetrating oil.
Use the best socket you can afford - find a real tool store, not some big-box crap.
A cheap socket will chew up the head, and then you will have a problem.
One use for a big-box - a 2-3’ long chunk of 2" steel pipe - makes a breaker bar much more effective.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/13 "2014-08-02T05:22:36Z")
If its factory loc-tite (like Suzuki used) all the “penetrating oil” in the world ain’t gonna help. Heat cycles might.
> [@HipGnosis](#):
>
> I See if you can rent an electric torque wrench. The sharp vibrations seem to do the magic.
Whaaaaa? Is the “electric torque wrench” in the same drawer as the metric crescent wrench? Or is it with the Fjortnzner Valve Calibration slide?
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### Author:  [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/14 "2014-08-02T13:26:49Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> If its factory loc-tite (like Suzuki used) all the “penetrating oil” in the world ain’t gonna help. Heat cycles might.
Anecdote Warning: And if it’s like my Suzuki, you may have pure hell getting the same bolt back into the that hole. On of the rear fender/saddlebag rail-to-frame attachment bolts had the blue loc-tite on it. I could not get the bolt to go back in to its full depth. There is no access to tbe back side of the hole. I tried cleaning out the hole to no avail. I finally gave up and bought a slightly shorter bolt.
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/15 "2014-08-02T14:22:19Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> If its factory loc-tite (like Suzuki used) all the “penetrating oil” in the world ain’t gonna help. Heat cycles might.
>
> Whaaaaa? Is the “electric torque wrench” in the same drawer as the metric crescent wrench? Or is it with the Fjortnzner Valve Calibration slide?
I assume he means a impact driver. Electric or compressed air.
I can’t find my metric crescent wrench.
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### Author:  [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/16 "2014-08-03T00:54:48Z")
> [@GaryM](#):
>
> PB Blaster usually works well. If you do try an impact wrench, be sure to use impact sockets and not your normal 12 point.
As always, Gary speaks the truth on both counts.
Let PB Blaster soak for several minutes, then try to loosen.
Do start your wrench on a low setting and work up a step at a time.
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### Author:  [@sidecar\_jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidecar_jon)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bolts-on-motorcycle/694019/17 "2014-08-03T18:33:28Z")
From years of working on old tired old bikes cars etc there’s a hierarchy of getting that damned bolt out.
Lean on it harder, longer handles to the point it seems to be about to slip, use penetrating oil too. If its rust holding it in light taps with a hammer and oil help. Rig up a way to apply turning force heat and a might thump on its head with a big hammer.
Heat. heating the bolt head as hot as you can get it, will loosen loctite, heat the surrounding metal will expand it and might help loosen it. Heat, tap and add oil as you lean on it will get most things out.
Destruction. saw or grind the head off or drill it off, if you have access or the equipment weld a bar or an old socket on the head…(and everytime i’ve done that the bolt came out sweet as a nut, which is annoying as one thinks why couldn’t it have done that earlier)