XB12S Restore, Frozen Bolts & Corrosion

[Duke of Ted]

Hello All from the UK,

I have coveted XB12's massively for the past few years and I finally purchased a 2006 Buell XB12 S in May 2016.

When I got the bike it was only running on one cylinder, the wheels were corroded badly amongst other parts of the bike. It was bought with the intent of restoring the bike to its former glory. The bike was a barn find, it had been stood in a farmer's Barn in Scotland not used for around 6-8 years.

It was clear, the XB12S didn't enjoy its incarceration in the cold and moist environment of the Barn.

Anyway, over a few weeks in the summer I managed to get the bike running and completed a basic service myself. The one cylinder issue was caused by a faulty HT lead. I got the bike road legal and couldn't wait to get it on the road. I loved every minute of it.

The drive belt broke a few weeks later when I tried to put the side stand down and knocked the bike into gear (big design flaw ). Cleary, the rubber was perished and in my haste to get the bike out and about I didn't change it.


Now the brief history is out of the way, down to my current issues I need help with please......


I want to get the bike up and running again for a bike rally in March. I am a amateur mechanic. My immediate two jobs are:

• Remove both wheels and have them refurbished and painted.
• Replace the final drive belt

However, I am having a real struggle with stubborn and seized bolts.

After using the world's longest breaker bar and half a can of WD40 I managed to undo the rear axle pinch bolt and undo the rear axle and remove the rear wheel.

I now have two issues:

• I am unable to remove the bolts holding the swing arm brace in place. I almost lifted the rear of the bike off the stand I was applying so much pressure. I have soaked half a can of WD40 into it over night and applied so much force I have deformed my tools to amazing angles.
• I am unable to remove the bolts on the rear wheel holding the brake rotar and sprocket in place. Same issue. Corroded stubborn bolts.

So, any suggestions on how to proceed?

My next step would be to start applying heat with a blow torch to the swing arm / wheel to try and loosen the bolt up and aid removal. Would this damage the swing arm / wheel in any way? Am I correct in assuming the oil is only held on the left side of the swing arm?

Cheers in advance.

Duke of Ted.

 

[Cooter]

Frozen bolts are my favorite way to spend a cold night in the garage! Wait... no. That's not it at all:black_eyed:

There are MUCH better penetrants available than the ol' WD-40. I like PB Blaster and AeroKroil, but I'm sure people will chime in with their favorites.

You are right, the next step is heat. It won't need a Oxy torch, a little propane unit should be plenty. Remember that what you are heating is expanding, so try to heat the outside and even cool the bolt with a wet rag if you can. Repeated heat/cool cycles can help too.

And GOOD tools! Especially the torx bits for the rotor hardware must be high quality or I will be reading about you drilling and tapping holes Even the latest Craftsman stuff from Sears is JUNK.

Good luck Ted!