Engine Mounting Bolt & Crash Bar Installation

[SarahP]

Folks,

I got my Renntec crash guards a while ago but it's just been too cold to work in the garage on the bike.

I dragged everything out today and finally figured out how the bars are supposed to be installed, I think.

One of the first steps in the installation guide from the TriumphRat forum is to remove the engine mounting bolt -- is that this critter (with the red arrows)? It's just one long bolt?

Engine mounting bolt (I think) from the left side

Bolt as seen from the right side of the bike:

Uhhh, the engine isn't going to drop out, will it? And how hard is it to get this bolt off?

As you can tell, I haven't attempted this yet. I was doing well to figure out how everything was supposed to be oriented. Seriously, it took me about 20 minutes of rotating the bars and looking at them before it clicked. I was slowwwwww. LOL

TIA!

 

[Rocky]

That's the key to doing something unusual for the first time - go slow, figure it out and understand it first.
Post some pics when you get it finished.

 

[SarahP]

C'mon, you Bonneville owners! Walk outside, pleeeeeze, and look at your little beauty, and see if indeed this is the correct engine mounting bolt that I'm about to undo. I would just appreciate someone else looking at theirs -- hopefully there's not a big difference in mounting bolts between years. Mine is a 2013. Thanks!

Also, by all that is holy, I don't know that I can even get that bolt off. Found a socket that fit it perfectly, got an extension and a 3/8" socket wrench. Put it all together, tried to lever the bolt off, and --- nothing. I'll attack it again tomorrow morning. I'm not riding again until I have crash bars on.

EDIT/UPDATE: Ahh, just went out and looked at the bolt again. *IF* that's the correct one, well, shame on me --- there's a nut on the other side to keep it from backing out. So I'll have to turn one while holding the other one stationary, I think --

TIA for any help!

 

[Rocky]

It's a cool -7C (19F) here this morning so I'm staying inside and will have a go at your situation.

This is a picture of the engine bolt from the right side taken from the internet. There is only one front engine bolt so that has to be it.
It's a long bolt with a nut on the other side so you need two wrenches to get the nut off - one on each side.
The factory bolt may be tight coming out so you may have to tap it out with something slender like a screwdriver.
The new bolt may also be tight going in so simply tap it home and use the two wrenches to tighten it.
You have a Hanes manual which will tell you the torque value and use a torque wrench if you have/can borrow one.
If not, then simply get the nut very tight.
The other nuts and bolts don't have a specific torque value so just make them good and tight with lock washers and they will be fine.
You could also apply a dab of blue Loctite for good measure, but it's not really needed. It's up to you.
The bars on my Honda have been on there for many years and have never needed tightening.

I installed Renntec bars on my Honda, but never on a Bonneville. Even so, it should be fairly straight forward.
Get everything in place and with the nuts and bolts very loose.
Once everything looks good start to tighten the bolts up and bit at a time.
Don't tighten up one bolt solid. Go over each one several times until everything is tight and gradually pulled into place.
This includes the engine bolt, but torque it last and you will be good to go - and proud of yourself that you did it .

Hope this helps.

 

[SarahP]

Wow, Rocky,

I bow to your obviously superior Google ninja skills -- where did you find that photo? I was pretty sure I'd trolled every site. Almost thought it was from the Renntec installation article on TriumphRat. but I don't think it is. Anyway, bless you, that helps me a lot! Thanks a bunch!

I'm thinking it would probably be good to put the bike up on a little lift that I have -- just to have it nice and stable. I had a go at that bolt, just on a whim, and bumped the bike to where it wobbled a bit. I'd hate to cause it to tip over just because I'm working on it.

Thanks again,Rocky! Big help!

 

[Qship]

You can support the engine underneath using a hydraulic jack(or scissor type jack if that's what you have) and small block of wood to prevent it from dropping down any when you remove the bolt.
Do not lift the bike with the jack, only put a little pressure on it.
If your bike has the center stand it would be good to put it up on that for better stability.
I find those bike lifts a bit wobbly if your pulling hard on bolts to break torque.

 

[SarahP]

You can support the engine underneath using a hydraulic jack(or scissor type jack if that's what you have) and small block of wood to prevent it from dropping down any when you remove the bolt.
Do not lift the bike with the jack, only put a little pressure on it.
If your bike has the center stand it would be good to put it up on that for better stability.
I find those bike lifts a bit wobbly if your pulling hard on bolts to break torque.

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Qship,

Unfortunately, no center stands on my Bonnie. And I agree, when I put the bike on the lift, it was still moving around a bit, more than what I'm comfortable with when trying to wreak havoc on a bolt. Maybe I should do as you say with the scissors lift under the engine itself to support it just a bit, but then tie down the bike on each side to give it lateral stability.

But I'm like Rocky: it's getting cold here in Northern VA right now so I'm calling it quits for the day. The temp has plummeted from 21*C down to 13*C, and we have thunderstorms moving in. But you Canadians are tough guys! -7*C indeed!

 

[Qship]

Plummeted from +21C to +13C has it? That's funnee
Was -11C here where I live last night. Wind was blowing this morning bringing it down to -19C with wind chill. That's kinda cool. Even for here, this time of year. Winter's last kick at the cat, I hope. Gonna be cold again here tonight.
Was +4C-5C here Saturday and Sunday, and saw quite a few bikes out.

 

[DaveM]

It is no fun working on a bike when it is cold, lucky we don't really do that cold our side. Keep us updated on your progress as it seems the advice above is the way to go with this job. Just make sure you tension that bold up correctly once done.

 

[Rocky]

Renntec Engine Bars - Installation Notes - Very Interesting - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

I took the picture from that "other" Triumph site. I think you will find them useful.
I don't think the engine will move when you remove the bolt, but it probably wouldn't hurt to support the engine anyway.
Just be very careful where you place the arm of the jack. There are some vulnerable parts under there that you don't want to damage.
Working without a center stand does make things a bit more difficult, but just be careful.
As Q said, don't put pressure on the engine, just put the jack in place until it touches with a tiny bit of pressure.
You want all of the weight of the bike on the tires for stability.
You should be able to tighten all the nuts and bolts without putting much stress on the bike causing it to tip.
Like the engine bolt, use two wrenches/sockets to balance the tightening process.
I have a center stand, but don't have a bike lift so do this sort of thing on my back on the floor

We had snow last night and would enjoy a "cold" 13C

 

[SarahP]

Well, Rocky et al -

After spending almost two hours today futzing with that engine mount bolt, I decided to throw in the towel. I don't have the right tools, and I can't even reach the other side of the bolt to hold it still while torquing the front end off.

(Waaah, wahhh, what a whiner! Or, for our friends across the pond, what a whinger I am!)

For a reasonable amount of dough, I'm going to have my local moto mechanic do the job. I'll feel good that it was done properly and that all the torque settings are right, etc.

Thank you all for doing your best to coach me through it! I wanted to do it, but my mojo just wasn't there for this repair.

I did console myself this afternoon by replacing the capacitors on my two outdoor aircon units, saving myself a repair bill of about $300. So the day wasn't a total washout!

Thanks, guys!

 

[Qship]

No shame. With better tools and some more experience you'll get better at these things.
Gave it a good go.
See if you can be there when he installs them.
You can learn A LOT from watching more experienced people do these things.

 

[Rocky]

If you don't have the sockets and wrenches to do the job there isn't much of a choice then.
No shame at all in getting it done by somebody who has access to all kinds of tools.

Most people roll their eyes when they see my "tool wall"
And this picture doesn't include the four sets of SAE, metric and British socket sets

 

[Baldeagle]

Very impressive Rocky,my problem having two homes is I don't know which tools are where so have started duplicating,oh dear,now I know I have a lot of catching up to do!!

 

[hemibee]

When I put the bars/guards on Jessica I swallowed my pride and had my local independent shop install them. When I picked her up, the owner said it took him and his best two mechanics to get them installed and there was no way he could charge me for all their time. He said it kicked their butts and next time they will ask what brand of bars/guards BEFORE they give an estimated cost of install.

After hearing his comments, I'm glad I realized early that this job was beyond doing it by myself.

 

[SarahP]

When I put the bars/guards on Jessica I swallowed my pride and had my local independent shop install them. When I picked her up, the owner said it took him and his best two mechanics to get them installed and there was no way he could charge me for all their time. He said it kicked their butts and next time they will ask what brand of bars/guards BEFORE they give an estimated cost of install.

After hearing his comments, I'm glad I realized early that this job was beyond doing it by myself.

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Hemi, wow, was that a while ago? And what was the brand of engine guards you were having installed (please don't say Renntec!) Your post made me feel less guilty!

 

[SarahP]

If you don't have the sockets and wrenches to do the job there isn't much of a choice then.
No shame at all in getting it done by somebody who has access to all kinds of tools.

Most people roll their eyes when they see my "tool wall"
And this picture doesn't include the four sets of SAE, metric and British socket sets

View attachment 35577

Rocky, your tool wall is a thing of beauty!

 

[hemibee]

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Hemi, wow, was that a while ago? And what was the brand of engine guards you were having installed (please don't say Renntec!) Your post made me feel less guilty!

It was last year. The bars are Renntec. . . no wait, the bars are Givi

 

[hemibee]

Here's a link to a thread where I discussed the bars and it has a few photos. . . How To Set Up Your 800 Xc, Or Not