Middle gear warning !

[motoman]

Smash, snap a good pair of vise grips on the fill plug and tap the vise-grips with a hammer once will pop it loose. I use the same vise-grip tracks I left in the plug 30yrs. ago.....pos loose every time!

[Smash]

Hey thanks Motoman!

I've followed every tip I can find here and on another forum, no go. Next step is an easy out.

[SFerinTEXAS]

On my XJ final drive plug I found a std hex key just a little bigger than the metric, tapped it in and it worked after trying most of the other suggestions offered so far. Not sure if there is room under the airbox to tap it good tho. Perhaps something heavy but slim.

BTW I have also seen those plugs on an XS that were star(torx) slots.

[Shacknasty]

A Torx bit hammered into an allen (hex) bolt has worked as an easy-out for me in the past.

[Smash]

Going to try the easy out Saturday. Tires arrived, so prepping for rubber change tonight and actually doing it tomorrow. Want a full day to mess with this bolt. Weather is supposed to be bad Saturday, so good timing.

Um, if the easy out fails.... Then what?? Any suggestions? Gotta replace the whole drive?

[DGXSER]

Worse comes to worse, drill it all the way out and retap the hole.It is just a fill hole. Use a vacuum to suck up the bits as you drill and tap. Change the oil after all the work is done. If you want to be extra safe, change it again after 100 miles or so.

[Smash]

I can do that, duh. LOL. Thanks, the advice I've found here (mostly doing searches) has been invaluable. You guys have more patience than I could ever hope to have working on these bikes!

[motoman]

Again, haven't come across a middle drive or final drive that I could'nt snap a pair of vise-grips on and one tap on the vise-grips with hammer plugs poped loose........

[Smash]

I wish you lived closer than GJ, this would be your first!

Here's a photo of what the bolt looks like right now, so you can get an idea of how much I've monkeyed with it trying to get it off.

(Yes, I realize I accidentally filed down a bit of the housing while trying to file down the bolt so I could try out an open ended box wrench )

[DGXSER]

Wow, I would be surprised if you can not put a screw driver against one of the edges in that slot and tap it loose.

[Smash]

Believe me I did. Hammered so much the screwdriver actually started tearing into the bolt and curling the steel up.

[Smash]

So folks know what I've done, and I've done many of these things in conjunction with each other (like heating the case, freezing the bolt and hammering in the slot with a screwdriver).

• soak it in really good penetrating lube 3x a day for a week, using a hammer lightly to help get the oil down in as far as it can
• heat the case
• freeze the bolt
• no allen keys were used, only allen socket heads
• tried hammering in a larger standard allen instead of a metric allen
• tried hammering in a larger torx head instead of an allen
• hammered it with a chisel
• hammered the sides of the bolt with a fat chisel to try to loosen the threads
• really good vice grips, by hand and with a hammer, multiple times
• cut a slot in the bolt, hammered with a screw driver
• cut a slot all the way across the bolt, inserted a long metal file to act as a really fat screwdriver and tried to twist that
• filed down two edges of the bolt to accept a open ended box wrench

I think that's all I did.

[Smash]

Please tell me if there's something I haven't tried!! Maybe I did and I forgot () but really I'd rather not tear into this thing with an easy out and/or have to tap out a bigger hole. Don't really like the idea of getting a lot of metal shavings down in there, although I will flush it really good with oil.

One big reason is we were hoping to get this bike on the road a while ago. Second big reason is while there are atleast 7 final drives in good condition on ebay, there is only ONE middle drive. And it's in Canada. And it has a huge crack in the case.

[bikerphil]

there are atleast 7 final drives in good condition on ebay, there is only ONE middle drive. And it's in Canada. And it has a huge crack in the case.

The middle drive units for the XS11 are the same as the XJ11, seem to be a few more listed on ebay by typing in "XS1100 middle drive". I'm sure you could get that plug out somehow if you remove the unit from the bike and chuck it in a big vise. Good luck!

[motoman]

Wow Smash, looks like you have argued with that plug fairly well! If the vise grips held without popping off that plug should of popped lose for U! See you have a fairly flat side on two sides. Assume you snapped the vise grips on those made flat sides. Try heating plug directly just a bit with one of those small propane bottles and torch. Wouldn't use an acetalyne/oxygen torch as acetalyne makes too much heat too quick. Then immediately snap grips on and right smartly pop the grips with a hammer. Anyway, glad I don't live on that side of the hill, but if this dern weather was a bit more predictable this time of year would definitely jump on the LD bike(ST) and sneak up on that plug and remove it.........weather decent, any reason for a ride is a good one. Keep us posted and avoid damaging that plug any more before removing. Least you can still use it the way it is. Why I don't know, but those plugs both on the midle drive and the final drive are a tapered seat underside. When they get seated TOO tight they can be a challange to remove. Stainless steel and aluminum LIKE each other when tightly mated and can seize to each other. Let us know here if you sucessfully remove it(preferabley being able to re-use it). No success, a decent weather window and I'll run over there and give ya a hand if you'd like. Can be either week or week-end, whatever works for U.