Hey all!

Okay so I was checking out my bike a little closer today and it would appear the bolt that secures the back of the seat to the fender was tampered with and looks to be busted off....  

Funny the lil things you miss when your vision is clouded by lust for riding..

Anywho, does anyone know if this is a normal occurence, big deal, about how hard or how expensive it would be to fix it?

I already ordered my windscreen and was looking to order saddlebags (which is how I discovered the broken seat bolt). Do I need to have mounting brackets for saddlebags or can you really just sling 'em under the seat and tie 'em down? Would this seat bolt mess with either method?

I also knew going in to the deal that the fork lock on this bike is missing. Repossession by the dealer that the previous owner bought it from.

I'm not too worried about replacing that atm, but is also something I will be looking to do in the future if it's not too hairy.

I read a recount somewhere of a guy having his fork lock replaced after it was jammed out in an attempted robbery and it seemed to give him a lot more trouble than leaving it alone would have been...

I have to learn all about this "rejetting" you all speak of, but one step at a time eh?

Thanks,
Byrd

If you can get the bolt out, then not hard.  But to live with out it doesn't seem to be a major issue either.  it's held by 2 bolts on either side.

it's recommended to have the brackets to keep the bags out of the spokes.

and the front fork lock is not very secure anyways.  not too long ago someone replaced theirs.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/05/11 at 19:28:49:

After the WD40 and before cutting the slot, give it a few firm taps with a hammer and a piece of wood. This might loosen the threads enough to take it out with vise grips.

HD and Kawasaki use the same system and are notorious for the nut stripping.

Block the bike up and pull the rear wheel for tool clearance. Push the wiring bundle to the side and have someone turn the bolt head, you may see the nut free spinning. If it is, clamp it with a long hemostat and then unscrew the bolt. From the top, drill through the plate, add new bolt from the bottom, place a self locking nut on it. Then install seat and cap with an acorn nut, knurled lamp nut, etc.

Only raises the seat back an 1/8th of an inch. You'll want more space then that if you install saddlebags anyway.

Busted fork lock? Take an angle grinder to the fitting. Grind it flush or just slightly recessed. Drop the fork assembly out of the way, with the bearings. Back the hole with a piece of heavy copper or brass and rosette weld that sucker. Dress it, bondo it, repaint it. Fork lock is useless to start with. Non-ferrous metal won't stick to weld, will fall right out of the way.