Spinning screws

[Kwacky]

I've got a few small spinning allen bolts.

Some of them I can't get behind them to push them or to see what causing them to spin and not grip.

Is it a cae of drilling them out?

[Blade]

Have the heads sheared off ? Is yes then probably will have to drill out unfortunately, but tbh its not that difficult if you take your time and are careful.

[Kwacky]

The heads are still in place. I can get the allen key in but the screw isn't biting. I've got a couple on the windscreen where I can't get behind them and a few on the under fairing.

[R34PER]

have you tried tugging on them with some pliers or something to see if they pop out? maybe they have a nut at the back though which has rusted in place.

[Frankie]

I take it that you mean the thread spinning not the alan key in the bolt...

[Deegee]

You don't say if they are bodywork screws or something structural, the problem being that an Allen head is normally pretty hard and will require a cobalt drill as a minimum to even touch it, even then as the drill bites it'll likely grab and turn - necessitating pliers etc to hold the screw head.

If they are bodywork screws they are probably "wellnuts" that is a thread insert in a rubber housing, they're widely used for bodywork fastenings but the rubber hardens, looses its elasticity and the brass insert corrodes to the Allen screw that is within it. The first thing to try is to pull the Allen head away from the bike and attempt to loosen it, otherwise best advice is to attack from the rear - remove other stuff if needed, otherwise bodywork damage can result.

Sorry I don't have more advice but if bodywork damage is to be avoided there's not much bar what I've said above, pull and if that doesn't work, do whatever to get access to the back of the screw.

[Kwacky]

Some of the screws are on the windscreen and some of them are on the lower fairings. None of them are structural.

When I put the allen key into the screw head and turn, the screw will turn as it should, but it's not biting on anything so it's not unscrewing.

I can't get to the back of the screws in the windscreen.

The screws on the lower fairing I can get to the back of but there's no nut there.

I've tried yanking on them with pliers or putting a screw driver behind but that's not budged them.

[Deegee]

The problem is the rubber is spinning in the frame, unless you can get to the back of the screw and hold the rubber/thread insert assy it'll just spin, by all means try drilling it, but be aware that a regular hss drill probably won't make much impression on the Allen heads - hence my talking about a cobalt drill.

This the pic to the right is what you're looking at - but I'm sure you already knew all this.

[Kwacky]

That looks like it.

So that's the only fix? Bugger.

[Deegee]

You could always try getting a set of big mole grips on the head and pulling as hard as you dare, whilst trying to turn it anticlockwise, it may undo, or it may peel the rubber shrouding off, but tbh it sounds as if you've already tried that. Those things are great until this happens.

[Kwacky]

I'm setting fire to the bike then shoving it in the river.

[Blade]

Sounds like the threaded female sleeve which the cap head screw, screws into is turning in the rubber housing for want of a better explanation.

If you cant pull them out without damage can you cut the capheads off and push the other part through until it falls out freely.

[Blade]

I don't thing he will need a cobolt drill bit as there not 12.9 high tensile cap heads there just m5 alloy capheads by the sounds of above.

[kiwikrasher]

from experience if the screws are spinning you are going to have buckley's of drilling them out, as soon as the drill starts to bite the screw will just spin, heat up and start melting your bodywork.

As Deegee said your best bet is getting some pull force on it and then trying to unscrew it (I know you've tried to pull them but don't know if you have tried to spin it as you did it)

Or just burn it