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dropped a bolt - can't find it :-(

4K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  YankeeRon 
#1 ·
So, I was putting the GPS prep cradle back on after adding bar risers and I dropped one of the bolts. Of course, it went down the rabbit hole into the innards of the bike where I can't get to it. I saw it at first, but couldn't get it and all my fiddling just put it farther out of reach (and stainless isn't magnetic - arrgggh!). Anyway, I'm considering just leaving it there and replacing it with a new bolt. I don't think it can do any harm as there really aren't any moving parts other than the fan (and it's not up there), and I can't imagine with what it could interfere (also, I'm really not eager to tear everything down to get it). Thoughts?

Ron
 
#11 · (Edited)
Or just give it a shake and it might drop out. It’s what I do to get the water out of nooks and crannies after a wash.

I normally use a towel - oh, sorry, Pz - I thought you meant after washing yourself!

I once dropped a double-ended ring spanner into the bike (Yamaha MT-09), and although I could see one end sticking-up failed in attempts to retrieve it and eventually it lodged completely out of sight.. It was fortunately not a large spanner, maybe 6" long at most, and pretty slim, but it caused some anxiety until I forgot all about it. I bet it's still in there, owned now by ANOther...
 
#6 ·
It truly sucks when a 30 minute job turns into a 4-hour ordeal when you have to look for a dropped bolt. I've dropped a virtual hardware store's worth of nuts, bolts, and screws into the unknown over the years and never had a problem crop up later. Work all the controls to check for interference and you should be OK. I learned after many years (I'm slow to catch on) to put a towel under what I'm working on to catch the hardware.
 
#10 ·
Thanks all - tried the air gun and the Panzermann shake (what little I could do of that), both to no avail. So, I think I'm going to leave it alone for now. It really offends the OCD part of me to have a loose part down in there, but I'm sure I'll get over it soon. Next time, however, I'll definitely be employing RR's towel solution.

Ron
 
#14 ·
Perhaps the errant bolt may be recoverable by using a good dollop of Bluetac wrapped around the end of a long wooden dowel or stick if you can still see the bolt buried deep in the bike's nether regions? Push the Bluetac on to the visible part of the bolt and it may stick to it and be extractable... ya feelin' lucky punk?
 
#19 ·
Try looking in the left side of the starter motor cover. Maybe your bolt pachinko'd it's way down there. The starter has a nice long groove on the inside of the bike that grommets, washers, screws like to nestle into. Lost my rubber grommet to my battery cover there and it took a long wire with a small bend at the end to blindly rake it forward. I was very lucky that day...
 
#21 ·
Double-Sided Super Sticky tape on a flexible plastic stick; like a long zip tie.

Shove it down there and see what sticks.

Or

Powerful vacuum, with a MacGyvered flexible tube, Suck that sucker outta there. Then fish it out of the vacuum tank or bag.

Or
A flexible grabber. slender flexible grbber - Google Search
 
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