2021 MT-07 Shift Pedal Assembly

[MeisterBehr]

TL;DR: I hit a patch of gravel when making a turn at ~7mph and bike slid ~5ft on the side with the Shift Pedal Assembly.

Damage To Bike: Mostly cosmetic, but the shift pedal is now bent parallel to the bike instead of perpendicular.

 

Trying to get the shift pedal assembly off, but I CANNOT for the life of me figure out how to take this bolt out. I have what I believe to be the correct sized Allen wrench. The bolt is starting to strip, and I don't want to attempt anything else until I figure out what it is that I'm doing wrong. I can't find anything on the internet to figure it out.

 

Is there a piece that I have to take off before the bolt will come loose? I already have the back pedal and footrest off of the bike.

The bolt is #36 in the diagram shown.

 

Thank you in advance!

Edited September 26, 2021 by MeisterBehr
Added Picture

[Triple Jim]

If it's like everything else I've taken off my 2020, it has thread locker on it and it's very hard to get started turning.  You could try heating it, since thread lockers like Loctite soften with heat.

[ElGonzales]

I wanted to write exactly the same
(by the way, I hate those big headed screws with much torque and threadlocker but with tiny tiny hex key size)

[MeisterBehr]

Thank you for the replies! I will give this a shot when I can. For now, though, I temporarily fixed the issue by taking the piece off and bent the pedal knob out. It isn't perfect, but it works. Also allowed me to go ahead and shorten the Shift Lever Rod so that I can get my foot under the knob easier.

[kspjk]

I don’t have an MT07 yet, so take my advice with a pinch of salt as the anatomy of the parts and the way they’re put together can change how you tackle problems like this. I had this exact problem with my Harley Sportster and managed to get the bolt out using a torx bit (read on).

Have a look at the other end of that bolt. Is there an e-clip/circlip securing it on the other end? Could it (for a reason I can’t think of) be a left handed thread?

I’d first soak the bolt with a penetrant several times and leave it overnight. Spray it from the head end as well as the threaded end (if it’s exposed on the other side).

Then as previous replies have said, try using heat to help soften any thread locker on it.

After soaking and heating, ONLY if the allen bit (try to use a T handle or a ratchet with a good quality bit instead of an L-shaped allen key) can still get a good purchase on the allen hole on the bolt, give it a gentle try while pushing the bit firmly into the bolt. If in doubt don’t try to turn it as every failed attempt will make further attempts more difficult.

If the allen hole is stripped quite a bit and the above doesn’t seem feasible, try using an AF/imperial allen bit that’s a bit larger than the metric allen hole on the bolt and see if it fits better.

If that’s still a no go, you could try using a torx bit that is just a little larger than the allen hole, aligning the pointy extrusions of the torx bit with the “corners” of the allen hole. Hammer in the torx bit as far into the allen hole as possible. Then give it a try.

In my case, I took the whole footrest/shifter assembly off the Sportster frame, and clamped it on a vice. This is because I found it very difficult to get a firm contact between the bit and the bolt while it was attached to the bike leaning on the side stand, while the shifter mechanism was trying to turn as I tried to torque the bolt out. So consider (if possible) removing the footrest/shifter assembly off the bike and securing it firmly before you attempt to turn that bolt. I also used a wood working quick grip clamp to force the ratchet and the bolt together before turning the ratchet. Once that bolt starts to turn, loosen the clamp gradually as you turn the ratchet, otherwise you can break the head off the bolt.

Just go gentle and be patient. Don’t use too much force as you can snap the head off the bolt completely and you end up with a situation where you have to use a stud extractor. 

Good luck