Brake stopper bolt

[tommyr]

Has anyone who removed the exhaust to take off the rear tire actually removed the brake stopper bolt completely from the swingarm?
i know the muffler is in the way of taking it completely out, but I found it next to impossible to get it out far enough to get the caliper out
of the way to remove the rear tire. The bolt is only threaded close to the head, and once all the threads are out of the swingarm, it seems like the part of the bolt that is still on the inside of the swingarm is a 'smidge' larger than the hole, making it close to impossible to get the bolt head close enough to the muffler to actually get the caliper off of it. Anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it?
I was able to get it out far enough, but ended up beating on it from the other side (with a piece of wood) to get clearance.

 

[ARKNT]

I wonder if that stopper bolt can get a little deformed or bent in use. Others have reported a hard time I believe. I have never pulled the muffler and there is room on mine to get the clearance for caliper removal. There may be slight differences in muffler clearance on different bikes depending on head pipes and how it is clamped up.
My stopper bolt has always come out. I rotate with a wrench and pull at the same time. Not much extra clearance but it will come out OK till it hits the muffler.

Brad

 

[Woodaddict]

the last muffler bolt is right on rear footpeg. I reach thru triangle opening with 10mm box wrench, use hex wrench on outside, loosen nut almost off. then move that stopper bolt just out far enough to slide caliper out. I leave axle bolt in till I know stopper bolt clears, then take out axle, after pushing up caliper, rotating caliper backwards

 

[tommyr]

Thanks for the replies so far. I was able to get the caliper out (it was a struggle) but where it really got hung up was trying to get the tire out. The bolt just would not move toward the muffler enough to clear the tire sidewall. Trying to get something in there to beat it out farther was a challenge (and I had to beat on it HARD to get it to move at all). It sounds like (so far) the bolt moves OK in and out of the swingarm for you guys.
ARKNT might be onto something with it getting bent. That would certainly account for it not wanting to move in and out, or twist for that matter.

 

[rc_heli_nut]

Sounds like some corrosion is built up between the bolt and the swingarm. Check for that, clean it up as best you can, and apply some anti-seize to the bolt prior to reassembly. If the corrosion is really bad, remove the muffler to get the bolt out all the way so you can clean it, and the hole in the swingarm.

Brad

 

[DirtFlier]

All I do is remove the muffler hanger nut that is behind the right saddlebag, then undo the exhaust pipe mounting bolt that is just behind the engine. That will allow you to pull the muffler out far enough so the stopper bolt will clear the brake caliper mount.

 

[WVRider]

All I do is remove the muffler hanger nut that is behind the right saddlebag, then undo the exhaust pipe mounting bolt that is just behind the engine. That will allow you to pull the muffler out far enough so the stopper bolt will clear the brake caliper mount.

This is the same thing I do. A note also, I always put a graphite based anti-seize on all those bolts so they are not so hard to get out next time.

 

[DirtFlier]

That brake stopper bolt has huge threads (maybe 14 mm?) and when you think about it, it can't really unthread itself and fall out since it runs into the inside edge of the muffler quickly and at that point, it's still holding the brake caliper bracket. The bracket & caliper are mainly secured by the rear axle and the stopper bolt is only preventing the caliper bracket from turning.

I've been making it only hand tight and not worrying about it. No use making it really tight because you're just making more work for yourself the next time!

 

[rc_heli_nut]

To service the brake stopper bolt, get a 3/8 wobble extension and one of these:

Sunex Tools 3/8 Drive 14 mm Fully Polished Flare Nut Crowfoot Wrench SUN971014 - The Home Depot

This is a 3/8 in. crowfoot wrench. It is 14 mm. It is the flare nut design.

www.homedepot.com

Brad

 

[DirtFlier]

In the service manual it gives the torque of the brake stopper bolt as 66 ft-lbs, just a few pounds below the rear axle nut! I had to remove the rear wheel of Deb's NT in a hotel parking lot because of tire failure and was happy I didn't make it that tight.

Someone mentioned using a crow's foot adapter to get at the bolt which in theory is fine but I have to wonder how well it would work with a 3/8" extension and ratchet in the equation. Perhaps too much wobble to undo such a tight bolt? I've used those adapters but never for something as tight as the brake stopper bolt since breakaway torque of often much higher than the torque initially applied. When I have to undo that bolt, I always use a long-handled 14 mm box wrench and if it's stubborn, help it along with a brass hammer.