| Zero Mile Journey Report |
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Sometimes words can't accurately describe reactions so I think I will just use these emoticons to reflect how I felt after
I saw what was causing the resistance:
C'mon, this isn't a pretty sight, huh?
You may notice the bolt doesn't thread completely, but it's not supposed to in your hand since the last few threads expand and lock into place when installed. By the way, there is a 4 minute official Time-Sert repair video on YouTube for those that are interested. That video can be found: HERE.
While I have complete confidence in Odell, I will admit I was a nervous freakin' wreck watching this take place!
Another counterbore shot:
It's getting there....
Hey Odell, before you start that tappin' thing let me take a photo (and another deep breathe):
Ready to install the actual insert:
Here's what the knight in shining armor rides (and races):
Oh, what a soothing sight this is...
The new Honda Civic drain bolt screwed in “smooth as buttah”:
AGirl
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I've posted a plethora of “Journey Reports” here on my SeizeTheJourney website. Some cover quite a few miles such
as the 15,000 mile jaunt to 
A few days ago I changed the oil on my Suzuki V-Strom DL1000 (aka “Strom”). My first clue that this oil change was unlike
the 28 that preceded it (yes, I've got a few miles on the bike) came while I was unscrewing the oil drain bolt and I felt
more resistance than usual. I was a bit confused but didn't see any reason to be overly concerned. Maybe a “real”
mechanic would have had different thoughts but mine was simply “Hmmm, that's odd”.
After draining all the oil and replacing the oil filter, I added a new crush washer to the oil drain bolt (as I always do)
and proceeded to thread the drain bolt back in by hand. I encountered more resistance, which caused my level of
concern to grow.
I took the bolt out so I could take a close look at the drain hole which produced this sight (and I'm fairly confident a
skipped heartbeat or two!):
Let me say that I would much rather ride my motorcycles than work on them (seriously, I know people who I think the
reverse holds true!) and that my mechanical skills and experience are significantly less or significantly greater
depending on who I'm being compared to (c'mon, it's all relative!). No, this isn't a gender issue as I know
men who couldn't locate the spark plugs on their bike and I know women who can assemble an entire engine. As
for me, I do basic maintenance/swap parts on my own bikes but for complicated and intimidating stuff I call in the
calvary, which means a few friends of mine who are really, really mechanically inclined. I will do almost
anything NOT to put my bikes in the hands of the monkey wrenches found at dealerships (aka “stealerships”).
As I laid under the Strom trying to process the reality of what was before my eyes, I wasn't sure whether to scream
or cry (or do both!)... so I decided instead to reach for my phone on the ground beside me and call my buddy Odell,
who thankfully wasn't out riding his own motorcycle. Odell listened to my yelping “HOLY CRAP MY BIKE IS SCREWED
UP!” story and then calmly replied as if the problem was as simple as adding more air in the tires: “Yo, AGirl, no problem,
we can easily fix it.” I think I might have scared the neighbors with my celebratory “WOO-HOO!!” reaction to Odell's
confidence though I had no clue what the solution might actually entail. Odell told me that we'd need to “retap the
hole and buy a kit that fit the V-Strom” in order to do so. During my subsequent and extensive research, I learned
more than I ever cared to know about repairing stripped threads and I was comforted by the fact that a stripped oil drain
plug is not an uncommon occurrence in things with engines. After reading about various solutions and discussing
options, I elected to do a “Time-Sert” repair, which involves an aircraft grade steel insert (meaning there will never,
ever be any more threads crumbling out the oil drain hole in the future!).
The next issue proved to be finding the Time-Sert kit. I made some phone calls locally to see where I could obtain
the correct sized kit but much to my surprise I couldn't find anyone in the 5th largest freakin' city in the US
(Phoenix, AZ) who stocked any sizes of the dang kits! Some folks had never even heard of a TimeSert repair. No
motorcycle shop, no auto parts store, not even Napa had kits in stock. I was told I could order one but that it'd
take 5 or more business days to arrive. Ugh. I didn't have several days as I was changing the oil in the first
place for an upcoming out of state ride. Ordering from on-line vendors wasn't proving any quicker either so I decided to
look on eBay. Not only did I find a seller who was offering Time-Sert kits, but he listed his location as
“Arizona.” I shot him an email saying I was in Phoenix and was there any chance he'd let me come pick up the kit
from wherever he was in the Grand Canyon State. For the second time that day I think I scared my neighbors when I
uttered a victorious “WOOT!” after reading his reply email to me: “Hi AGirl, oddly enough, I'll be driving down to Phoenix
tomorrow and would be glad to meet you somewhere with the Time-Sert kit you need.”
I couldn't believe it! In a matter of hours I'd gone from feeling helpless looking at pieces of aluminum crumbling
from my bike to feeling confident (and lucky) that the bike would be back on the road soon. The next day I met “John”
the eBay seller “
Let me say should you also find yourself needing a Time-Sert repair kit that John is your man and he can be reached at
1-877-591-3770. Now, for those who are really taking notes I'll mention that my V-Strom's OEM (stock) oil drain
bolt size is M14 x 1.25 (or 14mmx1.25). That latter number (bolt pitch) is a common size for motorcycles but is
not a commonly stocked size for a thread repair kit. Time-Sert makes the exact size but I would have to make a
special order from them which would mean more wait time. After a bit of research and cross-referencing as well
as guidance from those really mechanically inclined friends of mine, it was determined that a drain bolt from a Honda
Civic (yeah, a car) would fit perfectly into my V-Strom and the 14mmx1.5 Time-Sert insert. After meeting John
and getting the kit I needed, I headed over to the Honda car dealership (on my Honda CBR motorcycle no less
)
to obtain my V-Strom's new drain bolt. The new Honda plug is part # 90009-PY3-000 for those who'd like to make
a note thereby avoiding the very strange looks from the guys at your local Honda automobile Parts Department when you
go to obtain the Civic drain bolt for your motorcycle.
New Honda bolt is pictured on the left, the Strom's old Suzuki one on the right:
Concerning the exact Time-Sert kit, I chose kit 1415A for my specific application:
Here is what the new bolt with the new insert looks like.... kinda pretty, eh?:
Once I had the TimeSert kit and the new drain bolt I went over to show Odell to make sure everything was good to go
and we (um, HE) would be ready to do surgery on the Strom. He said everything looked good but said there was
one issue... that he didn't have a big enough tap wrench to accommodate the large counterbore and tap that came in
the Time-Sert kit. 
He told me he'd never seen anyone so enthused about a tool and I told him he had no idea what kind of rollercoaster
regarding tools and parts I'd been on in the last 24 hours. Within 15 minutes I had the correct size tap wrench for
the job in my hands then called Odell and made a plan to meet him after he got off work to FINALLY get this done.
Surgery on the Strom commences with drilling (nope, the talented don't need much room to work
):
For those who understand, the Strom doesn't have a oil drain pan (yeah, you have to replace the entire engine casing
should the drain bolt be irreparable---eek!).
I got so nervous seeing silver pieces falling from my bike that I decided I should probably stand up and take a few
more deep breathes. (Note the size of the tap wrench):
A few spins of the tap wrench then Odell got a big smile on his face and softly proclaimed “All done”. This
prompted, shall we say, quite the energetic and booming celebration from me! (I think I pulled a hamstring).
I definitely didn't pass up the opportunity to get a photo with my bud to remember the occasion (not that I could ever
forget this journey of zero miles!):
THANKS A MILLION, ODELL!!! YOU ROCK!!!
Besides Odell, I'd like to thank Bill at Time-Sert's technical support (1-800-423-4070) for his help and for patiently
answering all my phone and email questions. I was thoroughly impressed with the level of customer service I received
and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Time-Sert product to anyone.
UPDATE: After taking the Strom on a spirited 200 mile jaunt down the Apache Trail (report can be found:
