G'day, I own a GS500F 08' and recently someone has tried to steal it by shoving a flathead screw driver down the ignition cylinder and has snapped the screwdriver inside. Leaving my steering stuck in the lock position . I'm trying to remove the Cylinder and ignition switch. I've taken off the side and front fairings to get access to the ignition cylinder/switch and now i'm stuck. I can see the bolts I have to remove, they look like they would come out using a socket wrench and I used a 4mm socket (would be about 1/6inch) but that doesn't seem to do the trick. any help is Appreciated as I have to get it off the street ASAP. All I can do at the moment is push it around in circles.

Cheers 

Those bolts are meant to not be removable (unless they have changed them in recent years). What I have had to do in is use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to cut a slot in the top of the bolt and then use a screwdriver to take them out. It is easiest to do this if you remove the top triple clamp from the bike (which you may not be able to do with the steering lock engaged).

The bolts are a TORX bolt. The Clymer manual has detailed instructions on removing it. Haynes manual just says remove the torx bolts.

I have never been able to get it out based on the instructions but then I didn't have the torx wrench required.

I have seen some removed by cutting in from the side to cut off the bolts holding it in.

Unfortunately, that's not easy to remove the top plate while locked. You may have to settle for destroying it and get a replacement top triple plate for $10 or so.

When I need to replace one, I remove and toss the top plate away with the bad lock in it. Then I get a replacement triple top plate that someone has already removed the ignition lock from and install a new lock.

Welcome to the Site

Maybe as you are doing yours, you can cake pics to help others out next time?

This is the fastening in question, you need a female TORX socket to remove it.....cant remember which size though 

This chart might help......... NOTE female sockets are prefixed with an E

http://www.wihatools.com/Marketing/torxspec.htm

Quote from: ReefRider on January 20, 2013, 11:40:26 PM
All I can do at the moment is push it around in circles.

Cheers 

Borrow a skateboard and............

Since the lock is trashed anyways, try drilling out the center. Free it up so that you can get the steering lock out. Then remove the top triple/top plate. I just had to remove my ignition to swap front ends. I used a hand impact driver and a 4mm socket on the torx bolts. Hand impact drivers are very handy and only cost 10 bucks at advanced auto. The bolts will be trashed but you should use some new philips heads to mount the ignition anyways.
Hope this helps.

Get a bigger screwdriver, hammer it in, and break it out of steering lock, and work from there.

Our ignitions aren't exactly the pinnacle of anti-theft.

Thanks for the advice, I'll attempt taking off the top triple plate this weekend (when I have time) and go from there I suppose. Sorry couldn't add pics due to me moving and most of my things are packed in boxes. also working with limited resources, i'll contact the one person I know in the area and see what tools I can borrow. I'll dig around for the camera and take photos as I go along and re-post. phone camera is busted so can't use it.

Cheers. 

Well... I assume the broken piece is wedged in there somewhat tight... the question is how tight.

Did you consider trying a broken key extractor before tearing everything down?

One issue is the steering lock is going from the lock into the frame steering column.
You might try removing the broken piece and use a really strong steel thingy and really force that sucker unlocked.
Thinking about it, if locked, I do not thing the top triple can come off.
Maybe you can get the key to work if you can get that screwdriver out of there.
You may have to drill through the lock to get it unlocked in order to get it off. Then get a new lock and a new top triple.
Your handlebar top plate will not be damaged - it is a separate thingy.

Quote from: Badot on January 24, 2013, 01:55:55 PM
Well... I assume the broken piece is wedged in there somewhat tight... the question is how tight.

Did you consider trying a broken key extractor before tearing everything down?

The broken piece is jammed in there, almost half way down the cylinder. I can't afford to go and buy any tools at the moment and as I said earlier I recently moved so I don't have access to my dads power tools.

Quote from: adidasguy on January 24, 2013, 02:19:19 PM
Maybe you can get the key to work if you can get that screwdriver out of there.
You may have to drill through the lock to get it unlocked in order to get it off.

I could try and get a screw driver and hammer it down further don't know what that will do. I've started to dismantle the bike so far I've taken off the side/front fairings and the tacho/speedometer to get better access to the triple plate and ignition cylinder. (the corrosion and rust on all the nuts and bolts don't make it easy)

I have photos but I can't seem to upload photos, don't know whats going on. I'm using image shack but the pics won't come up on the forum.

Quote from: ReefRider on January 24, 2013, 08:22:21 PMThe broken piece is jammed in there, almost half way down the cylinder. I can't afford to go and buy any tools at the moment and as I said earlier I recently moved so I don't have access to my dads power tools.

Or you could just make one... street sweeper bristles you find on the side of the road hammered flat and layered work great. The metal strips out of old wiper blades work well too. Give them a good temper and/or case harden each layer and they'll be just as good or better than any tool you could buy.