Well I went to change my oil tonite so I could replace the crap oil filter I bought not even 500 miles ago .  The filter wasnt' so bad, but the O-ring was crap so there was oil seeping out around the cover.  Well I dropped the pipe ( I have a V&H) and started to undo the drain plug and it spun free.  I must ahve crossthreaded it last time around.  So I dropped the oil pan and the threads are completely gone.

So does anyone have a spare they'd be willing to part with?

Here's an image from bikebandit  for those who are reading and may not know what I'm talking about



Anyway, now I'm Pi$$ed because tomorrow I start back to work full time and I'm gonna get screwed on parking. The bike is free, cars are anywhere between 5 and 20 a day.  

Srinath I hope you have an extra.

By the way my bike is a 96 if that makes a difference.

thanks :x
Jake

Dont't panic.  You are not the first to do this.
Trust me, you don't need a new pan.
I don't know what the exact solution is with the GS but
I'll bet someone will give you a solution in the next hour.

Try his link

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5592&highlight=oil+pan

I tapped it with an NPT 1/2" pipe tap and used a pipe plug... works perfect. Probably could use 3/8" even, but I couldnt find the tap.....

hey I think I still got a extra one, I won't be able to check untill tomarrow though.  I am about 90% shure though that I still got one.

i thought about tapping it, but I'm not the most handy with a tap and I've never tried tapping aluminum before, I'm afraid f ending up with a hole the size of a coke can.

jake

well if you're gonna get a new one anyway you could try tapping the old one first.... use a 3/8" tap, that way if you f up,  there still a chance to tap w/ 1/2"

are taps for aluminum any different than normal taps?

Quote from: BadBatzMaruI tapped it with an NPT 1/2" pipe tap and used a pipe plug... works perfect. Probably could use 3/8" even, but I couldnt find the tap.....

Yes I did it too, to a Kawi ex 500... the taps and plugs are tapered... so be careful.
Cool.
Srinath.

well my father in law and I are gonna give it a shot tonite.  He has all the tools ( the man has one of everythign I swear).  The gasket looks pretty good, iit came off attached to the oil pan and there's no tears and it doesn't seem too brittle so I dont' think i'm gonna replace it if i dont' have to.

Any other suggestions?

thanks

Jake

yeah like srinath said, be careful cause NPT plugs and taps are tapered... in other words, you dont need to drive the tap all the way through the pan. Just do like 6 or 8 rotations so you have that many threads, and check with the plug before you continue... if you go too far you might end up w/ a problem.  Should be enough that the tip of the plug is coming through the pan.  Also do the tapping by hand. And drill it out before this with the appropriate size bit (you probably know this but just writing it down anyway)  
mmm lets see anything else? no i think thats it...   When you plug it back up you can use a little bit of teflon tape for good measure...  oh yeah, one thing, be careful about what kind of plug you are using. The only plug I found was stainless steel so its heavy and could screw up the aluminum if I crossthread it or whatever... so I'd try to find an aluminum plug, but if you cant, just take it easy and you'll be ok.
good luck!!!

QuoteAny other suggestions?

Yeah, you need a Heli-coil to restore the pan to like-new condition.  Since it's not cost effective to buy a kit for one repair, I suggest you take your pan and shop a few dealerships or indie for a repair estimate.  They should have what you need.

If the estimate is more than 20.00, forget it. :nana:

I got one estimate for helicoil today for 30bucks.  Brand new pan is only 45.

Jake

Nope cant helicoil it. The pan is only like a 1/8th or somehting thick. Helicoils are a good 1/2 inch long.
Cool.
Srinath.

well we're gonna try and tap tonite, davipu said he was gonna check and see if he had an extra one.  If all else fails it's only 45 new.

jake