Ducati Monster Forum

2005 Monster 620 - Woodcraft Clip-Ons 3" rise - Speedymoto Top Triple. The two outside facing bolts on the clip-on fork mounts are obviously easy to tighten but the two inside are almost impossible when positioned as desired due to the wiring harness that is welded to the frame and sits under the top-triple. (not the smaller wiring harness that is easy to move but the slightly larger one that the headlight brackets attache to. I got all four bolts reasonably close to the same tightness where I could still move them, then spun them around to where I wanted them and torqued the outside two. They seem tight enough but I want to see if anyone else ran in to this and how you handled it. Is this an okay approach? I worry since I'm not tightening the inside bolts to torque spec I'm kind of relying on the outside bolts. Kinda nervous about this. Please help. :-\

Take off the light assembly?

My gripe with the woodcrafts was that the bolt heads seemed to be stripping when I was bringing them up to full torque...I considered putting higher grade fastners in.  I agree with Raux though, get that headlight out of the way and alternate inside to outside till they are all spec'd.  Of all the things I wouldnt want to come loose when riding, braking hard, etc, the bars are listed right after my wheels.

fasteners are pretty good. it's my shit tools that cause my issues

Ah.  Noted.  But hard bolts are still cheaper than a new set of hex drivers...

Headlight removed, headlight bracket removed but I dont see how I can possibly torque the inside bolts due to the tight space. Whats blocking it is the thicker U-shaped harness that the two pins from the top triple slide in to and the headlight bracket bolts on to. It looks like it bolts on at the bottom triple but getting it removed would also mean taking off the top triple I just put on with the clip-ons  [bang]. WTF!! I know people rave about not having to remove the top triple when putting on these woodcraft cilp-ons due to the two piece clamps how the hell do they tighten them??  ???

are you using extensions on your socket? maybe pics would help us see what you are describing.

working on pics but this is the piece that is preventing me from tightening. As stated I can remove it but I'll have to take the top triple off since the two pins that stick out of the bottom of the top triple slide on top of this piece.

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/tmeiners/1997_DUCATI_MONSTER_900_V-013300_-_Headlight_Stay_Brac_005.jpg (http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/tmeiners/1997_DUCATI_MONSTER_900_V-013300_-_Headlight_Stay_Brac_005.jpg)

Everything is put back together so its hard to get a good pic.

I do have one pic left over from when I was installing the top triple that shows the tight space:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/7698078106_5d26d3bcd3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698078106/)
tight-space (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698078106/#) by ricknieto (http://www.flickr.com/people/65036619@N04/), on Flickr

Here's a pic looking down through the top triple at the inside Clip-on Bolt thats hard to tighten you can see the limited space:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7698077712_491424345a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698077712/)
clip-on-bolt (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698077712/#) by ricknieto (http://www.flickr.com/people/65036619@N04/), on Flickr

Here's a pic from the front facing the bike you cant see the inside clip-on bolt but I pointed out the headlight bracket bolt that attaches to the U-Bracket which about 2 inches away from the clip-on bolt head.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7698077360_0c923c478c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698077360/)
headlight-bracket-blocking (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/7698077360/#) by ricknieto (http://www.flickr.com/people/65036619@N04/), on Flickr

Take off headlight.
Discoonect turn signals & sensors
Take the U-bracket completely off. Leave the headlight/turn signal brackets on the U-bracket.
Tighten clip-ons.
Reattach U-bracket assembly.
Connect turn signals & sensors.
Reattach headlight. (This may take a while).

You may also have to lower your headlight brackets.
Search for 'lowering headlight' on the forum.

yeah I was afraid I would have no choice but to remove the U-Bracket. Just didnt want to have to take off the top-triple I just put on but better safe than sorry.

wait... I thought the U bracket comes off on it's own... just unbolt and slide down?

Correct.
Remove the two bolts that mount the U-bracket on the bottom triple and pull down and towards you.

when i installed my woodcrafts i removed everything up there. had no issues.
they are good bars, i love mine.
i like the look of all those fasteners and shit, makes it look very mechanical and intimidating.

New Top Triple came off nice and easy and then I didnt even need to completely remove the U Bracket I just loosened the bolts and it easily bent out of the way so I could torque the Clip-on bolts. Unfortunately when putting everything back together one of the rubber dampers with the two bolts sticking out of it that sit between the top triple and the gauges had a bolt break off of it so I'm off to the Duc shop to pick up another one for $5. Besides that everything seems to look good. On a side note I did have to take a Dremel to one of my Hex Keys to have it short enough to tighten the center bolt on the top triple. That worked like a charm and may come in handy in the future. Thanks for all the suport!

The U-bracket can be taken off without removing the top triple, and the top triple can be removed with the gauges attached (so you don't have to mess with the vibration isolators).

IMO: The more you unnecessarily fiddle-fcuk with things, the more you present opportunities for breaking thing.

ain't the the damn truth.

Interesting