busted the bracket that holds on the engine guard cover

Been servicing my 2005 ST for a few weeks,brake fluid change, clutchfluid, collant, rear preload, no hurry just taking my time. When i went to remove the left side cowl, i found that the hex bolt that is underneath and holds on the engine guard cover was stuck fast and the hex key was slipping when i tried to turn it. i have the MCL hwy pegs and the covers were already kind of cracked and beat up so i broke them off and removed the cowl.

This weekend i removed the guard with the hex bolt still stuck in the retained nut. I also noticed that the weld on that tab that attaches it to the guard was tearing and would limit how much force i could exert. I heated the hex bolt up with a propane torch and got it to come out but, you guessed it, the tab gave up and fell on the floor....aaaahhh!

I don't have access to welding gear so i cannot reattach it. The way i see it i have two options, look for a used one on ebay or ask the collective wisdom of this board to see if anyone has run into the same issue and how they finagled a solution!

Hopefully somebody has already done something that might help.

Thanks
Blair

J-B Weld

Just unbolt the assembly and take it to a welding shop for a quick spot weld.

W_A_R_N_I_N_G

IF you decide to buy on ebay! You need to be aware that most of those aren't worth anything! If there is any mark on the end where the tipovers hit when the bike does down, the tabs at the rear of the tipover bar bend! When they bend, and IF you can get your plastic to line up, it will stress your plastic and could cause it to crack or break.

This tab should lay perfectly flat! See how it comes up off the ground? So be aware when you buy a used one!



Also, notice how much it was ground down? And the Bike wrecking yards sell them like there's noting wrong with them!

One other thing, before you take yours in and have it welded, make sure the threads weren't cross threaded!

Another example:

Agree with Sabre that the guard frame deforms pretty easily... Mine bent with just a tip over. IMO, better off replacing it for $73 (Partzilla). 64216-MCS-G00 GUARD, L. ENGINE

Thanks all, I agree with Suprasabre's comments, the ones on Ebay all show varying levels of road rash and were not that cheap either. I'll go the JB weld route first of all and if that's a fail then i'll send Partzilla some more of my money. Fortunately i don't think the threaded hole is stripped and once i got heat on the hex bolt it unscrewed easily. It may have corroded in place and that's why it was such a pain to remove.