765 Street Triple R - Lost Bolt!

I have removed the rear footpegs and fitted the Evotech blanking plates but needed to fit an additional plate between the Evotech plates and the subframe for my Ventura luggage rack. So battery out and I removed the blanking plate bolts. Except that the forward bolt on the right hand side fell away from me and I’m sure I heard it clang against the ally exhaust cover and expected to see it on the floor.

Nope, nowhere to be seen. I removed the hugger, hadn’t been trapped in the rear shock spring coils, peered and felt in every nook and cranny I could. I wondered if, somehow it had dropped into the silencer. So of with the exhaust giving a good shake, no rattles, even removed the ally heat shield, still nothing. Put the bike on track stands so that I could crawl underneath it and look up, still nothing. I even got my borescope on the job, zilch.

By this time I had given it up as lost, never to be seen again. My main concern was if it would, somehow get trapped between the drive chain and the gearbox sprocket. I wondered if leaning the bike over might at least make it move and give me a clue. Left hand, nothing. Right hand, no further than leaning to the left on the prop stand and I heard it drop on the floor. Where the bloody thing came to rest is a complete mystery.

It would seem that somewhere underneath our Street Triples there is a black hole.

 

Do you know where it was lodged? I never did find where mine hid, probably a case of can’t see for looking. The old 10 mm socket syndrome.