2002 R1150GS.
It seems I may have damaged the threads when attempting to refit the bolt when fitting my new-to-me rear mudguard. The bolt turned easily for one 360-degree rotation, but then went quite tight, so I backed off and tried again, with the same result. When I removed my broken mudguard a couple of weeks ago, I fitted this bolt into the same hole (so as not to lose it while waiting for my new-to-me mudguard to arrive) and it went in all the way with average resistance.
So...
Is this bolt-hole (circled in red in the attached pic) blanked or is it an open hole into the FD casing? If it's a hole, I obviously have to get it sorted somehow - how?
If it's blanked, might I get away with relying on just the other two mudguard mounting bolts (circled in green in the attached pic), and leaving that third bolt to retire in my tool box?
The bolt is unmarked - no evidence of having been damaged or even forced, but I can see fresh shiny aluminium for the first 2 threads in the bolt-hole, which I'm seeing as evidence of me cross-threading the bolt. Seems like the bolt steel is way harder than the FD housing aluminium.
TIA.
It seems I may have damaged the threads when attempting to refit the bolt when fitting my new-to-me rear mudguard. The bolt turned easily for one 360-degree rotation, but then went quite tight, so I backed off and tried again, with the same result. When I removed my broken mudguard a couple of weeks ago, I fitted this bolt into the same hole (so as not to lose it while waiting for my new-to-me mudguard to arrive) and it went in all the way with average resistance.
So...
Is this bolt-hole (circled in red in the attached pic) blanked or is it an open hole into the FD casing? If it's a hole, I obviously have to get it sorted somehow - how?
If it's blanked, might I get away with relying on just the other two mudguard mounting bolts (circled in green in the attached pic), and leaving that third bolt to retire in my tool box?
The bolt is unmarked - no evidence of having been damaged or even forced, but I can see fresh shiny aluminium for the first 2 threads in the bolt-hole, which I'm seeing as evidence of me cross-threading the bolt. Seems like the bolt steel is way harder than the FD housing aluminium.
TIA.