Fitting Brush Guards. How do you get the existing bar weight inserts out???

[Bruno]

I have just bought a pair of brush guards from Zen Overland and had a go at fitting them to my Varadero this morning. Unscrewed the bar weights without a problem but I am buggered if I can get the original inserts out. These need to be replaced with the set that came with the guards as the screw thread size is larger than the existing. I take it that the originals can be removed as fitting after market guards is a common mod.
Any ideas how to get the old inserts out? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers Brian.

[Mike54]

screw the bols back into the insert a little then it's mole grips and plenty of GRRRRR. If they're seized in give it a good dosing of WD the night before you do it. If you don't have any luck with that heat the bar with a heat gun (careful) then keep on trying. The bar should expand a little and free the insert.

[KTMBLAG]

You need to out the bolts back in a few threads then tap in with a soft hammer. They work on a wedge and pulling the bolt will only make it tighter if you've not released the wedge first

[herman]

Sometimes laying the bike on it's side and tapping after releasing them works but as its a vara I would recommend a couple of mates to help.

[gsdman]

If there like the old RD04 ones there is a small hole on the underside of the handlebar, obviously when the grips have been removed push a small driver or punch in and apply pressure at the same time pull the bar end.

[bladesman]

I used an impact driver on my Z1000,cheers,Bladesman.