I have a 53 plate Dragstar 1100, and am finding every bolt I try to remove, to fit saddlebags for example but the hex heads on the bolts are soft.  So much so that I am finding them rounding off before I can loosen them.

having to use my dremel to square the top then replace them. Is this common ? 

 

 

Obvious question but are you using decent quality spanners/sockets?

Unless the Bolts/Nuts are not original Yamaha parts you should not have any problems if using the correct sized tools.

Also I only ever use 6 sided sockets the twelve point ones are not ideal for getting the best fit on a bolt head or nut.

Thanks Campaman I think it's mostly after market stuff, like the sissy bar, the problems are only with the Allen key type bolts.

A couple of tips:

Try soaking the bolts/screws with Plusgas first, let it soak in to ease the threads

Try easing the bolt/screws both ways a little, sometime its just enough to crack the seal

If a socket cap screw/bolt socket is rounded, you can sometimes get em out by tapping into the worn socket, a torx key, just so big that as you tap it in, its cuts into the socket to give a nice tight fit

When re-fitting, remeber to use a little copper grease. Makes it easier next time