Crank case dowels

I need to do some machining to the left side crankcase on my 850, and those pesky locating dowels make it difficult to fixture the case. They seem to be pressed in there tightly. Has anyone successfully removed them without destroying them, or should I just hack them with vice grips and get new ones?

Thanks

If you heat the case as you would to remove a main bearing they will pull out undamaged with a pair of needle point pliers.

Use a large punch that will just fit the inner diameter of the dowel, you then can grip the OD of the dowl with pliers and twist it out. The punch will keep you from crushing the dowl.

Ken G.