Drilling your fairing

[Andy C]

Hi,

Well the first and only modification i have planned for the S4 is R+Gs before i go back to uni.

Now, when you look at THIS LINK that im going to have to drill my fairing.

Now, anyone know how im going to do this, what drill bits to use, how do i line it up accurately? Here is some better pics of where needs drilling.

https://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d20/andy13_uk/DSC00923.jpg

https://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d20/andy13_uk/DSC00924.jpg

I have never done this sort of thing before and im not paying a garage lots of money to do it for me.

Whats the best way though of getting the hole in the exact place you need it so the job looks professional when your finished?
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[-Savage-]

put some thisk masking tape on the fairing so you can pencil in where to drill, and it also helps stop the drill bit slipping. any old bit should do, ive used metal bits when ive drilled, easy as pie. only thing to look out for, is if your drilling while the fairing is on the bike, be carefull not to drill through any hoses or anything on the other side lol
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My Bikes - - - Royal Enfield 500 with sidecar, VFR800, CBR600FX,
Peugeot Speedfight 100, Kymco Hipster 125, GSXR750K5, Jawa TS 350

[stinkwheel]

Sitck some PVC tape over the area you want to drill. This stops you lifting the paint and lets you position the drill accurately.

Drill a small pilot hole (maybe 3 or 4mm diameter) in the dead centre of where you want to be. "Measure twice, cut once."

Fairing plastic is odd stuff to drill. You want to drill VERY slowly and don't put much pressure on the drill. If anything, you need to hold it back a bit or it bites in without actually making the hole round.

For something that size, you would probably be better using a hole saw rather than a big twist drill after you've made your pilot hole, this will do a neat and tidy job.

I'd also drill from the outside to the inside, you can trim any bits of swarf off the inside with a stanley knife

My personal preference is to use a hand drill for these type of jobs rather than an electric one. If you do use an electric it should be a variable speed one and as slow as you can make it.

If you want it to look really professional, drill the hole oversize and fit a rubber grommet in the hole, the hole itself doesn't need to be too tidy if you do that. You can buy grommets in different sizes or strips of meterial that you cut to shape and glue into a circle with superglue.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ste]

To work out exactly where to drill the hole, put the bolt in but don't do it up, then put some tipex on the head of the bolt and move the bolt so it puts a tipex mark on the inside of the fairing where you want to be drilling. I'd then be first drilling a pilot hole of a couple of mm then drilling it the correct size for the bolt and only once thats correct drilling it out with a holesaw big enough for the plastic mushroom.

Because the mushroom is fairly big you've got quite a bit of space to play with when drilling to get the exact centre plus it's kinda hidden behind the mushroom anyway.

The R&G fitting instructions give details of what size holes to drill.

[Street Fighter]

Andy,

I bought my R & G crash bungs off ebay from an S4 owner who was selling his bike. Included in the sale was a special drill bit to facilitate creating the necessary hole in the rad cowl. It wasn't required as I dont have the latter fitted. The bits yours if you want it. You can Pm me or get in touch vis speedfour.org
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03 Triumph Speed Four

[stinkwheel]

[Kara]

Normally I'd try anything myself at least once (when it comes to bikes) but i'm paying honda to fit my bungs, they may have more luck getting replacements if they fuck em up!
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NC30 + Bandit 6
www.eabikers.co.uk

[Andy C]

[.....]

[Cillit-BANG]

It certainly shouldn't be more than an hours jobs at the most.

I'd agree with Stinkwheel that a Bi-metal hole-saw is your best option. Large diametre twist drills can snatch towards the end of the hole and split the plastic. Just use a 4mm pilot hole first once you're sure where it's going. You can always do a dummy run with pilot hole, by pushing a screwdriver through and seeing if it lines up the end of the engine bolt.

[Andy C]