I must drill my Gen's 1 rear fender for (Install the adapter plate for my OEM top box)

[Mihalis fjr]

I must drill my rear fender to install my oem top box..

Could you please someone tell me if a like this tool is the correct tool for this job??

Thanks in advance!

 

[Fred W]

You can use one of those. They are called "Uni-Bits" and are quite expensive. I used an appropriate sized hole saw instead (forget what size now) and ran the drill backwards to gently cut through the paint layer, so it would not chip up, and then wear through the soft plastic. It came out very cleanly.

The downside of all the drilling was that I later gave up on the Yamaha OEM trunk completely and switched over to a Givi V46 trunk (for the more robust support brackets and larger capacity) at which point I was left with the two holes in my tail cowling. I had to find some (black) plastic plugs at the hardware store, and they have been in there ever since. Oh well... not too noticeable underneath the Givi mounting bracket.

 

[FJRBluesman]

+1 on the Givi trunk!

 

[majicmaker]

You GenI guys have to drill a hole to install the OEM top trunk? Why?

 

[deanw]

You GenI guys have to drill a hole to install the OEM top trunk? Why?

Because that's how it installs.
If you want to know "why" to that, you'll have to find the engineer and designer that came up with the silly design, or didn't plan for a topbox until marketing said "Oh, by the way..."

 

[majicmaker]

Whoa.. I guess I've never looked up close at a GenI setup. In my mind I thought it was just the three existing bolt holes back there for the base plate. You guys have my condolences!

 

[ahchiu]

Put painters tape over the spot your drilling to keep paint from chipping, if your using reg drill bits start with a smaller hole then use the correct size.

 

[kamal]

I had to do the same thing to install my aftermarket rack. I just used masking tape and an oversize drill bit, then hid the bolts inside black plastic tubing. Sealed (hid my mistakes) with black sealer.

Passed NAFO inspection without any negative comments!

Not a great picture - but you get the idea?

Al

 

[majicmaker]

Thanks Kamal, I see now where the difference is. That rack is way higher than the GenII.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks Kamal, I see now where the difference is. That rack is way higher than the GenII.

Kamal didn't mount an OEM trunk rack. That is some other brand (looks like a PCA) rack.

Here's the full write up on how the 1st gen OEM trunk mount gets installed.

 

[kamal]

Thanks Kamal, I see now where the difference is. That rack is way higher than the GenII.

Kamal didn't mount an OEM trunk rack. That is some other brand (looks like a PCA) rack.

Here's the full write up on how the 1st gen OEM trunk mount gets installed.

Thanks for clarifying that Fred. It is a PCA rack - but the general idea appears to be the same?

Al

 

[majicmaker]

Thanks Kamal, I see now where the difference is. That rack is way higher than the GenII.

Kamal didn't mount an OEM trunk rack. That is some other brand (looks like a PCA) rack.

Here's the full write up on how the 1st gen OEM trunk mount gets installed.

I know Fred, I was just commenting on the fact that the GenI rack is higher than the GenII rack. I had to break my GenII top trunk rack to get ready for the Smuggler Alternative build. By mistake I ordered the GenI top trunk rack. Good news is, it's the same upper rack platform and I just used my GenII lower spacer to make up the difference. I saw the long spacers that came with it and said: WTF!! Figured it out in minutes and all is well. Saved $35 too!! Lucked out.

 

[Ignacio]

Thanks Kamal, I see now where the difference is. That rack is way higher than the GenII.

Kamal didn't mount an OEM trunk rack. That is some other brand (looks like a PCA) rack.

Here's the full write up on how the 1st gen OEM trunk mount gets installed.

Thanks for clarifying that Fred. It is a PCA rack - but the general idea appears to be the same?

Al

I modified the thread title for you so the native's don't freak out.

 

[Pepperell]

You can get cheap unibits at harbor freight. They should work well enough ino plastic.

 

[Fred W]

I modified the thread title for you so the native's don't freak out.

The only problem is the OP was talking about mounting an OEM rack, not a PCA. I know it is very close, but why change the thread title?

You can get cheap unibits at harbor freight. They should work well enough ino plastic.

True, but probably not too many Harbor Freights in Athens Greece either.

Plus I have always thought Unibits are a crude way to drill a hole. For example, I see them using them all the time on "American Choppers." Need I say any more?

 

[SacramentoMike]

What Fred said about those Unibits--expensive. Like over $30, IIRC (considered using one to drill into my fairings to mount the "cut-type" sliders on my first '05). Ended up using a tool I already owned--my Dremel. VERY easy to drill a hole, then carefully enlarge it with various Dremel accessories to the right size and shape. Plus I didn't have to stress about getting the pilot hole in the exact right spot. That would have been hard to do, getting it perfectly centered over the center of the hole the slider bolt had to go into. As long as it was anywhere within the circumference of the slider-sized hole I ended up with, the exact centering of the pilot hole was unimportant. As pointed out, the plastic is soft and thin, very easy to work the shape and size out (and as many test fits can be tried as necessary on your way to finishing the job). And by the way, if I had used the Unibit, the starting point for the hole would have been critical.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Thank you all for your replies!

I found in a local shop the ''Irwin unibit''Like this in the picture for 45$..It is expensive,but is a very good quality.

 

[kamal]

Thank you all for your replies!

I found in a local shop the ''Irwin unibit''Like this in the picture for 45$..It is expensive,but is a very good quality.

Excellent - I hope it is metric?

Al

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Thank you all for your replies!

I found in a local shop the ''Irwin unibit''Like this in the picture for 45$..It is expensive,but is a very good quality.

Excellent - I hope it is metric?

Al

Metric and exactly this: