Cutting a hole in the fairing
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Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
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Cutting a hole in the fairing
Would a spade drill bit work for this? trying to install my SI cage or am i better off just drilling a small hole and then using a dremmel tool to sand it big enough
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Northern Michigan
I'd but a hole saw. The smaller ones like that are not that expensive and can be bougt at just about any hardware store. Dremels work, but you have to be very good with one to make it look decent.
The good of a hole saw, is you can cut a very nice perfect hole. The bad is you have to be right on. There is not finessing if you missed the mark.
The good of a dremel, is you can have your initial hole off a bit, and still have room to fix it. The bad, you have to be very careful and steady. Using a marker to draw a circle and follow the line works ok...
using a spade type bit that is made for wood will not work so well. The chances are pretty good its only going to chip and destroy the plastic. If it makes it through, you can bet the paint will be chipped severely around the hole. I'd not use it.
The good of a hole saw, is you can cut a very nice perfect hole. The bad is you have to be right on. There is not finessing if you missed the mark.
The good of a dremel, is you can have your initial hole off a bit, and still have room to fix it. The bad, you have to be very careful and steady. Using a marker to draw a circle and follow the line works ok...
using a spade type bit that is made for wood will not work so well. The chances are pretty good its only going to chip and destroy the plastic. If it makes it through, you can bet the paint will be chipped severely around the hole. I'd not use it.
Senior Member & Lord of The Man Cave
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,293
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From: St. Louis, MO
I'm not sure how a cage attaches but you can probably use the same method I used to cut the 2-inch holes for my frame sliders.
Remove the fairings so you have an unobstructed view of the exact attaching point to the frame.
Attach a laser pointer to a camera tripod (makes it easy to adjust the beam) and align the beam straight back from the center of the bolt head that you're going to use to attach the cage. Hopefully, that is also the center of the tube that will go through the fairing. If not, adjust the pointer accordingly. Make sure there is as little side-to-side and up/down angle as possible or your hole location will be off when you mark the fairing.
Reattach the fairing and mark the spot where the laser hits the fairing. That's the center of your hole. Drill a small pilot hole and look through it to see that your mark is still lined up where you want it.
If everything is still lined up use some blue painters tape and mask off the area where you're going to cut. This helps keep the fairing cut clean. Use a new hole saw of the appropriate diameter and make your cut. Use light pressure and slow rpm so you don't burn the plastic. You can use some wet/dry sandpaper or a file to clean up any burrs on the edges of the hole.
That's it.
Remove the fairings so you have an unobstructed view of the exact attaching point to the frame.
Attach a laser pointer to a camera tripod (makes it easy to adjust the beam) and align the beam straight back from the center of the bolt head that you're going to use to attach the cage. Hopefully, that is also the center of the tube that will go through the fairing. If not, adjust the pointer accordingly. Make sure there is as little side-to-side and up/down angle as possible or your hole location will be off when you mark the fairing.
Reattach the fairing and mark the spot where the laser hits the fairing. That's the center of your hole. Drill a small pilot hole and look through it to see that your mark is still lined up where you want it.
If everything is still lined up use some blue painters tape and mask off the area where you're going to cut. This helps keep the fairing cut clean. Use a new hole saw of the appropriate diameter and make your cut. Use light pressure and slow rpm so you don't burn the plastic. You can use some wet/dry sandpaper or a file to clean up any burrs on the edges of the hole.
That's it.
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