Author Topic: Drilling Handlebars  (Read 724 times)

Steffan

  • Posts: 1412
Drilling Handlebars
« on: April 29, 2008, 01:56:23 PM »
An old bugbear of mine, you but chrome steel bars only to find that the OEM item has neat holes drilled in the correct places for the electrics and yours doesn't. Does anyone have any tips for avoiding the inevitable bit slippage off the smooth chrome or drilling bars in general.

Many thanks

Steffan

Andy M

  • Posts: 1709
Re: Drilling Handlebars
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2008, 02:39:38 PM »
Use a V shaped block to hold em, put tape all round where you are going to drill then mark the hole with a sharp centre pop. Using a new, sharp as possible, small drill (say 3-5mm), drill a pilot hole. It's a lot easier with a pillar drill. If you don't fancy spending a few extra quid buying a stand to convert the Black and Decker to a pillar and you need to make the V-blocks, can you knock up a U-shaped channel you can use to guide the drill body? Beats trying to hold it square and push when it's lined up.

Plan B is to make a shield/guide out of an old nut and a length of pipe (or just thick wall pipe). This is safer but more work. The nut is welded or epoxied to the pipe. You drill a hole through the nut and pipe. You can get this wrong a lot of times before it gets that expensive, but it's easier to just open up the thread in the nut that start a new hole. Next you slide the pipe over the expensive to replace handlebars and clamp in place and/or push on over layers of tape. Use the hole in the nut and pipe to guide the drill.

Anyway, you don't want to listen to me, I once helped destroyed a very expensive truck axle by slipping with the drill. Oil coiming out of the hole you just drilled is a bad sign  :-[

Andy

bullet350

  • Guest
Re: Drilling Handlebars
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2008, 07:25:59 PM »
you could do it the easy way;

-cut the little tab off the switchgear with a knife.

-cut a piece of gaffer tap (about 5 or 6 inches long) to the same width as the switchgear.

-wrap the tape where you want the switches, this increases the circumfrence of the bars and stops the switches moving about.

Be careful when tightening the screws that hold the switches together, they don't have to be very tight and can strip easily.

This removes the near certainty of slipping with the drill and putting an 18 inch long trench in the side of your tank/fairing/leg. :-\

bullet350

002

  • Posts: 1786
  • Stalwart(TM)
Re: Drilling Handlebars
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2008, 09:34:35 PM »
Bloody good punch...mark it in the right place.....then small pilot hole....then proper size,or slightly larger.

Way to go !   Works every time for me !


Jethro
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Lee Enfield
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guest27

  • Guest
Re: Drilling Handlebars
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2008, 03:11:39 PM »
Good sharp centre pop.  A layer of tape helps if you do slip a little.  A centre drill for the pilot helps too - short stubby affairs that do not bend.  Pillar drill.

R