Hi Guys, I have a 99 Drifter (clone of an old Indian) and I'm going to buy one of those Indian head ornamental lights to go on my front fender. It has to be installed with 2 bolts, but my fender is plastic and I'm a little afraid to drill holes into it.

Does anyone have any tips to ensure I don't screw it up and crack the fender or cause the paint to start chipping away? Or even worse, get the 2 holes crooked.

Is there a special bit I should use or are my regular ones ok?

 

How big are the holes? I might suggest drilling them in reverse for most of the hole, then forward. Another trick is to use the fastest speed as to not allow the bit to hang up. Gentle force. Try a couple of practice holes in a piece of PVC pipe or something similar to the material youdrilling. It should be no problem.

 

I don't know for sure because I haven't bought the ornament yet, but the bolts look about 1/4 inch in diameter.

 

Reverse practice drill on some plastic. But I see what you mean, paint might chip. I guess I would be worried too.

 

Well my main concern is cracking the fender or making it more susceptible to cracking, because they don't make Drifters anymore so fenders are going to be hard to come by.

If the worst thing that could happen is my paint will chip then I can live with that. I've been toying with the idea of painting the whole bike anyway, so this will just give me an excuse to do it.

 

Of course we want before and after pictures of your project.[8D]

 

Put masking tape onto the point where you need to drill and mark the position carefully. Support under the fender with a piece of wood where the drill will emerge and drill SLOWLY andcarefully (not too much pressure) with a SMALL drill first. (Take care as the drill will grab when it bites through) The tape will protect any slips and will also help to stop the drill slipping. Use a needle file to clean upthe hole before removing the tape. Use rubber washes both sides for your fixing as overtightening on plastic can crack it.

 

that or burn holes in it with a soldier iron.

 

Everything Ninjabarmy said, and also use a dremel tool at it's highest speed for your initial hole. If you have bits large enough - then drill the real hole with it, but otherwise just use it for a pilot hole.

 

Plastic normally will not crack when drilling. But fiberglass will break thru. If you are that concerned, just use your die grinder or the dremel as mentioned above.