Crash Pads Installation Fairing Cut

When installing LSL sliders on a CBR600RR 2012, we faced the problem of making clean holes for the brackets. The problem was that we had never done this before and did not know how to do it, and the holes had to be made very accurately, because it was a brand new bike. We found no useful information on the net. The method of successive approximation was not an option, because it is very difficult to make a perfect hole on the first try this way. The information below may be useful to everyone who will put protection on a motorcycle, including cages and rails.

When cutting plastic, there are two main tasks: to accurately determine the center of the hole, and to carefully cut a circle.

Determine the center of the hole

The LSL slider manual has a scheme for determining the center of the hole relative to the mounting points. But the problem is that the plastic is uneven and when measuring the distance with a ruler, there may be an error of a couple of millimeters, which is a lot! We decided to play it safe, so we made a laser level by attaching a pointer to a tripod.

That's how you do it:

1. Remove the engine bolt.
2. Adjust the level so that the laser point is at the bottom of the hole. On the CBR600RR 2012, the hole is through, so you need to put your finger or something else on the inside and catch a point on it.
3. Install the plastic. It is very important to fully mount the plastic on all the bolts. Even one missing bolt can shift the plastic by 1–2 mm.

4. The laser point on the plastic is the center of the hole. We have this point located very close to the one that we identified according to the instructions. We decided to trust the laser!

5. Drill a small hole at the point, insert a wire and make sure everything is OK.

Double check to be sure!

Plastic cutting

Plastic cutting is a very difficult procedure, especially if you haven't done it before. We trained on a piece of plastic from R6 with a drill and a cordless screwdriver with a spade bit. We came to the conclusion that it is better to cut with a screwdriver at low and stable speeds. When cutting, it is not necessary to press hard, just try to make small stable pressure, so the plastic doesn’t bend. Do not put anything under the cutting place, just cut unsupported. The plastic must be held very securely so it doesn’t vibrate or move. Choose a bit 3–4 mm larger in diameter than the bracket - the slider should not be close to the plastic.

Practice before doing it. There will be no second chance - you either make a good hole or screw up the plastic. The whole process and the results of the work can be viewed in the video. We did great!