Drilling hole in engine casing for cam mount

Hi guys, i need some advice about drilling a hole in my engine casing. Ive tried mounting my HD cameras in varying places using varying mounts and achieving some interesting angles....

Potentially there is an excellent place to mount a cam on the front left side of the engine,
Pic.1.

Only snag is the hole is not complete. As you will notice on your own CB's the hole does not go all the way through.

My Q is....... Can i drill it through (using a smaller drill size) in order to utilise it for mounting a cam? I must admit the thought of drilling fills me with dread as im really not sure if serious damage could occur.. My logic says ''it looks ok''. But a part of me thinks, no, no,... Eeeeeek.. Help.

any help much appreciated...

 

Also best to mention, there is the same (what i'm calling a 'lug') on the opposite side of the engine that is drilled all the way through. It can be seen in pic 1.

(Also posted on CB1000r forum)

 

It looks like the lugs to hold engine protection bars on so I would have thought its ok (but what do I know) just wait for someone who knows what they are talking about, Like Skortchio

 

in the second picture it looks like there is a join in the metal and above it some type of gasket would drilling interfere with that? just another point to bear in mind is if thats your engine wouldnt there be alot of juddering as the engine itself does move around a fair bit? is there not somewhere on the front that you can put it. on my r1 i had it mounted using one of the fairing dzuz nut things next to the headlight

 

doh just realised its an unfaired bike

 

Just have a ride up to mine mate. I can drill and tap it if you want.

 

late...its the hole below the bracket holding the radiator / skimpy bikini fairing...

 

ooppps..... cheers

 

Did you get any adhesive mounts with your camera? I got a bunch with my GoPro that would be ideal in that spot. I'd be tempted to just use one of those although I guess heat would be an issue.

 

Adhesive mounts and me have a poor relationship. They keep abandoning me without notification

Also as you say there will probably be a heat issue.

 

Late - Have you forgotten what your CB looks like

Whats with the BMW avatar? meant to ask u on the CB forum too. Im gonna make a wild guess and assume your now the proud owner of one? But which one????

 

dementia has kicked in early

still got the CB and one of theese

 

Christ looking at them side by side really shows the size difference between the two!

 

By the way Kev I have a couple of mounts your more than welcome to borrow to see if they work or not including a suction cup type and a couple that go round bars.

 

Looks more like a casting line than a gasket, given it stops half way along.
Chances are they're blanked holes for an accessory of some description, they won't be for crash bungs (or rather shouldn't be) as they have no load bearing properties and would just snap off.
As it's cast alloy you could probably sneeze through it, so drilling would be fine.
The other option is to use the current hole fit a nut into it, araldite or chemical metal. Although for the sake of a tiny hole I'd drill it, personally.

The heat issue is likely to come from the exhaust header that appears to be right on top of it

If you want something to keep your mount in place, that isn't permenant and can go anywhere look up black tac.

*Edit* If you didn't want to drill the hole you could get a thin strip of ally, drill a hole at each end and fit it to the casing bolt in the picture, would give almost the same position.

 

silly question...as you referred to the hole you can see in the casting on the otherside...why don't you use that hole instead ?

 

You and your crazy ideas!

 

Two things spring to mine - the vibration will kill the unit - the vibration will ruin the video quality.

In my opinion the best places to mount these cameras are on the side of your crash helmet using 3M 4991 VHB double sided tape (spectacularly sticky pads supplied with GoPro units). Chest mounts for GoPro units.

 

That did occur to me. Reason i dont want to use the left lug is my that rear facing cam will be on the right (by the exhaust so i will get the noise really well) and to give continuity (reading up on filming theory etc etc) the front facing cam needs to be on the same side, otherwise (as was discovered when filmaking) it can have an adverse, uneasy effect on those watching.

If you watch a movie when 2 people are talking to each other (using multiple cameras) and the camera switches from 1 person talking to the other one, you should notice the cameras are all set up on the same side. See below.



If im going to film what im doing i want it as good as i can feasibly and realistically get it.

I have used a helmet cam (and still will) but as the 'only' angle it usually has to much movement, my heads on a swivel especially on twisties see example...

I have mounted it on the engine before, on the other side. Amazingly, no problem with vibration or clarity, the pic was really good and unit survived.. Only issue was that the exhaust was to quiet hence me choosing to switch sides.

 

Oh man I looooove the Alps... never taken a bike there but have done several 2000 miles+ tours by car. One day...

Back on topic the GoPro has built-in software to help deal with vibration and from what you say it sounds as though your cameras do too