The Easy Way to Center a Tour Pak Rack
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 2
From: East Tennessee
The Easy Way to Center a Tour Pak Rack
1- Cut the heads off of four ź”x1” bolts and one with a cut off wheel or hacksaw.
2- Use a grinder to center sharpen one end of each bolt.
3-Place your tour pack rack on top of your tour pack and center it best you can.
4-Use a Sharpie and place a mark beside each of the rack feet.
5-Place a piece of masking tape over each mark.
6-Screw the unsharpened end of each bolt into the rack feet.
7-Place the rack on the tour pack and center it.
8-Press down on the tour pack so that the bolt points pierce the masking tape.
9-Remove the rack and use an awl or center punch to make a starting point for drilling.
(Press and spin the awl or center punch into the plastic. DO NOT HIT THE PUNCH WITH A HAMMER)
10- Leave the tape in place and use a 1/8” bit and drill each of the four holes.
11-Set the tour pack rack back on tour pack and check the location of each hole.
12-Use a ź” bit to drill your final holes.
13-Remove the drill debris and tape.
14-Use rubbing alcohol to remove the Sharpie marks.
15-Place the rack on the tour pack and start all four bolts then tighten each bolt.
The entire process takes about an hour.
One of my bolts is 5/16" because wire is threaded through the center of of the bolt in that leg.
2- Use a grinder to center sharpen one end of each bolt.
3-Place your tour pack rack on top of your tour pack and center it best you can.
4-Use a Sharpie and place a mark beside each of the rack feet.
5-Place a piece of masking tape over each mark.
6-Screw the unsharpened end of each bolt into the rack feet.
7-Place the rack on the tour pack and center it.
8-Press down on the tour pack so that the bolt points pierce the masking tape.
9-Remove the rack and use an awl or center punch to make a starting point for drilling.
(Press and spin the awl or center punch into the plastic. DO NOT HIT THE PUNCH WITH A HAMMER)
10- Leave the tape in place and use a 1/8” bit and drill each of the four holes.
11-Set the tour pack rack back on tour pack and check the location of each hole.
12-Use a ź” bit to drill your final holes.
13-Remove the drill debris and tape.
14-Use rubbing alcohol to remove the Sharpie marks.
15-Place the rack on the tour pack and start all four bolts then tighten each bolt.
The entire process takes about an hour.
One of my bolts is 5/16" because wire is threaded through the center of of the bolt in that leg.
Last edited by HalfFast; Dec 8, 2012 at 07:37 AM. Reason: Clarification
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6,508
Likes: 169
From: WPB, FL
That'll Work!
Of course you could always place masking tape over the general areas that the rack will sit, center it with a ruler, make sure it looks right and then trace the 4 posts onto the tape. After that you center drill (center punching might crack the plastic) and bolt it into place. Undoubtedly, your way would probably be more accurate? In either case, your install looks great!
When it comes to life in general I try to live by the acronym KISS!
When it comes to life in general I try to live by the acronym KISS!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 10,675
Likes: 95
From: Billings,Mt.
Yep,transfer punches work good.
I think it's still a good idea to measure the hole to hole locations on the rack then layout the hole positions on some painters tape.
I think it's still a good idea to measure the hole to hole locations on the rack then layout the hole positions on some painters tape.
Last edited by 1flhtk4me; Dec 8, 2012 at 10:55 AM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,542
Likes: 161
From: Booming metropolis
I'm glad you feel that way buddy, cause HD ordered me a new tour pack yesterday. Guess I have to do the hinges and rack again lol
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 179
Likes: 1
From: MN
Or ..............................
Let the dealer do it and it's their problem if they mess it up! LOL
Let the dealer do it and it's their problem if they mess it up! LOL
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,221
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From: Annemasse (border of Geneva-Switzerland) facing Mt-Blanc.
This was discussed in a previous thread, and someone used a measuring tape (made of tissue) to center the rack.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,858
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From: Phoenix, AZ
Good write up. When I did mine I covered the post areas with masking tape and used more tape to make a tie down as-it-were on each corner of the rack. After positioning and measuring (for what seemed like hours) I marked the tape around the posts and went at it with the drill. I made the holes just a hair bigger than needed so there would be no stress on the lid.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 2
From: East Tennessee
This aint my first trip to town.
When I mounted the rack on the tour pak on my last bike, I tried HD instructions which got me in the ball park of the final location but it wasn't centered. Next, I tried the lipstick method but I used Dykem lay out fluid. I had 4 big blue spots to guess where the center of each foot was so I wiped all of that off and tried marking around the feet and finding the center of each hole. Then I had to over size each hole to make it work.
That is when I decided if ever mounted another one, I would do it the way I described in the beginning of this post. I traded bikes and whalah!
What took me about 4 hours before took me less than an hour to do last night.
Just to think... They say that when you get older, it takes all night to do what you used to do all night.
When I mounted the rack on the tour pak on my last bike, I tried HD instructions which got me in the ball park of the final location but it wasn't centered. Next, I tried the lipstick method but I used Dykem lay out fluid. I had 4 big blue spots to guess where the center of each foot was so I wiped all of that off and tried marking around the feet and finding the center of each hole. Then I had to over size each hole to make it work.
That is when I decided if ever mounted another one, I would do it the way I described in the beginning of this post. I traded bikes and whalah!
What took me about 4 hours before took me less than an hour to do last night.
Just to think... They say that when you get older, it takes all night to do what you used to do all night.