I want to attach a cargo net to the top of my Givi Top box so that when I am riding on a long journey I slip my waterproof trousers under it. This means that if it rains I can quickly get them out without getting the rest of the contents wet, and likewise when it stops raining I can take them off and put them underneath the cargo net, so they dry in the open air rather than on my clothes in the box.
Also I fill my topbox to the point where the lid doesn't shut, so the cargo net will allow me to overfill the box and hold the lid down.
The problem is that the topbox has smooth sides with nowhere to hook the net onto. I want it particularly on the box itself then if I take the box off then the net and contents come with me. If I attach the net to the rack then I have to take the net off and carry the contents separately - not easy when carrying a helmet as well.
So I felt the best approach would be to make bobbins that are attached to the box using 6mm bolts. As I haven't seen any being sold anywhere, I thought I would make them.
Step 1 - Get the right size bar of metal.
I have used a half inch bar of aluminium which I will face down to 12mm
I used aluminium for the prototype but will switch to stainless for the production version
So the first task is to face off the end in the lathe so it is parallel and square
Then turn off about 1/2mm so it is round
Now I am ready to make the groove for the cargo net hook. So I use the same 45degree tool to make the groove
Now all that is left is drilling the hole for the bolt - 6.3mm to allow clearance for the bolt, and also lets it spin if need be
and cutting it off the bar
In order to allow the head of the allen bolt to be flush it is necessary to counterbore - luckily I have the correct drill for that. The 'nose' of the drill goes down the 6.3mm bolt hole that we previously drilled. This ensures the head of the bolt is centred correctly
And there - all done
