Strong work Sir
tail tie down anchors
Hi fellow R3 owner enthusiasts
For those of you who like me would like some way of tying stuff down to the tail every now and then:
What the job looks like finished:
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What it allows you to do (just as an example. It also works rather nicely with my tank/tail bag):
![]()
Fittings used:
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The existing holes in the underside of the tail (the ones that house those little black snap-ins) are 6mm. My fittings used countersunk 4mm bolts (stainless of course). I cut little pieces of 6mm OD 4mm ID rawplugs to act as plastic collars.
You can use the existing holes that house those little snap-in fittings if you only need four anchors. I wanted to have two extra (one each side) midway between the existing holes. This meant drilling through the plastic (slightly scary). If you take the rear seat and cubby hole base out, and look carefully, there is an obvious spot to drill . The pic below shows the location with the fitting already installed.
![]()
The access is rather tricky because the location is set relative to the frame inside the tail. Probably the best approach for this is to mark it with a fine permanent pen, strip the tail to get the plastic bits off, do the drilling and put it back together. I cheated slightly because I have a dremel with an extension that allows access to this:
![]()
So I drilled a 0.5mm marker hole from the top and then enlarged it to my 4mm bolt hole from the bottom. That way I ensured getting the hole in exactly the right place without having to strip the tail.
I am quite chuffed with the end result. Not aesthetically disturbing (in my view) and very nice functionality enhancement (again, in my view). Hope it is helpful to someone.
For those of you who like me would like some way of tying stuff down to the tail every now and then:
What the job looks like finished:
What it allows you to do (just as an example. It also works rather nicely with my tank/tail bag):
Fittings used:
The existing holes in the underside of the tail (the ones that house those little black snap-ins) are 6mm. My fittings used countersunk 4mm bolts (stainless of course). I cut little pieces of 6mm OD 4mm ID rawplugs to act as plastic collars.
You can use the existing holes that house those little snap-in fittings if you only need four anchors. I wanted to have two extra (one each side) midway between the existing holes. This meant drilling through the plastic (slightly scary). If you take the rear seat and cubby hole base out, and look carefully, there is an obvious spot to drill . The pic below shows the location with the fitting already installed.
The access is rather tricky because the location is set relative to the frame inside the tail. Probably the best approach for this is to mark it with a fine permanent pen, strip the tail to get the plastic bits off, do the drilling and put it back together. I cheated slightly because I have a dremel with an extension that allows access to this:
So I drilled a 0.5mm marker hole from the top and then enlarged it to my 4mm bolt hole from the bottom. That way I ensured getting the hole in exactly the right place without having to strip the tail.
I am quite chuffed with the end result. Not aesthetically disturbing (in my view) and very nice functionality enhancement (again, in my view). Hope it is helpful to someone.
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Custom extra function. Motor still intact and a huge advantage. I should've done that way earlier so I could carry more junk to Assen TT 
Nice and clean job!
Nice and clean job!"YamahaR3" raises good points of concern, so let me add a couple of comments:
I was also concerned about the paint scuffing issue when I tied stuff down in this way on my previous bike (a 2007 Honda cbr600rr ). I think the keys to avoiding scuffed paint would be:
1) Be very careful while tying and untying the goods. Don't allow the straps or bungy cord to slide hard against your fairing plastic. If it isn't moving, it isn't likely to scuff.
2) It may be advisable, particularly on this bike's tail's angular corner section, to put some clear adhesive plastic above the anchors, over the angular section. This is the location likely to scuff and some clear adhesive plastic will protect the area with minimal aesthetic disturbance.
On the topic of the secureness of the method, I have found from experience over many years, that this depends on the size, shape and weight of the cargo and the type and tension of the cord used. For the shoe-box (with shoes inside) and bungy cord example photographed, trust me, I could ride for a year on corrugated gravel and that box would never come off. However, if you were to try and lash down a large heavy suitcase on the R3's convex rear seat, you are being foolish.
Bottom line: I think this little mod is useful for certain applications where the goods are judged suitable and safe to tie down in this way .
I was also concerned about the paint scuffing issue when I tied stuff down in this way on my previous bike (a 2007 Honda cbr600rr
). I think the keys to avoiding scuffed paint would be:1) Be very careful while tying and untying the goods. Don't allow the straps or bungy cord to slide hard against your fairing plastic. If it isn't moving, it isn't likely to scuff.
2) It may be advisable, particularly on this bike's tail's angular corner section, to put some clear adhesive plastic above the anchors, over the angular section. This is the location likely to scuff and some clear adhesive plastic will protect the area with minimal aesthetic disturbance.
On the topic of the secureness of the method, I have found from experience over many years, that this depends on the size, shape and weight of the cargo and the type and tension of the cord used. For the shoe-box (with shoes inside) and bungy cord example photographed, trust me, I could ride for a year on corrugated gravel and that box would never come off. However, if you were to try and lash down a large heavy suitcase on the R3's convex rear seat, you are being foolish.
Bottom line: I think this little mod is useful for certain applications where the goods are judged suitable and safe to tie down in this way .
"YamahaR3" raises good points of concern, so let me add a couple of comments:
I was also concerned about the paint scuffing issue when I tied stuff down in this way on my previous bike (a 2007 Honda cbr600rr
1) Be very careful while tying and untying the goods. Don't allow the straps or bungy cord to slide hard against your fairing plastic. If it isn't moving, it isn't likely to scuff.
2) It may be advisable, particularly on this bike's tail's angular corner section, to put some clear adhesive plastic above the anchors, over the angular section. This is the location likely to scuff and some clear adhesive plastic will protect the area with minimal aesthetic disturbance.
On the topic of the secureness of the method, I have found from experience over many years, that this depends on the size, shape and weight of the cargo and the type and tension of the cord used. For the shoe-box (with shoes inside) and bungy cord example photographed, trust me, I could ride for a year on corrugated gravel and that box would never come off. However, if you were to try and lash down a large heavy suitcase on the R3's convex rear seat, you are being foolish.
Bottom line: I think this little mod is useful for certain applications where the goods are judged suitable and safe to tie down in this way .
I'm ALL IN for Minimal Aesthetic Disturbance!
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