Yes they are definitely 'Rivnuts' that hold the hugger on and they are the type that sit a little proud of the surface they are fitted into.
I use them a lot at work and they basically work in the same principle as pop rivets meaning you need to be a little mindful of the thickness of the material you are fitting them into to ensure A- they grip correctly and B- they are not overly pulled so as to squash down too much. But it's not really rocket science if you have a bit of 'feel' for how tight things should be.
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Originally Posted by Darkness
Thanks for clearing that up. As I said, I don’t have that fitment of hugger on mine so assumed it was the same as side panels.
Out of interest, any idea why it needs Rivnuts there rather than WellNuts?
The later front mudguards suffice with four plastic straps to hold them on.
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I think you have just hit the nail on the head as 'Well Nuts' are generally used when a degree of cushioning is required or controlled vibration is allowed so the risk of fractures are reduced. Such as fairing and side panel brackets.
Whereas in the case of the hugger a shouldered screw is used for fixing where the shoulder fits into an oversized hole in the hugger meaning that when it is tightened (assuming it has been aligned correctly) the screw tightens fully onto the slightly proud lip of the Rivnut fitted into the swing arm.
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Originally Posted by utopia
Thinking this through a bit more, I reckon what I'd do would be to get a bolt the same size as the rivnut, fit it with a nut, followed by a decent washer (or two) then screw the whole lot into the rivnut by 5 or 6 threads.
Thus you would end up with a washer next to the swingarm/rivnut, then the nut, then the bolt.
I think if you hold the head of the bolt and tighten the nut down against the swingarm and washer, you should then be able to tighten the nut further (while still holding the bolt head) and this should draw the rivnut tight.
Then you can either drill it out and replace it or simply leave it alone and continue to use the old one.
Similar techniques for rivnuts are described on youtube .. its worth a look before you start, just to verify the method and familiarise yourself with how to do it.
....the method that I suggested above is just off the top of my head, but I think its about right.
If you do fit a new one, you could use the same technique to fit that, saving the expense of buying a rivnut gun.
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I would probably give this a go too if I didn't already have a Rivnut tool but when an unbranded one can be picked up, complete with a full range (M3-M8) of Rivnuts for less than £15 (or a Sealey branded one for just over £20 and an Eclipse at around £35) you might as well buy the tool and give the existing one a little pinch up.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/86Pcs-Thr...kAAOSwFUlahn4X
You'll be surprised where else you'll find a use for them too.