Well not a tail tidy, but a DRC edge 2 tail light with bracket. I didnt like the MASSIVE OEM tail light & plate bracket, its just damn ugly, so i looked for a tail tidy. I couldnt find any available, so i fitted this. I didnt mind drilling a couple of holes on my mudguard. I got rid of that small subframe under there aswell. Much better.
Nice! I also have a DRC Edge 2 on my 610 - good choice. Though I did find that after some rocky trail riding a bunch of the LED's died. I was a bit disappointed. Let us know how you get on. I guess its not so expensive to replace. I also threw away the small OEM rear bracket. I carry luggage fairly often, so instead of bolting the DRC to the mudguard I had a local shop weld up a stronger rear bracket at the same time they added gussets to the subframe. Here's the bracket under development (in the final version we cut holes in the big plate to reduce weight): Here's one of the gussets they added. Not a bad job:
Thats a tidy job, looks like its been done from the factory. Why did you make the top of the subframe from 3 pieces instead of 1? I never ride offroad (unless im crashing) or carry luggage. I wanted it to be lighter but not fragile/flimsy, that plate is 1mm titanium. My light will have a much easier time than yours, so hopefully it will last longer.
I also have that tail light on my TE610. I seem to have a moulded tail on mine. It is an '06 model. I had to cut some aluminium to mount my light.
I lost three license plates due to the plastic version of the Edge 2 breaking off of my SM just below the light. The last replacement was the aluminum version of it, haven't had a problem since. This is after it started breaking off...Not even three feet of electrical tape could save it
Finally installed a DRC edge. Comically challenging & time consuming install. Numerous issues. To start, critical hardware wasn't included. The turn signal brackets are too small for the ends of my turn signal lights. The plate holder holes are Japanese, so I had to drill holes in my license plate in the most weirdest of places. Once you remove the stock donkey tail, you have to fabricate something to hold the wires and harness bundle because the stock bit previously held all that. For now, I just zipped tied and tucked the wires. Painted my tail rack support or sub frame extension black, because it looked odd and naked without the stock donkey tail shrouding it. Last but def' not least, this light was $70.00 shipped; that's way too much for a moto brake light. Despite the challenges of the install, this light looks a million times better than stock. It's fairly bright, so should benefit safety as well. It looks very modern. I'm hypnotized by its looks. Turn my key, just so I can have a look at it.
Trouble is, the brightness difference between tail and brake light is not noticeable to people behind you unless they see the brake light come on. I found it necessary to add a small high-output LED clearance light as an additional brake light. I mounted it on center at the bottom of the plate. My riding buddies have thanked me for it haha.
I will admit it seems a bit dear for a tail light but i was quite impressed with all the spacers, washers and bolts etc. supplied. It seems a reasonable quality kit. we must remember this is a universal kit, not bike specific so fitting it will involve putting on your thinking hat and getting your hands dirty to come up with a solution. There is a small cable tie in the centre of the plate on mine which holds down a block of 3 chocolate block connectors to wire the indicators and i wired the light under the seat. Here in the UK its normal to have to drill number plates wherever you can to fit them. Anyway, your install looks good, far better than stock.
Wow, once again, thanks for the headz up JonXX. Would've never known, as I've only reviewed the light at night. It looks brilliant, clean and crystal clear at night. So now, this poses yet another challenge. Granted this video was taken during broad daylight with the tail light facing the sun, however, the light is fairly anemic looking. Hey, no rush, but whenever you get a chance, shoot me a PM of your solution (parts link and how you wired up the supplemental brake light). I'm also going to wire up LED lights for my GIVI case when I get a chance. Have been meaning to do that since I got the case, so this discovery gives me motive. Thanks everyone for your feedback. Posts and discussions like this are sure to help others. Moto community needs to stick together and look out for one another, especially when it comes to safety. So, thanks again. Note: Check out that graceful mount and dismount... man, I'm old
There's always the 12oclocklabs upgrade for the Edge, which makes it super expensive, but brighter and programmable. http://shop.12oclocklabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=28&product_id=49 View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=looiUvXdWJI
Hey, thanks for the reference Huskyfatman. Did a bit of research and have concluded that the 12o'Clocklabs upgrade is the best default. I say default b/c compared to the supplemental LED running and brake light strip that I fancy, the DRC is a cleaner and easier install. Also, surprisingly, I found that a LED strip is almost as costly as the DRC upgrade kit. So all considered, will just run the DRC stock until I can cough up the coin for the 12o'Clocklabs upgrade.
