Got a Fix-It Ticket, Looking For A Better Plate Mounting Option

[jtemple]

So, I was screaming down the highway carelessly breaking the law and putting lives at risk on my TE630.

Yeah, I was going a blistering 61 mph in a 55 mph zone and a bored state trooper pulled me over.

He wrote me a warning for the speed. But, just to leave a thorn in my side before he sent me off, he wrote me a fix-it ticket.

The violation says "Plates not clear and distinct".

Here's a pic of my Dremel handiwork:

What I'm missing is a license plate light, and my plate is too horizontal. "Good for reading from an airplane", he said. He didn't mention the light, but I imagine that I'll have to have one to get the fix-it signed.

I have a stock plate bracket on hand, and was originally going to put it back to stock just long enough to get signed. But, I sit here and wonder if I shouldn't come up with something that's good enough to get signed off, and still eliminates that stupid fender that the rear tire is just going to rip off when I hit a big bump.

Does anyone have any ideas for the 630?

 

[RDTCU]

Mine, you can see it plain as day from behind:
(might be a bit snug with a TE rear tire...)

 

[jtemple]

I ordered some of these to light the plate: http://www.customdynamics.com/illuminatorz_licence_plates.htm#LED_Tag_Bolts

I did see your plate in another thread. I don't think it'll work for me. I don't know if it'll clear the tire and I'll just fling mud all over it.

 

[CJBROWN]

The LED light bolts work good, I posted elsewhere on the forum. And I re-purposed the stock plate mount to give a little more angle. Anyone untrained would think it's stock, works great.

And yeah, the plate under the fender works okay on street but not for offroad.

 

[Ketek]

Will help against a too horizontal plate holder

 

[glangston]

That's what I was thinking...heat it and bend it.

 

[jtemple]

The LED light bolts work good, I posted elsewhere on the forum. And I re-purposed the stock plate mount to give a little more angle. Anyone untrained would think it's stock, works great.

Now that just might work!

My plate bracket doesn't look like that, though. It looks like this:

I wouldn't be able to put it back on from under the fender like you did and angle it.

 

[CJBROWN]

Death Valley trip coming up...after 500+ miles of desert rock and washboard I'll know if it's gonna hold up.

Actually, the whole bike for that matter.

 

[ContraHusky]

I made this from high-impact polystyrene. Other plastics work, too, such as Kydex. I have since got a pair of the bolt lights that Chris Brown used on his.

 

[jtemple]

As much as I hate to cut into the white plastic, I wonder if I couldn't just cut off the white part and do something similar to what ContraHusky has done, but a bit lower. Blocking the brake light even slightly probably won't get me a signature on this ticket.

 

[CJBROWN]

Contras looks good. Pretty much the same setup I got with mine by turning the bracket over and bolting it back on.
The angle looks worse from the side view. I imagine viewed from straight behind at car level the brake light is fully in view.

Play with it a bit, you'll get 'er dialed. I didn't want to go thru the fix-it ticket BS here. CA courts suck.

 

[RDTCU]

Now that just might work!

My plate bracket doesn't look like that, though. It looks like this:

I wouldn't be able to put it back on from under the fender like you did and angle it.

Mine came with both versions, the one on yours was in the box with the toolkit. I used that one to make my under-fender mount with a piece of thin aluminum angle bolted to the black tail cover where it crosses over between signals.

 

[jtemple]

Mine came with both versions, the one on yours was in the box with the toolkit. I used that one to make my under-fender mount with a piece of thin aluminum angle bolted to the black tail cover where it crosses over between signals.

I'll have to dig through my box of parts and see what I've got.

 

[ContraHusky]

I imagine viewed from straight behind at car level the brake light is fully in view.

.

I've since tweaked it a bit lower just to be on the safe side. Another 1/2"...

 

[Huskyfly]

The LED light bolts work good, I posted elsewhere on the forum. And I re-purposed the stock plate mount to give a little more angle. Anyone untrained would think it's stock, works great.

And yeah, the plate under the fender works okay on street but not for offroad.

I copied this marvelous idea.........post lights and all!! I'm wondering if a bored patrolmen will stop me?!

 

[mnb]

I copied this marvelous idea.........post lights and all!! I'm wondering if a bored patrolmen will stop me?!

You're missing the rear facing reflector, but otherwise, that's pretty good. You could use a spacer on the bottom bolt to get a better angle with the license plate, too. I like the solution, simple and all parts on hand.

 

[Huskyfly]

You're missing the rear facing reflector, but otherwise, that's pretty good. You could use a spacer on the bottom bolt to get a better angle with the license plate, too. I like the solution, simple and all parts on hand.

Actually I did leave the bottom rear facing reflector on.......but it's a bit tilted up.

 

[EricV]

Glad I'm seeing this. When I did mine I read up on what others were doing, and went w/ the same simple set up that jtemple did as it sounded as though very few folks had any issues w/ the law on it. I'd better re-think it now. For now it is what it is, and I've had two occasisons where I had an officer right behind me and I didn't get pulled...but I know that may just be luck as it's largely dependent upon the mood or time constraints of the officer at that particular point in time also. I'm in VA, by the way.

 

[ContraHusky]

I had our local MC cop behind me twice in the past couple months and he didn't do anything. This is a guy that sits behind bushes to catch people doing stopsign rolls at empty intersections in sparse residential neighborhoods. A real hardass. Gave me a ticket because I clipped my seatbelt on as I was pulling away from a curb, instead of before I put the car in gear. But...he's OK with my license plate, I guess. Fixit tickets don't raise money...there's no fine. That seatbelt ticket cost me $170.

 

[jtemple]

Glad I'm seeing this. When I did mine I read up on what others were doing, and went w/ the same simple set up that jtemple did as it sounded as though very few folks had any issues w/ the law on it. I'd better re-think it now. For now it is what it is, and I've had two occasisons where I had an officer right behind me and I didn't get pulled...but I know that may just be luck as it's largely dependent upon the mood or time constraints of the officer at that particular point in time also. I'm in VA, by the way.

I'm actually pretty shocked that I was ticketed. I've been riding bikes with plates mounted similar to that for years and have never had any problem until now. Heck, it might never happen again.