- Apr 16, 2026
- Riding Since
- 1968
I know a lot of you prefer going the "tail tidy" route, but I actually prefer how the rear lines of the bike can be complemented by an extended assembly. These were started by European bikemakers who tend to have a well-developed sense of form. In the case of my CBR650R, it's mostly to my liking except for the cheesy plastic "wings" outside the main arm and oversized hunk of plastic that mounts the license plate. Otherwise, it's pleasing to my eyes and has an uber-sturdy OEM arm and lights that aren't likely to cause reliability problems.
That "wing" eyesore was easily removed, but what about that portly plastic plateholder? I pulled it off and replaced it several times, and came upon a very simple solution - a $0.98 plate from Home Depot that was perfectly sized. After mulling things over a little further I worked out hole location and sizes, then made a trip to my budget drill press. I painted the plate satin black, and acquired black screws at my local Ace Hardware store. The final piece is a motorcycle license plate bracket that was under $7 on Amazon. I'm really pleased with it - what do you think??
Now I just need to scuff the tire to the edge to avoid embarrassment in my next post!
That "wing" eyesore was easily removed, but what about that portly plastic plateholder? I pulled it off and replaced it several times, and came upon a very simple solution - a $0.98 plate from Home Depot that was perfectly sized. After mulling things over a little further I worked out hole location and sizes, then made a trip to my budget drill press. I painted the plate satin black, and acquired black screws at my local Ace Hardware store. The final piece is a motorcycle license plate bracket that was under $7 on Amazon. I'm really pleased with it - what do you think??
Now I just need to scuff the tire to the edge to avoid embarrassment in my next post!
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