Loose licence plate light "thingy"

Okay, I can't be bothered to look in my service manual for the proper name for the thing. So spank me.

I was cleaning all the crap and goo off my bike tonight as it was getting dark and noticed the plastic licence plate light mount "thingy" is rattling around a little bit. Not much, but a bit.

So I figgered I'd fix that right up before it got too dark, grabbed my 8mm socket in one hand and my Allen key in the other. Hmmm... seems like she's as tight as she's going to go.

In the waning light I take as good a look as I can underneath and it looks like there's sort of a rubber mount there. So I don't expect it to be rigid-tight, but certainly not "slightly rattly" tight.

Is everyone else's stock back end the same for their license plate light mount? I'm thinking of going and hunting up a few washers to tighten it up whether that is normal or not. I can't imagine any benefit to having it slightly loose.

You mean this thing? Yes mine was wobbly too.

Mine is too and it's a 09. It is just to help save the cheap plate bulb from vibrating to death as it is kind of out there off the end of the bike... You could probably just remove the rubbers and rigid mount it if you wanted to...

Mine rattles around A LOT. Also there are three washers on each bolt. Didn't have any of the right tools with me to tighten it down or to take a closer look at it.

SpaGuru wrote:

Mine is too and it's a 09. It is just to help save the cheap plate bulb from vibrating to death as it is kind of out there off the end of the bike... You could probably just remove the rubbers and rigid mount it if you wanted to...

I'm not convinced that letting it rattle around out there is any more bulb-friendly than fixed vibration, but I don't know jack about electronics. It seems like it's missing one rubber washer somewhere.

I'm not obsessed with it, but I don't think rattling around is good over the long run for anything. I may take it apart one day and see if I can add another fibre/rubber washer on the other side to stop the rattling and yet still isolate everything from vibration.

And if my plate bulb dies... I doubt I'll notice it before a cop pulls me over for a fix-it slip. Which isn't likely, considering how many police there are around here and how little I ride in the dark.

The dark side is scary around here. Those black/grey moose have a nasty habit of standing in the middle of the road at night... Came on an accident about four weeks ago where a young woman piled into a moose in her car at night. Just a "little" moose, but it went right through the windshield. Not much I could do for her injuries with what I carry in my jump bag, unfortunately, and they told me later she didn't make it to the hospital.

Kind of off topic, but the neat thing about this area is there is so much big game to see in this area - but so much to hit at night. Some of which just leaps out in the road right in front of you, giving you no chance to see it and stop/slow down. I survived hitting a cow elk once, mostly unscathed although my bike was totalled. So I'm a cautious old guy who doesn't play Russian Roulette with the critters at night anymore.

One of the first things I noticed on my 08. Mine flaps up and down pretty good...

I just slid some rubber in between the bracket and substituted lock nuts for those end acorns it came with....did the trick.

On a side note: Are anyone's Zeta guards kind of flimsy, not fitting perfect and vibrate?? (stock bars)

I'm thinking of slipping some rubber or nylon washers inbetween the small gap that exists where the bar intersects the inside handlebar mount.

wildmotha wrote:

I just slid some rubber in between the bracket and substituted lock nuts for those end acorns it came with....did the trick.

I'm thinking a lock washer will make up the space and just use the acorns as they are. Still can't figure out why they left it rattling back there; I don't think rattling loosely around helps the parts any. Wonder if the 09's have the same rattle.

Quote :

On a side note: Are anyone's Zeta guards kind of flimsy, not fitting perfect and vibrate?? (stock bars)

I'm thinking of slipping some rubber or nylon washers inbetween the small gap that exists where the bar intersects the inside handlebar mount.

Can't help you with that. I went with the Cycra Kool-Aid, utilizing a clamp mount. No rattles of flimsiness there.

Quote :

I went with the Cycra Kool-Aid, utilizing a clamp mount. No rattles of flimsiness there.

I'll second that....

It's loose so it will take a hit and not break
If you want to tighten it up just grind 1mm off the spacer collar and it will snug it up

0007onWR wrote:

It's loose so it will take a hit and not break
If you want to tighten it up just grind 1mm off the spacer collar and it will snug it up

Bastard, you beat me to it. LOL!

Yeah, looks like the spacers are too long. Maybe as the rubber washers compress it gets worse over time because mine was way jiggaly. Doesn't matter what nuts you put on it, the spacer keeps it at that distance.


I ended up taking the rubber band from around a new tire tube and cutting spacers in that.


Install and perfect.

0007onWR wrote:

It's loose so it will take a hit and not break
If you want to tighten it up just grind 1mm off the spacer collar and it will snug it up

I may be talking out my ass here, but I doubt a mm or so of loose is going to save anything if you put it over backwards or whatever. I could be wrong of course; wouldn't be the first time.

My fix involved digging through an assortment of 0-rings...

LOL
No body part of your bike is intended to survive the full weight of the bike landing on it
It's just like your winker's, they flop so you can bump them or install a cover and not bust em off

Believe me, the factory would love to make the bike cheaper by not using all those spacers and grommet's but it dont make sense

I may have estimated a bit low at 1mm, make it 3

well the wobbly got a mod..it's been loosesy goosie from day one but i think it's supposed too.got the the idea from triple o'7 way better ya' all!you can walk around the bike nicely and it's looks way better without the..(a.k.a whale tail) .also gave the heatshield a blast with the white again looks more yammy,dirt bagz does some rubbin'..do they have white shields? some pics...i think

Wow...now THAT'S different!

YA BABY!

If your'e not running a plate then why dont you just take it off all together and trim it up to the tail light?

SpaGuru wrote:

why dont you just take it off all together and trim it up

Ok, no more coolers for me. Baaaaaad wolfie...

ya..i'm in dirt bike mode right now it's been off the road for a month now need some more insurance they tell me.i did weld a little flat bar on the back to bolt a plate on.i might use one of those things again till late fall me think.just cleaning the the cell phohe cam. out it's all i have right now and had a couple of pics to show.

SheWolf wrote:

SpaGuru wrote:

why dont you just take it off all together and trim it up

Ok, no more coolers for me. Baaaaaad wolfie...

That would be "No-Wolf!"