- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Messages
- 2,084
- Location
- Round the World on an 1199
There's no reason for a license plate bracket to cost $100 unless its made out of carbon fiber and comes wrapped in fifty $1 bills. I'm not cheap, but I don't believe in paying ....-in-the-butt prices for something that you can make with off-the-shelf components in your garage. I'm also a bit of a weight weenie and can't fathom why it takes a pound and a half bracket to secure a 2 oz license plate.
So here's my solution.
Go to Orchard Supply and purchase aluminum angle stock. This is what it looks like:
The size doesn't really matter, nor does the thickness. I went with a 1/4" x 1/2" bar and cut it into three sections with a nearby hacksaw so I could fit it in my backpack (I paid for it before shoving it into my Kriega).
90% of my tools are in storage, so the results aren't perfect (I don't have a deburrer, for instance), but a hacksaw job on a plate bracket looks way better than the stock mount and shaves a good couple of pounds in the process.
Remove the stock rear plate bracket. This video will show you how (not my vid):
DIY: "How To" Carbon License Plate Holder and LED Euro turn signal install. (Ducati 1199 Panigale). - YouTube
Once off:
1) Cut a length of the aluminum that's equal or slightly smaller than the width of your license plate.
2) Trace the holes of the plate onto the aluminum bracket.
3) Remove your passenger footpegs and trace the width of the rear-most footpeg holes onto the top of the license plate bracket. If you don't have your footpegs mounted, place a piece of aluminum foil or paper onto the two rear-most passenger footpeg holes in the rear subframe and poke out each hole with a pencil. Use that as a template to mark the holes you'll be drilling on the top of the bracket. (Or of course you can measure the center to center distance with a caliper or ruler.)
4) Once you have your bar stock marked, drill holes large enough to accommodate the screws you will be using. This is what the top should look like:
And this is what the license plate holes (if you're in the US) should look like:
5) Next up, bolt it in:
(I only ended up using one of the passenger footpeg bolts to mount the bracket, which is more than sufficient.)
6) Then mount the plate (I used zip ties temporarily, then found some spare windshield mounting bolts I used to mount it permanently (zip ties can't take the heat!):
7) You might need to bend the 90 deg. aluminum bracket to get the right angle you want. I accomplished this with a hammer.
8) To keep the plate nice and legal I scored a LED bar from HERE. This is what it looks like:
9) Pushed the wire for the LED like so:
9b) I gooped on some clear adhesive to protect the internals from water/debris:
10) Jammed the LED up into the space where my fingers are (it fits perfectly and needs no adhesive):
11) Ran the wire up into the rear trunk compartment:
12) Cut off the wires (leaving the plug intact) that originally led to the now removed stock license plate light and then wire the leads from the new LED to the stock harness:
(I used simple twist connections because all of my electrical tools and soldering iron are in storage 400 miles away.)
13) Turned on the ignition and viola:
There are a number of options for turn signals. I'm just going to use the same 3 or 5 LED component in amber for the turn signals and glue 'em to the inside holes in the tail.
The plate is far brighter at night than the stock plate/light, the setup is far lighter than stock (or any aftermarket component) and cost me less than $20 (and I had enough bar stock to make 5 or 6 of these).
Oh yes-I shot the rear of the plate and the bracket with some Krylon flat black textured spray paint, which blends in nicely with all the black components of the Panigale's rear end.
Sexy, no?
So here's my solution.
Go to Orchard Supply and purchase aluminum angle stock. This is what it looks like:
The size doesn't really matter, nor does the thickness. I went with a 1/4" x 1/2" bar and cut it into three sections with a nearby hacksaw so I could fit it in my backpack (I paid for it before shoving it into my Kriega).
90% of my tools are in storage, so the results aren't perfect (I don't have a deburrer, for instance), but a hacksaw job on a plate bracket looks way better than the stock mount and shaves a good couple of pounds in the process.
Remove the stock rear plate bracket. This video will show you how (not my vid):
DIY: "How To" Carbon License Plate Holder and LED Euro turn signal install. (Ducati 1199 Panigale). - YouTube
Once off:
1) Cut a length of the aluminum that's equal or slightly smaller than the width of your license plate.
2) Trace the holes of the plate onto the aluminum bracket.
3) Remove your passenger footpegs and trace the width of the rear-most footpeg holes onto the top of the license plate bracket. If you don't have your footpegs mounted, place a piece of aluminum foil or paper onto the two rear-most passenger footpeg holes in the rear subframe and poke out each hole with a pencil. Use that as a template to mark the holes you'll be drilling on the top of the bracket. (Or of course you can measure the center to center distance with a caliper or ruler.)
4) Once you have your bar stock marked, drill holes large enough to accommodate the screws you will be using. This is what the top should look like:
And this is what the license plate holes (if you're in the US) should look like:
5) Next up, bolt it in:
(I only ended up using one of the passenger footpeg bolts to mount the bracket, which is more than sufficient.)
6) Then mount the plate (I used zip ties temporarily, then found some spare windshield mounting bolts I used to mount it permanently (zip ties can't take the heat!):
7) You might need to bend the 90 deg. aluminum bracket to get the right angle you want. I accomplished this with a hammer.
8) To keep the plate nice and legal I scored a LED bar from HERE. This is what it looks like:
9) Pushed the wire for the LED like so:
9b) I gooped on some clear adhesive to protect the internals from water/debris:
10) Jammed the LED up into the space where my fingers are (it fits perfectly and needs no adhesive):
11) Ran the wire up into the rear trunk compartment:
12) Cut off the wires (leaving the plug intact) that originally led to the now removed stock license plate light and then wire the leads from the new LED to the stock harness:
(I used simple twist connections because all of my electrical tools and soldering iron are in storage 400 miles away.)
13) Turned on the ignition and viola:
There are a number of options for turn signals. I'm just going to use the same 3 or 5 LED component in amber for the turn signals and glue 'em to the inside holes in the tail.
The plate is far brighter at night than the stock plate/light, the setup is far lighter than stock (or any aftermarket component) and cost me less than $20 (and I had enough bar stock to make 5 or 6 of these).
Oh yes-I shot the rear of the plate and the bracket with some Krylon flat black textured spray paint, which blends in nicely with all the black components of the Panigale's rear end.
Sexy, no?
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