trouble with license plate

OK so here is the problem- I had my bike lowered so i could keep both feet on the ground, but now that it is lowered every time I ride the tag was rubbing on the tire. I did bend it back some and that helped but now you cant actually see the plate. When my fiance rides with me it rubs again. Does anyone know if there is a side bracket or a bracket I could mount above the rear tailight so it is visable and doesnt doesn't rub the tire?
I have looked at some of the curved side mounts online but they all say they are not compatable with my bike.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum !

Before the folks on here start ragging on you too hard - its a good idea to post up photos of your new ride. That goes down well with many of the folks on here, and can really help if you have questions so we can offer relevant advice...


You say you have issues with your lowered VFR. Was this done for you by a professional or was this a DIY effort? Unfortunately lowering can mean a whole heap of different things depending on what you or a previous owner have actually done to lower the bike. Do you know what they changed from stock? If so, it would be really helpful to know precisely what was changed from stock. As it sounds like you may have gone too far...

Did they fit replacement drop triangles? rotate the stock ones? alter forks? fit different profile wheels/tires? Alter the springs/suspension? remove centre stand, modify the seat/frame/bodywork? All or any of these things may apply - depending on how much lower people were aiming to set up the bike.

As you can see, this is where a few decent photos should allow us to better understand what has been changed, and close-ups of the affected areas will really help us understand exactly what bits may need attention. So I suggest your first task is to get the camera out.

As for resolving your specific issue, for now its largely guesswork. Normally if things were badly set up on a lowered bike, then the issue would be stopping the tire rubbing on the underside of the fender (rear mudguard) - as the stock licence plate is attached to the outside of the fender - which normally has plenty of tire clearance as this photo shows.



However you say the issue is with the tire hitting the license plate and you have already attempted to bend it clear? This suggests that someone has already removed the stock fender and fitted some sort of fender eliminator kit with a revised licence plate mounting? Again - photos will show. If all that is needed is to move the license plate back to its stock location, then either refit the standard fender, or fabricate some sort of bracket to move the license plate mount.

If the stock fender is still in situ the rear should look like the photo above. If the tire is hitting the fender, then I fear the bike has either been lowered a bit too much or possibly the front needs adjusting down to level things out. Probably the cheapest fix would be to simply adjust the suspension SAG so the bike once again has a sensible level of suspension travel / clearance to handle potholes etc. The downside you may not be able to get two feet flat on the floor when stopped. If you often carry a passenger then its probably best to set the bike up for two-up riding rather than solo.

As you will appreciate the standard bike suspension is able to be set up to handle a wide range of rider weight/height. So if you are relatively short and light, then you can normally get away with running the suspension a bit lower. But if you don't adjust the front to level things out, then you can create issues at the rear of the bike and also upset the steering.

This is an area where a DIY effort can be problematic and you may need expert help. Just getting the bike SAG correct can be a confusing and time consuming chore. Fortunately I found there was a useful extra segment on the "Twist of the Wrist II" DVD by Keith Code which demonstrates how, which you may want to review if you are trying to sort this out alone.

Good luck - now post up those photos

 

Thats a very nice looking bike.

Sure enough your pictures confirm that someone has indeed removed the stock rear fender and license plate holder/illumination, and moved the license plate mounting way back between the exhaust pipes and well under the rear arch. This change may have been OK with a stock suspension set-up but is almost certainly the source of the problems with your lowered set-up.

As your pictures only show the bike on a centre stand, its not immediately obvious just how much clearance is left above the rear wheel on your lowered bike compared with a stock bike. But it does seem the clearance issue is due to the rather novel location of the license plate.

Anyway, assuming you are otherwise happy with the ergonomics of your lowered bike (in terms of suspension clearance comfort ride-ability and steering behaviour) then its probably best to leave the suspension settings alone and enjoy the confidence which comes from being able to put two feet on the deck when necessary. However this raises one obvious question - what way do you wish to proceed?

You could either track down someone who has the OEM rear fender/license plate holder assembly and simply re-fit that to your bike. If you reinstate the stock rear fender it would look like this...




Obviously that should ensure the license plate is well clear of the wheel - the downside being it would be rather more easily spotted. Or you can somehow modify, extend or replace the current non-standard license plate holder at least enough to ensure that it is located clear of the rear wheel even when the suspension is fully compressed.

I am sure there are several of the folks on here, who would find the need to create a modified bracket an interesting DIY project. If that is not you, then I suggest you take the bike along to a local garage/metal workshop - as I am sure they would be happy to fabricate something which would work.

On my 2007 I was able to attach the license plate, license plate lamp and reflector directly to the OEM pannier carrier bracket which still placed the plate in suitably discrete but less extreme location





Good luck - let us know how you get on.

 

Damn.....Skimad pretty much cover it all :thumb:
Duc man lower his with lush racing triangle plate and do have the fender eliminator kit and have no issue.
As Skimad stated.
We do need more info of your set up so we can give you better advise.
Last but not least.......you might need custom suspension to handle two up if you choose to keep the bike low.