Hi guys, During yesterday's ride, my number plate brushed the rear tire when I dropped into a washed out creek (about 1m deep, slightly longer than my bike, with a sharp drop in but smooth exit, so i hit it fast and landed hard). It was almost torn off and slightly crushed, and one of my indicators broke off. Photo: http://tny.ms/s03 I bought my 690 secondhand from the local KTM dealer, and it had several upgrades. Clearly they moved the number plate from it's original position. Looking at photos online, the plate is supposed to be mounted on a slight angle (mine is vertical), and there's supposed to be a light above illuminating the plate (required under QLD/Australian law, but rarely enforced). The only question is... do I get the official parts making my perfectly legal, or do I make my own mount with a different angle? What would you guys do?
I have ripped mine off no less than 3 times now, each time with a slightly different setup. I measured from the bottom of the factory setup to the tire and got around 8 1/2", I'm no engineer, but that doesn't sound well thought out for a bike with nearly 11" of travel. The light I believe you are refering to (seperate taillight/ license plate light, with plate mounted at an angle) is what is on the euro models (maybe the rest of the world?) and is different than what is sold here in the USA. It is probably the best soltion to prevent the plate from being sucked into the rear wheel during a hard landing. I used an Edge 2 https://sicassracing.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_43_84&products_id=191&zenid=e965f342ca3c1a37a159c2af10d55190 but had to modify the mounting plate to fit the rear fender, and even then it is a bit floppy. It does have the proper white license plate light built in to it though, and the shape of the lense looks like it was meant to be on the 690. I think I'll end up adding a rack and bolting through the very tip of the rear fender to make it rigid to solve this problem once and for all.
After talking to the local dealer, he said the standard one (i believe the same as the euro model?) isn't all that great either. So I decided to make up my own bracket to tilt it out at a slight angle. He also sold me a tiny box with three LED's. I'm pretty happy with the end result: http://tny.ms/hzpt http://tny.ms/8j4h http://tny.ms/rirm The brackets are just cheap sheet metal ones I had laying around. They're the right size and feel plenty stiff enough. It was an ugly galvanised steel, so I taped over it. On the weekend I'll spray paint it matte black. I haven't actually wired the light to the battery yet *that can wait for the weekend as well. At least I've got what looks like a proper light. "Oh! It's not working? I'll get it a mechanic onto it right away officer!"
I bolt this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/176-2155705-5044627?a=B001187HQU On to whatever bracket I can make. It sandwiches the plate, has a light, and is durable.
