simple tail tidy?
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@Calum That one fits the shape of the DTRE well
@mbmO8 Depends what you want from investing in a tail tidy, if you want the back of the bike to look better you can make your own or if you're worried about the number plate falling off when greenlaning (a common problem as two plastic numberplate screws are fine for the road but not really up to serious off-road riding) you can reinforce the fitting of the numberplate with the stock setup.
I made this one back in the 90s before anyone had thought of manufacturing tail tidies, and my goal here was to make it look like one of the grey import bikes which were popular at the time and always had nicer lights/indicators than the equivalent UK-spec machine. What I did was to make a U-shaped piece of 1mm thick steel with the centre section the same width as the distance across the indicator mounts on the grabrail. The parts each side were about 30mm at the top tapering to 20mm at the bottom and I then mounted it fitted over the indicator mounts, sloping downwards at the same angle. I also made sure the full 260mm rear wheel travel was available without the rear tyre fouling the numberplate by removing the shock and lifting up the rear wheel with the bike on a MX bike stand. Although not visible in the pic there was enough space under the blue rear mudguard to fit one of those little oval standalone number plate lights, nicked off a Kawasaki Eliminator down the breakers IIRC. Cheap-ass mini indicators (but better ones are available these days) and taillight is one of those scaled down TS125R pattern lights and always worked very well:
Or you can attach a piece of 2mm aluminium to the back of your full size numberplate using double sided tape to stop flying stones from breaking it, then use spacers to attach it to the rear mudguard in four places instead of two using M6 bolts, large washers and nyloc nuts (paint the heads black or yellow) for a really bombproof fitting. This looks stock from a distance and so doesn't attract the attention of Plod, the MOT man etc. but I've greenlaned/jumped DTRs with this setup and the numberplate never moved. And you get to keep your OEM rear light which is probably the best option.
I realise you asked for a simple tail tidy; neither of these options are simple but it's not going to be simple if you just buy one either. To make a decent job of doing the wiring you'll need a bullet connector kit (don't use those blue/red motor factors connectors) and there's no guarantee an aftermarket one will fit well without modification so you're better off approaching it with the goal of making the bike as good as it can possibly be from the viewpoint of you the owner. In reality nothing about DTR ownership is simple. There is an excellent passage in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig which goes something like "the craftsman and the work are changing together, and at the exact point where the work is as good as it can possibly be, the craftsman's state of mind is in a complete state of relaxation and contentment". He also talks about taking his (new) bike back to a main dealer to be fixed under warranty, where he observes the mechanics are basically a bunch of 25-going-on-13 adult toddler chimpanzees with OnRadioWuuuuun cranked up full volume (very much my own experience of working in the motorcycle trade). They end up making the bike worse, he takes it home and fixes it himself in about 5 minutes.
I hope I haven't put you off DTR ownership by writing this, if you buy a tail tidy online and fit it it will probably look good and work well but equally it can be very rewarding to sit down and design/make something that improves your bike and is unique.
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if you buy a tail tidy online and fit it it will probably look good and work well but equally it can be very rewarding to sit down and design/make something that improves your bike and is unique.
@HOTSHOT-III That's where I spend most of my time these days. I can't remember the last time I rode my Yamaha, but I'm working on it most weekend
