V100 Mandello tail tidy

[bronzestar1]

Curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to see if I could make some kind of tail tidy for my V100 Mandello.  Long story short, it can be done without cutting anything, just removing some parts and hardware.  I'm not ever going to mount bags on this bike, so losing those OEM bag mounting points wasn't a big deal to me.  I've had this bike for nine and half months, it's only got 350 miles on it, so it's definitely not going to be any kind of touring rig.

[Racer242]

That really changes the look of the bike, gives a much racier vibe.  I like it.

[DoubleGuzzi]

Pop an aluminium plate over the gap to hide the wiring. Doesn't need to be thick and you already have mounting points (captive nuts). Wouldn't take much effort to form it around the underside too. Then it should look tidy, rather than missing. 

[someguy]

That's the way it should look!    And yes to the aluminum plate (Painted black).

[bronzestar1]

Pop an aluminium plate over the gap to hide the wiring. Doesn't need to be thick and you already have mounting points (captive nuts). Wouldn't take much effort to form it around the underside too. Then it should look tidy, rather than missing. 

I like that idea.  I'd just have to reverse those two captive nuts on the bottom to mount it (the two up top are oriented correctly), and use some smooth button head bolts.  I'll have to get some cardboard and make a template, see if I can make one piece that will mount using all four captive nuts, and bent to fit those contours to completely hide the wires.     

[nc43bsa]

The only thing I'd add is a small support for the bottom of the license plate.

I have dozens of fractured NC bike plates I've collected over the years due to vibration and no lower mounts.  NC bike plates are thinner than most, I suppose.

[DoubleGuzzi]

.. I'd just have to reverse those two captive nuts on the bottom to mount it ..

If I'm seeing the image correctly, then all captive nuts are correct, as is. Form your breakfast cereal cardboard template into a sort of distorted "U" shape, to wrap around the underside. You'll be removing the registration plate for the aforementioned support bracket anyway  The lower bolts will be screwed in from the rear.

(Would a thin sheet of aluminium, as a backing, be a simple way to strengthen the reg. plate?)

Have fun!

[bronzestar1]

"If I'm seeing the image correctly, then all captive nuts are correct, as is..."

I think the captive nuts that the yellow arrows are pointing at need to be reversed, so they look like the ones the red arrows are pointing at.  That will give me four mounting points for whatever cover I come up with, secured with button head bolts from the wheel side, not the plate side. 

[DoubleGuzzi]

I think the captive nuts that the yellow arrows are pointing at need to be reversed, so they look like the ones the red arrows are pointing at.  That will give me four mounting points for whatever cover I come up with, secured with button head bolts from the wheel side, not the plate side. 

Nah, your plate would then need to be an elongated Z shape, rather than a capital J

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[bronzestar1]

Nah, your plate would then need to be an elongated Z shape, rather than a capital J

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Took another look, and the easiest solution would be to keep the cover plate on the outside, following the slight contours of that underside piece, and secure it at the four corners with small sheet metal screws thru the black plastic.  I'd remove those upper two captive nuts so the cover plate can lay flat.  I have the license plate secured with small sheet metal screws thru the black plastic. 

[DoubleGuzzi]

I was looking for a solution that didn't alter the original part(s). 
Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.