Wunderlich Fender Eliminator/License Plate Bracket

[Sander Abernathy]

I spent about four hours last night installing the Wunderlich Fender Eliminator/License Plate Bracket on my R1200R. It's an easy bolt-on install once you remove every light and trim piece from the bike that is located behind the gas tank. That took me two hours. Removing the seat lock from the old bracket and installing it in the new bracket took another two hours. The challenge is that you have to tighten two bolts without touching the head of the bolts. After I gave up for the night, a possible fix occurred to me. I'll try it tonight.

Has anyone else installed this farkle?

Based on searching the board, I don't think anyone has so I assume I am the test mule. It's nearly impossible to find it on the Wunderlich site because the part number doesn't return the result if you put it in the part number search box. You have to go to the R1200R section of the International PDF catalog at Wunderlich.de. It doesn't appear in the online store either. Wunderlich America ordered it for me. I think it was about $250 including shipping and it took about three weeks to ship from Germany to California to Atlanta.

The Wunderlich picture isn't real good because the biggest issue with eliminating the license plate bracket from the R1200R is that the seat lock is integrated into the license plate bracket yet the picture doesn't really show how that issue is resolved. I see it now and it appears to be a very good solution. If you want to see a decent picture of the bracket, go to www.steelbike.it who actually manufactures the part and puts its logo all over it. I'll post pictures of the installation process once I get over the hurdle of installing the seat lock.

There are two problems with the product (in addition to the difficult task of installing the seat lock). First, it only includes a Euro size license plate holder. The license plate holder can easily be trimmed to length for a US plate but I'm trying to decide if I want the extra length to hold a fender extender in the wet so my back stays dry. I think I will probably leave the euro size license plate holder as is and install a fender extender on it and get a US size holder for when I want the minimalist look.

The second problem is that the Euro bikes do not have a separate license plate light module and the Wunderlich bracket doesn't include one either. The license plate light is integrated into the bottom of the OEM tail light on the euro bikes. There are quite a few solutions to that. The most elegant is to purchase a euro aftermarket led taillight from Wunderlich or Hornig at 99 and 89 euros respectively. They have cheaper and more expensive solutions as well. Euro led taillights in the BMW accessory catalog are double the price and my dealer says he can't the Euro version in the US. Other options include using license plate mounting bolts with integral LEDs, reusing the OEM light which is pretty bulky, or buying another license plate light. I would like the LED taillight so I will probably get one from Wunderlich.

If I had it to do over again, I would cut the OEM bracket off below the seat lock and install the Rizoma Fox Universal bracket. It's only $155, much simpler, ships quicker and includes both a Euro and a US size plate holder and a nice small license plate light. I almost went that route but couldn't visualize it all going together. Now that I have stripped the rump end of my bike naked, I see that it would be necessary to fabricate an attachment point but that would be very easy. All that would be required is a piece of relatively thick black anodized aluminum cut to size, bent to a 90 degree angle and drilled for attachment bolts. All in all, it would be easier than installing the lock in the Wunderlich bracket.

I'll post some pictures that show how it all goes together as I progress.

[hoflix]

too bad we don't have that ADV-style emoticon... "this thread is worthless without pics!"




i for one am very curious to see it

[Sander Abernathy]

Do I have to do everything? Just kidding.

Here's the link to the catalog pdf. http://www.wunderlich.de/images/Interna ... imised.pdf

Go to page 28 of 52 per Adobe Acrobat. The page number that actually appears on the page is 265.

I am fairly certain that is the same bracket mounted on a different model bike because it shows the seat lock positioned on the left side of the bike whereas the one I have leaves it centered and recessed just like the OEM bracket.

[blueviewlaguna]

I think he meant your pics of the installation

You can create a photobucket account to host them. Its easy and free:

http://photobucket.com/

[Sander Abernathy]

No one wants to see photographs of it installed more than I do I can assure you. Unfortunately, DIY is a very slow route when the person doing it yourself is me.

Did I mention that my condo doesn't permit vehicle repairs in the garage so I'm doing this at night in a dark parking lot with a flashlight in my mouth? I can't wait to see how many pieces and parts I've lost. I think I'm going to REI on the way home to get a headlamp.

[celticus]

Petzl makes many very nice models. My favorite is the simple one that just turns three LEDs on and off that's all.
Sounds like you need to make a friend who has a place to work on bikes.

Mark

[fastdogs2]

I bought this farkle from Wunderlich:

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorc ... 10102.html

I tried installing it myself and got so frustrated with it because I couldn't loosen the bolts behind the license plate that held the frame gadget in place. The factory/dealer had screwed them on so tightly that I couldn't budge them. I am not a tinkerer and consequently have no patience with mechanical things that don't comply as they are intended to. I tend to make things worse by taking a hammer to immovable objects, with extreme prejudice. That behavior ultimately doubles my ultimate repair bill, because I am then obliged to take the whole mess to the dealer to have them fix it. I decided to forgo step one of my do-it-yourself process and I took the bike to the dealer to have them install it. I figured it was easier to have the technician raise his blood pressure. My blood pressure is controlled by medication and I have learned to avoid situations that tend to elevate it beyond the capability of the medication.

The dealer encountered the same problem as you, because the farkle is designed for European license plates and the holes don't match up to any of the bolts/screws on the US plate holder. The dealer resolved this issue removing the entire bracket under the license plate lamp and bolting the Wunderlich device to the plastic bodywork piece that extends from the back of the bike. I would take a photo of the installation, but this site does not readily allow photo attachments. If someone can tell me how to attach digital photos, I will do so.

Bill

[blueviewlaguna]

I bought this farkle from Wunderlich:

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorc ... 10102.html

I tried installing it myself and got so frustrated with it because I couldn't loosen the bolts behind the license plate that held the frame gadget in place. The factory/dealer had screwed them on so tightly that I couldn't budge them. I am not a tinkerer and consequently have no patience with mechanical things that don't comply as they are intended to. I tend to make things worse by taking a hammer to immovable objects, with extreme prejudice. That behavior ultimately doubles my ultimate repair bill, because I am then obliged to take the whole mess to the dealer to have them fix it. I decided to forgo step one of my do-it-yourself process and I took the bike to the dealer to have them install it. I figured it was easier to have the technician raise his blood pressure. My blood pressure is controlled by medication and I have learned to avoid situations that tend to elevate it beyond the capability of the medication.

The dealer encountered the same problem as you, because the farkle is designed for European license plates and the holes don't match up to any of the bolts/screws on the US plate holder. The dealer resolved this issue removing the entire bracket under the license plate lamp and bolting the Wunderlich device to the plastic bodywork piece that extends from the back of the bike. I would take a photo of the installation, but this site does not readily allow photo attachments. If someone can tell me how to attach digital photos, I will do so.

Bill

You can create a photobucket account to host them. Its easy and free:

http://photobucket.com/

Then copy the image link from photobucket of that specific image and paste into the body of the forum post here (easiest), or use the "image" button when posting and insert the link between the [image] brackets.

[fastdogs2]

OK. I created the photobucket account and uploaded the image. This is a photo of the backside of the license plate bracket, if I can copy it to here.

http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab15 ... ket001.jpg

Bill

[Nick S]

If its not too much trouble can you post a pic from the side view preferably of the whole bike?

Thanks

Nick

[Sander Abernathy]

My progress last night on the license plate bracket was limited to pondering it. However, I realized that the instructions include complete installation pictures for those that are interested. It's a pdf and I've posted a URL below.

Yesterday, I said that if I had it to do over again, I would fabricate a mounting point for the Rizoma Fox Universal bracket and use that since it includes a light and a US license plate bracket. That is definitely possible and certainly cheaper but I now think the Wunderlich license plate bracket and a euro taillight provides the better (though more costly) solution. If I went the Rizoma route, I would probably get the Aprilia bracket because it extends to the rear more than the universal bracket and the best mounting point requires that extension to get the plate to the rear of the bike and out of the way of rear tire when the suspension compresses.

Enjoy the pictures and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.download.wunderlich.de/PDF/a ... ng_ita.pdf