We got a break in the bitter cold this Saturday, so I spent some time in the garage intending on installing some of the pieces I have purchased from Guzzi Tech.
The original owner of my 2015 Griso had installed a fender eliminator kit, but it lacked any type of license plate light. Not wanting to be pulled over for a mundane issue, I bought an led plate surround from GT.
It seems well made ( made in US), my only complaint is that the wiring for the led light comes straight out of the back on the top of the plate. This means it will not sit flat against the license plate mounting surface.
I was able to drill a hole in the flat plate mounting surface and install a rubber grommet to protect the wires from chaffing on the metal. Once I figured that out, I had to test fit my US license plate. It will not fit over the frame, so it must go under so that the license plate is sandwiched between the lighted frame and the mounting surface.
The issue then became the top holes would not line up and the top of the license plate would hit the wires coming out of the rear of the frame( it might be easier if the wiring came out of the top rather than the back of the frame). I took my license plate and used a drill to oval out the top holes, ground a half circle in the middle top using my grinding wheel (to create clearance for the wires).
The rest of the install was straightforward and the led is just the right amount of brightness to illuminate the plate, but not too bright as to look out of place. The frame looks good and gives the whole rear a more finished look than it had with just the fender eliminator and bare license plate hanging out there.
Some of my friends told me I should have bought some cheap strip led lighting and made my own plate light, but I feel this item was fairly priced and makes for a much better looking solution than I could have come up with on my own.
The install did take longer than I thought it would, mostly because of the way the wires come out of the back of the frame.
I can also say I am not a fan of how the Griso bodywork comes off. I am concerned that the one piece rear section only has so many "flexes" in it before it cracks or breaks. Why not have each side come off as a separate piece, and the tail be a third piece in itself?
Hopefully I don't have to remove this panel too many times. I probably could have done this install without removing it, but I wanted to have access, as I was not sure how the wires would run.
It was good to spend time with my new bike and I am looking forward to installing a few more parts when we get a break in the cold again.
The original owner of my 2015 Griso had installed a fender eliminator kit, but it lacked any type of license plate light. Not wanting to be pulled over for a mundane issue, I bought an led plate surround from GT.
It seems well made ( made in US), my only complaint is that the wiring for the led light comes straight out of the back on the top of the plate. This means it will not sit flat against the license plate mounting surface.
I was able to drill a hole in the flat plate mounting surface and install a rubber grommet to protect the wires from chaffing on the metal. Once I figured that out, I had to test fit my US license plate. It will not fit over the frame, so it must go under so that the license plate is sandwiched between the lighted frame and the mounting surface.
The issue then became the top holes would not line up and the top of the license plate would hit the wires coming out of the rear of the frame( it might be easier if the wiring came out of the top rather than the back of the frame). I took my license plate and used a drill to oval out the top holes, ground a half circle in the middle top using my grinding wheel (to create clearance for the wires).
The rest of the install was straightforward and the led is just the right amount of brightness to illuminate the plate, but not too bright as to look out of place. The frame looks good and gives the whole rear a more finished look than it had with just the fender eliminator and bare license plate hanging out there.
Some of my friends told me I should have bought some cheap strip led lighting and made my own plate light, but I feel this item was fairly priced and makes for a much better looking solution than I could have come up with on my own.
The install did take longer than I thought it would, mostly because of the way the wires come out of the back of the frame.
I can also say I am not a fan of how the Griso bodywork comes off. I am concerned that the one piece rear section only has so many "flexes" in it before it cracks or breaks. Why not have each side come off as a separate piece, and the tail be a third piece in itself?
Hopefully I don't have to remove this panel too many times. I probably could have done this install without removing it, but I wanted to have access, as I was not sure how the wires would run.
It was good to spend time with my new bike and I am looking forward to installing a few more parts when we get a break in the cold again.