Had some time to mess with the 1200 today so decided to see what I could conjure up for a sidemount license plate and taillight bracket. I didn't want to mount it on the fender, partly because it doesn't come down very far and I didn't want to ruin the looks of it. I dug through some scrap SS sheet and cut out the backing plate, the front side has a peel off covering and is fairly shiny underneath. Decided to attach it to the fender brace bracket I welded on previously, it's pretty stout. After shaping and drilling the backing plate, I dug out a piece of angle iron and proceeded to cut/shape/drill it to use as a support for the backing plate. Although it's quite solid, I'm tossing around the idea of adding an extra piece in back for support, shown by the piece of cardboard I cut out in the second picture. The only reason for the extra support is due to the weight of the entire unit and the fact it sticks out farther than a vertical mount. I wanted a vertical mount but the law seems much too ambiguous to me to take that chance. The tail/brake light is really bright....ask Jeff Parker.
Once I decide on the extra support piece, I'll most likely run it from the shock bolt up to the inside end of the backing plate. After I'm satisfied with everything, I'll pull it apart and paint the mounts to match the frame and polish the SS backing plate. Once that's done, I'll string the wires and add the six pin connector to meet where it comes off the main harness. I'll use the same connector for the turn signals, hopefully I can find some that will do triple duty; run/brake/turn.
Location of possible extra brace, runs from the lower shock bolt to the inside end of the mount.
At least I stayed out of Rita's hair today so all was not lost.
