Howdy,

I've got a 97 softail custom with a bobtail rear fender that I am contemplating installing a side mount license plate tag with tailight. I don't want two taillights so I want to remove the stock one. As we all know that will leave a gap big enough to park the bike in.

What are some of you doing or seen or heard of to combat this? At the moment I'm not trying to replace the fender. A shotgun shock is my next purchase also, So with that in mind maybe the gap won't look as big.

Thanks for any help. Pics or links would be awesome.

 

If you are putting a shotgunshock in, you pretty much answered your own question
There will be minimal gap after you shotgun that fender down almost onto the tire.

 

I went the other way and installed the Tri-Bar LED light in my 07.
Its even bigger/wider than your 97 and looked like crap (my opinion) with the original tail light.
In your case, with the narrower fenders that are on pre 07 bikes.
Lowering it with a Shotgun setup should make any gap issues go away.
The only other 'issue' might be the old tail light mounting panel.
You might not like how the tail light mounting plate that's under the fender looks with the light removed.
But a few minutes with a set of tin snips and some flat aluminum or tin plate and a spray can of undercoat should cover the holes in old tail light mounting plate for a nice 'finished' look while keeping the fenders structural integrity intact.

Good Luck and don't forget to take a couple of before and after pics for us.

 

This is how I did mine

 

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Denny,

Is that bottom pipe bent from dragging it, or is that just the angle of the pic?

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Hi SKT, YEP Draggin-It , I use to streightin it out but that bottom pipe is getting Purdy thin now.

 

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With all of those great looking twisty roads your post pics of, it is no surprise that you're draggin' 'em!

My fishtail tips on the Springer will actually split and I have to replace them about once a yeah as they get so bent/distorted they wont even stay on.

Do you drag your floorboards too. Hard to tell from the pics if they're low enough to drag.

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