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Some say it is, some say it isnt. I wanted to take mine off, but was Leary of something fing up. Left it on. Looks like yours. If you drill new holes in the bevels on the plate holder it will lay back and look better.
I would have to say it’s structural. It’s called a support tube and it bolts the two sides of the rear of the frame together. I would think removing it could cause stability issues.
thanks for all the great answers. its a tough call. companies make covers and lights and there are millions of people that have removed it with out issue. I have a buddy who bought a bike with it removed and has been chasing a high speed wobble. I may let him try mine to see if it fixes it. I actually ride my bike so iam leary of removing it
I removed it from my 06 when I had it. With it unbolted, I did notice a difference in stability. But with it cut off and the ends bolted on the bike, there was no difference. I took a nut and epoxied it in the tube and screwed in spike bolts to fill the hole.
I think it looked much better this way. I will say that when I traded the bike, the dealer questioned me on it. They said they were going to put a new one on before they sold it.
I eliminated mine about 7 years ago. I have put about 30k miles on the bike since then, always Two Up and usually packed heavy for the long ride utilizing a detachable Tour Pak. I have never noticed a difference. I removed mine, cut it and then installed "plugs" from Paul Yaffee. He may also sell the lights, not sure. So the original plate for each side goes back on the bike so you do not need to add any shims. I think I have seen the lights you are talking about, probably acts the same way. I spoke to Yaffee before I did it, he said he has done it to dozens of bikes with no negatives. I agree it seems awfully stout to hold the license plate, but many of us are out here with it gone and still alive. Good luck with your decision.
I just went through this! The lights are impossible to find! The nicest ones were the AutoGem Shotgun Lights. That company is out of business, the web site is still up and I ordered and paid by paypal, to get a call from the old owner to let me know that they are no more - and he refunded the money back through paypal. Nice guy, but no more shotgun lights.
I have a 97 electraglide with the bar and an 01 roadking w/o the bar (same chasis). I can't tell the difference.
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