Electra Glide Limited Removable Tour Pak Clean Rear Fender and License Plate Reloc
#1
Electra Glide Detach Tour Pak Clean Rear Fender & License Plate Relocation
For my 2013 Electra Glide Ultra Limited Anniv Edition I had the $630 tour pak detach kit (HD Part# 53246-09A & 70032-09) put on by the dealer and bought a Drag single seat as part of the deal purchasing the bike...if I had to do over I would have installed the tour pak detach myself as the dealer install left the rear of the bike looking cluttered with the tour pak off. Things I did not like:
- Antennas and mounts are not attractive on such a great looking bike.
- DT connectors for the wiring harnesses are very close to the tour pak making it hard to disconnect.
- Location of kit DT connectors on tour pak wiring harnesses also leave long wiring harnesses running down and covering chrome on rear fender. Even if you cut the retaining straps holding the harnesses to the frame and fender, the wiring harness are still difficult to stuff under the seat to give the rear of the bike a clean look.
- Passenger communications wiring harness routing looks awful and covers the chrome on the left rear fender.
- License plate location after detach kit is installed looks like a billboard above the taillight. Also, the detach kit comes with unsightly nuts holding the rear detach points…this is so the license plate bracket can be installed.
Summary of things I did to clean up the rear of my 110th Anniv FLHTK with tour pak detach kit:
- Removed passenger seat strap and right side seat strap bracket.
- Installed DT connectors under seat for wiring harnesses leading to tour pak. This eliminates the wiring harnesses covering the chrome on rear fender. Needed DT connectors 18AWG 2ea 6 pin, 1ea 3 pin, and 1ea 2 pin. Got them on eBay from prowireusa for about $8 each including pins...about $32 vs Harley wanting about $120. You also MUST buy a crimper...got one from Amazon (Closed Barrel Contact 4-indent Crimper..AWG 12-20 for $31). In order to route all the wires under the entire stock seat when the tour pak is on I made a new five wire wiring harness for the lights and power source in the tour pak. Its easy to make with five wires and any type of wire sheathing. Connected to wires inside tour pak with butt connectors you can get at any auto parts store.
- Rerouted the passenger communications harness so mostly hidden down left side between rear wheel and saddle bag. Moved chrome retainer for communications wiring harness to left side passenger strap bracket. Allows harness end to move up and down for easy access. This was free!
- Hid both stock antennas using the technique in this youtube video Antenna Eliminator kit on Harley Davidson Street G - YouTube
- Rerouted and hid antenna wiring harnesses off chrome using 3M Command clear cable holders, removed antenna mounts on frame installed as part of detach kit, removed antenna wiring harness from tour pak, covered antenna nubs on tour pak with auto vacuum hose ends. Only cost $5 for 3M Command clear cable holders!
- Replaced the tour pak mount docking brackets (the ones with unsightly nuts holding the license plate bracket) with the standard brackets that have chrome welded pins on the rear points (HD Part# 54208-09 & 54309-09). Got them on eBay for $99. But you need two screws HD Part#94592-98 and two washers HD Part# 6339 from Harley all for about $12 to replace the rear bracket screws and remove the ugly nuts.
- Relocated license plate to below tail light by:
- Replaced the rear signal light bar with one off a FLHR Road King (HD Part# 68742-09). Got it on eBay for $60.
- FLHR rear signal light bar calls for a LED light (HD Part# 69378-09, $46). I bought a LED light on eBay called "LED License Plate Rear Tag Light Lite Motorcycle Street Fighter Chrome White CBR" from seller mikel17110 for $10.05. It comes with 3M adhesive strip to attach to light bar. I put wire cover over the thin wires and used wire splicers to connect to the wiring harness for the rear bumper light.
- As other posts suggested I tried to use the Road King/Street Glide's license plate bracket HD Part#69380-09BHP. In researching this part I found the Road King has HD Part #69380-09BHP which all who did this recommend...it is a metal bracket for $51. The exact same bracket is in plastic on the 2010 Street Glide HD Part# 73255-10 for $9.50...only difference is plastic vs metal and $40. Anyway either bracket bottom edge is too low for my taste and ends up covering part of the rear bumper light. I tried cutting the bracket off on the bottom and drilling new holes to raise the plate but there is not enough bracket surface at the top for the top license bolts. So I used the bracket as a model and fabricated a new bracket with more surface at the top out of sheet aluminum from Home Depot for $8...took a little trial and error (tools required: grinder, file, hack saw, and drill). I bought a $5 chrome license plate frame at AutoZone as well. During the fabrication I realized I could easily bend both the bracket and $5 frame to make it a curved license plate assembly which gave me the exact look I wanted to match the curvature of the rear bumper light assembly. I bolted it to the turn signal bar using two 1/4-20x1/2" Hex Screws from Home Depot (Harley screws are chrome and $12 each) and a 1/2" spacer between the light bar and the fabricated plate. This fabrication may be too much for some so you may rather want to buy the Softbrake relocation bracket...although I did not try the Softbrake solution it looks like it would work.
- I will install a red taillight without clear window that I got on eBay for $15.
Before and After Pics below... Pics 1 & 2 are before, all the rest are after including those in very next post.
- Antennas and mounts are not attractive on such a great looking bike.
- DT connectors for the wiring harnesses are very close to the tour pak making it hard to disconnect.
- Location of kit DT connectors on tour pak wiring harnesses also leave long wiring harnesses running down and covering chrome on rear fender. Even if you cut the retaining straps holding the harnesses to the frame and fender, the wiring harness are still difficult to stuff under the seat to give the rear of the bike a clean look.
- Passenger communications wiring harness routing looks awful and covers the chrome on the left rear fender.
- License plate location after detach kit is installed looks like a billboard above the taillight. Also, the detach kit comes with unsightly nuts holding the rear detach points…this is so the license plate bracket can be installed.
Summary of things I did to clean up the rear of my 110th Anniv FLHTK with tour pak detach kit:
- Removed passenger seat strap and right side seat strap bracket.
- Installed DT connectors under seat for wiring harnesses leading to tour pak. This eliminates the wiring harnesses covering the chrome on rear fender. Needed DT connectors 18AWG 2ea 6 pin, 1ea 3 pin, and 1ea 2 pin. Got them on eBay from prowireusa for about $8 each including pins...about $32 vs Harley wanting about $120. You also MUST buy a crimper...got one from Amazon (Closed Barrel Contact 4-indent Crimper..AWG 12-20 for $31). In order to route all the wires under the entire stock seat when the tour pak is on I made a new five wire wiring harness for the lights and power source in the tour pak. Its easy to make with five wires and any type of wire sheathing. Connected to wires inside tour pak with butt connectors you can get at any auto parts store.
- Rerouted the passenger communications harness so mostly hidden down left side between rear wheel and saddle bag. Moved chrome retainer for communications wiring harness to left side passenger strap bracket. Allows harness end to move up and down for easy access. This was free!
- Hid both stock antennas using the technique in this youtube video Antenna Eliminator kit on Harley Davidson Street G - YouTube
- Replaced the tour pak mount docking brackets (the ones with unsightly nuts holding the license plate bracket) with the standard brackets that have chrome welded pins on the rear points (HD Part# 54208-09 & 54309-09). Got them on eBay for $99. But you need two screws HD Part#94592-98 and two washers HD Part# 6339 from Harley all for about $12 to replace the rear bracket screws and remove the ugly nuts.
- Relocated license plate to below tail light by:
- Replaced the rear signal light bar with one off a FLHR Road King (HD Part# 68742-09). Got it on eBay for $60.
- FLHR rear signal light bar calls for a LED light (HD Part# 69378-09, $46). I bought a LED light on eBay called "LED License Plate Rear Tag Light Lite Motorcycle Street Fighter Chrome White CBR" from seller mikel17110 for $10.05. It comes with 3M adhesive strip to attach to light bar. I put wire cover over the thin wires and used wire splicers to connect to the wiring harness for the rear bumper light.
- As other posts suggested I tried to use the Road King/Street Glide's license plate bracket HD Part#69380-09BHP. In researching this part I found the Road King has HD Part #69380-09BHP which all who did this recommend...it is a metal bracket for $51. The exact same bracket is in plastic on the 2010 Street Glide HD Part# 73255-10 for $9.50...only difference is plastic vs metal and $40. Anyway either bracket bottom edge is too low for my taste and ends up covering part of the rear bumper light. I tried cutting the bracket off on the bottom and drilling new holes to raise the plate but there is not enough bracket surface at the top for the top license bolts. So I used the bracket as a model and fabricated a new bracket with more surface at the top out of sheet aluminum from Home Depot for $8...took a little trial and error (tools required: grinder, file, hack saw, and drill). I bought a $5 chrome license plate frame at AutoZone as well. During the fabrication I realized I could easily bend both the bracket and $5 frame to make it a curved license plate assembly which gave me the exact look I wanted to match the curvature of the rear bumper light assembly. I bolted it to the turn signal bar using two 1/4-20x1/2" Hex Screws from Home Depot (Harley screws are chrome and $12 each) and a 1/2" spacer between the light bar and the fabricated plate. This fabrication may be too much for some so you may rather want to buy the Softbrake relocation bracket...although I did not try the Softbrake solution it looks like it would work.
- I will install a red taillight without clear window that I got on eBay for $15.
Before and After Pics below... Pics 1 & 2 are before, all the rest are after including those in very next post.
Last edited by gardnermc; 05-11-2013 at 05:26 AM.
#6
Taillight $ 15.00
Tourpak Mounts $109.00
Harley Screws/washers for mounts $ 13
Turn signal bar $ 58.00
Hex Bolts $ 3.00
Spacers $ 1.00
Sheet Aluminum $ 9.00
LED Light $ 10.00
License Plate Frame $ 6.00
Bolts License Plate $ 3.00
DT Connectors $ 30.00
Crimper $ 31.00
Wire $ 4.00
Wire Sheath $ 4.00
Wire Butt Connectors $ 6.00
Total $302
#7
I don't really understand your question. With the tour pak off the controls on the handlebars work fine. Did that answer your question?
Trending Topics
#9