Here's to a crappy start of the day...

[Brando]

Leaving for work this morning, I pull the bike out of the garage for my AM walk-around, and notice something peculiar...



Looks like some douche stole my license plate. It had an August 2018 sticker, too. I ride over to the local Sheriff's Department to report it. He comments "Wow, lazy. Didn't even undo the screws." CA treats this is a pretty big deal, as he says "Just so you know, we're probably going to go full-force on whomever we find with the plate." Good.

Already let the toll roads know, mailing the form for a replacement to the DMV. What a PITA.

[stevej37]

How could they take it off without un-screwing it?

[DanielDudley]

Didn't screw up the bike. That's a big plus.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Brando

Leaving for work this morning, I pull the bike out of the garage for my AM walk-around, and notice something peculiar...

Dude!! You're totally missing the other two exhaust pipes from the other side! Or do you have it set up like that with a side to side weight difference for circle track racing?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by stevej37

How could they take it off without un-screwing it?

That what I would like to know - jeez - all the times I tried to remove a plate with seized up fasteners - if ONLY the plate could have come off that easy.

Sorry for the theft, Brando, but hope they catch the scumbag and he pays dearly!

Nothing worse than a thief!

[SoCal911T]

[xxx

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by Baz

Nothing worse than a thief!

One thing worse Baz...When the thief robs a liquor store with your plate on his bike and the cops come jack you up at your house.

What a PITA, sorry. Good that you're doing all the necessary stuff to keep the above from happening. Sticking you with his Toll Road bill is the most likely motive.

[M.D. Holloway]

A metal plate? That was torn off with some force. Unless bike plates are different than auto plates tearing one like that is a feat. You would really have to have a grip on it then pull it up with significant force and an increase rate. Short of hitting it with liquid N2 or a fire extinguisher, I can't imagine tearing off a plate without tools and then if you have the tools, just unscrew it.

[motion]

Crackheads. Sorry for your troubles.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

A metal plate? That was torn off with some force. Unless bike plates are different than auto plates tearing one like that is a feat. You would really have to have a grip on it then pull it up with significant force and an increase rate. Short of hitting it with liquid N2 or a fire extinguisher, I can't imagine tearing off a plate without tools and then if you have the tools, just unscrew it.

I thought of this as well. The only way I can see is stressing it back and forth until the point of failure. Seems more like an act of vandalism rather than theft.

Bloody irritating, either way. Sorry Brando.

[on2wheels52]

I'm thinking metal fatigue.
I've got some old MC plates laying around, I'll have to mount one up and see if it breaks like yours by bending it.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Look where it broke. Definitely fatigue. It looks like it was only held on at the top and after many miles of fluttering in the wind - snap!

That's what it looks like to me.

Get a bracket that has screw attachment points at all four corners

[UconnTim97]

That sucks.

In PA our plates are pretty thin metal. Had the registration sticker stolen off my car once. It's pretty common here in Philly. With the sticker in the corner, they just have to bend the end of the plate a few times and the end snaps off with the registration sticker intact. I know a lot of people that carry their registration sticker in their wallet for that reason.

[on2wheels52]

Is the bracket your plate attaches to metal? I was afraid to bolt my trials up to any of mine, I was worried about breaking the plastic that's on all my bikes, even the Ural
I bolted them to a piece of iron instead.

Tried an OK plate first, but it has no ribbing(?), totally flat. It tore in a straight line, left about an inch wide band still attached.
The AR plate is indented(?), and the way it broke left the two pieces attached about like in your photo. The part of the plate they would end up with would look like hell though.

[fingpilot]

Most bike plates do not survive anything over 130MPH.


Just sayin...

[Scott Douglas]

Metal fatigue from vibration. I'll bet there's supposed to be a small rubber button in that third hole on the mount to help with that too. High frequency vibes will cause that a lot of times because the forces involved are so much greater.

[jwasbury]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Look where it broke. Definitely fatigue. It looks like it was only held on at the top and after many miles of fluttering in the wind - snap!

That's what it looks like to me.

Get a bracket that has screw attachment points at all four corners

I've ridden bikes for tens of thousands of miles with only two screws holding the plate and never had a plate fail due to metal fatigue. Unless Cali plates are especially wimpy I don't see it.

[creaturecat]

looks like a classic case of metal fatigue to me.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by creaturecat

looks like a classic case of metal fatigue to me.

Suicide by flap ? Seems possible.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Oh, I thought you said "suicide by FAP". (like "fap, fap, fap...")

Next best thing to "death by snu-snu" I guess...