Custom Fabricated Motorcycle
Inspection Sticker Plate
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There is one thing besides riding, riding, and more riding that I like to do with my 1998 Harley-Davidson XL, and that is fabricating custom parts for it. Below are photos of a custom inspection sticker plate that I just completed.
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Photo 1
Overview; the original and the custom replacement at different stages.
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Photo 2
The original Harley inspection sticker plate. Very utilitarian shape – it was an excellent candidate for replacement with a one-off custom.
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Photo 3
First I found some material for my project. I used a piece of 1/8 aluminum for my replacement. After cutting the blank to size, I drilled a mounting hole.
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Photo 4
I got a pencil out, put my designer hat on, and did a little layout work. The next step was to rough cut the design.
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Photo 5
A rough cut inspection sticker plate.
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Photo 6
Next I smoothed out the the jagged edges with a hand grinder and hand file. I then sanded the whole piece.
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Photo 7
Here it is primed and painted. The plate had a good shape, but I thought it needed something more.
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Photo 8
I decided to file a double knife edge to it. This gave it a two-toned look, and it also enhance the 3D appearance. The final step was to give it a little clear coat paint.
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Photo 9 & 10
The finished piece.
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Photo 11
The custom inspection sticker plate mounted on my Harley ready for an inspection sticker.
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~ JB ~
JB’s Weblog
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Impressive John. Great work. I love the layout of this article. The step by step is really interesting to see how it came about. I’ll send this to some motorcycle enthusiasts I know.
Thanks a lot Ray Mannion!