I first saw the concept of behind the license plate storage on a picture someone posted on the R1200GS forum. That person used a Pelican case. I thought it a great idea, but there was no Pelican case close to the size I wanted. They were either too big or too deep. Then I found this:
The mailman brought a new farkle
It’ll look something like this
It’s called the Grifter, a storage box made by Ingenuity Infusion Incorporated and available for about $20 in plastic from a variety of dealers. Or you can spend $250 for the chrome version! It comes with a lock. The big mounting decision was lock up, or lock down. I eventually went with lock up so papers wouldn’t go flying when I open the box.
On the bike, open
On the bike, closed
The instructions called for a 9/32 or 17/64 drill – 1/4 works just fine. The box is marked with drill points that matched the BMW plate mounting perfectly. I used all four mounting points on the GS. The Grifter came with hardware for only 2. No biggie, I used my existing mounting hardware to attach the box to the bike.
License plate mounted
The box came with 4 self taping screws to hold the license plate to the box. The plastic is somewhat soft, so I was careful to get them tight without hogging out the hole.
The box is not big enough for the user guide. It does hold things like my registration plus a few pairs of latex gloves. I used the foam insert to keep the stuff from rattling around. I’m not convinced that the cover closes enough to squeeze the O-ring that is supposed to keep it waterproof. I’ll watch, and if necessary put my registration into a zip-lock baggie.