Motorcycle Tail Tidy for Touring and Shipping

The 2,300 mm OBO shipping limit

A typical shipping-container door is approximately 2,340 mm wide. OBO's individual motorcycle pallet is 2,300 mm long, and the motorcycle cannot protrude beyond it.

If it is easy to do so, reduce your motorcycle's overall length to less than 2,300 mm. If a removable rear luggage rack is the only reason the motorcycle exceeds 2,300 mm, remove it before delivery.

When a tail tidy makes sense

Some motorcycles exceed 2,300 mm only because the factory tail is fanned well rearward, including the rear fender and licence-plate bracket.

This design can also be a real nuisance for touring. You spend a lot of time behind the motorcycle accessing luggage and can continually clip the tail, particularly the licence plate. Over time, the lower corners of the plate can bend and break away. Repeated contact can also cause cracking around the mounting points until they eventually fail.

Consider fitting a tail tidy if your motorcycle has this design. The Honda Africa Twin, for example, is approximately 2,330 mm long in manufacturer specifications but can come under 2,300 mm with an appropriate tail tidy. On some motorcycles, a tail tidy can reduce overall length by 50-100 mm.

You do not need a tail tidy that completely eliminates the rear fender. Choose a design that brings the motorcycle below 2,300 mm, reduces licence-plate clipping and provides strong plate support. If you carry a pillion, retaining a practical rear fender is a good idea.

Protect your licence plate

Before purchasing a tail tidy, consider how it will protect and reinforce the licence plate. A broken plate is likely to be non-compliant and cause problems. A lost plate is a much more serious problem when travelling internationally.

Australian motorcycle registration plates are pressed aluminium and are not designed for the rigours of an extended international journey. Consider the following reinforcement measures:

• Use three or four mounting points. Two connections across the top are not enough; add one or two connections at the bottom.

• Bond the licence plate to an identically sized rectangle of 2 mm aluminium, including around the perimeter and mounting points.

• Grind the reinforcement plate's corners until they are smooth and rounded.

• Seal the edge where required to prevent dust and water ingress.

Choose touring practicality over appearance

Many tail-tidy designs use a triangular bracket that fans upward. This leaves the lower corners of the licence plate exposed, allowing them to bend and eventually break away.

Look for a solid rectangular alloy design that reinforces the entire licence plate, ideally using four mounting points. A sharply fanned-up design may look better, but it can be a proper nuisance when you continually clip the plate's exposed corners while accessing your luggage.

Choose the design that works for touring and shipping—not merely the one that looks best in a product photo.