My bike progressively destroyed its license plate. It basically ripped the plate where it bolts on top, tearing the metal. I think this is likely from roost hitting the bottom of the plate and flexing it.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Has anyone else solved this problem and if so how?

 

I've had similar issues, but it ain't the roost. It's the vibration and bouncing. I did a fender eliminator out of stainless on my KLX650 and it broke. Made another and it broke. All either held was the plate. I suspended the plate from the back fender on a rubber flap like used to be done decades ago. Now it flaps about a bit, but worst thing that happens is the tire occasionally catches the plate, but no breakage.

 

Huh, I wonder if just rubber washers would help. Like, thick rubber washers.

 

My plate is now riveted to a piece of composite material (plastic with thin aluminum skins) because the plate was fatigue cracking. That composite material is darn tough and holding up well.

edit: The plate/composite backing are attached to the relocated stock plate bracket.

 

Those two replies are about as opposite as you can get.

 

Take your plate off, if it's in two pieces, tape the pieces together on the face (Front) side.
Grab an old plastic bucket and cut a chunk out of the side of it bigger than the plate. Heat the chunk with a hair dryer till it's flexible enough to bend flat. After it's flat and cold, glue the plate to the chunk with a big load of silicone adhesive, clamp & let sit overnight. Trim off the excess plastic, drill new mount holes thru the plastic and install.
Cheap, works..

 

Not really. It's about getting the plate isolated from vibration by one of two methods.

A rubber flap in my case, which also eliminated the rear fender extension as I wanted. It's an old school fix

The other is to attach the plate to some composite or rubber that will effectively stop damaging vibration by having two different materials that will not have similar harmonic levels cancelling out the vibration.

Rubber washers used with either shouldered washers and grommets between the plate and the washer step (like ATV fender mounts use) or rubber washers with nylock nuts might do the job by isolating the plate, but it still might vibrate and break.

I'd do some sort of plastic or rubber backing like mentioned if using the plate mount. Mine was creating a new plate mount.

Some riders will bend their plate to conform to the fender, then drill the fender and mount the plate on it.

Lots of solutions. None are wrong unless your plate breaks again... that one would be wrong.