Lowbrow Panhead: Bates Tail Light Redo

My Panhead is coming along pretty quickly, and it has to, a month or less til we are headed to California for El Diablo Run. Worked on the tail light today. Here is the final product, sans license plate. I have to run to the hardware store and get the proper hardware to flush mount the screws to wrap it up. Read on to check out some of the tail light fab stuff.

I had a Bates cast aluminum tail light housing that takes a stock Lucas tail light that is commonly found on Triumphs. I didn't want to run a fender mount light due to space constraints so here is what I came up with. I also enjoyed cutting up a cool period chopper piece and making it cooler, in my opinion.

Five minutes later I had cut the light into three pieces.


Apparently I was having too much fun and didn't stop to take photos. I went ahead and welded the original flange for the license plate back to the backing plate but lined it up straight to work on my sissy bar.

Some 3/16" 304 stainless steel plate to match the sissy bar, drilled, cut, and welded for the mount. I would have to say my new favorite metal is 304 stainless, so nice to weld and looks so good, can't wait to polish this whole thing up!


While I was at it I took a scrap of fender and made a doubler, welding it to the underside of the fender where I will do the sissybar-to-fender mounts, which will be through-bolted. These are beefy fenders and I don't think it needs it, but it can't hurt. I like overkill, I would rather spend the time fabricating now then fixing it when it breaks on the side of the road.