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

The mailman brought a new farkle
ISO 200   f/8.0   1/13   0 ev   22.0mm

It’ll look something like this

It’ll look something like this
ISO 400   f/5.0   1/80   0 ev   33.0mm

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, open
ISO 400   f/8.0   1/50   0 ev   22.0mm

On the bike, closed

On the bike, closed
ISO 400   f/8.0   1/50   0 ev   26.0mm

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

License plate mounted
ISO 400   f/8.0   1/125   0 ev   20.0mm

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.