When I purchased my motorcycle, I was stuck with this really ugly dealer plate that really made the plate look out of place. So I decided to make my own. With a piece of anodized aluminum and my most favorite tool here in Techshop, the laser cutter!!

Step 1: Ugly Plate

So here's what the original dealer plate looked like. Yuck!!

Step 2: Time to Design

For something like this, I simply used Corel draw.

Step 3: Laser Etch

Let me tell you, I love to laser etch! Here is our piece of aluminum being etched with our custom plate design.

After the etch, I put the license plate frame on top just to see the fit.

Step 4: Cut to Size

Another great thing about Techshop is besides the lasers, they also have great sheet metal tools. Let's go ahead and cut this piece with the power shear. This tool cuts real easy with great results.

Step 5: Drilling

Once cut on the shear, I once again put the frame on the plate just to see if it fits perfectly. Once you're finished with that, put some painters tape on the front of the plate. I did this for two reasons, to protect it from random scratches and to have a surface to mark my holes.

I used a center punch prior to using the drill press just to make things a bit easier.