There's a lot of options out there when it comes to tail tidies, so many in fact that selecting the right one can be challenging. We even made a dedicated blog post regarding what to consider before buying a fender eliminator. Two of the most popular fender eliminator brands are New Rage Cycles and Yoshimura. Both offer great kits, there are some similarities and some differences. We outlined them below.
(Above: The left depicts the NRC 2021+ Yamaha MT-09 Fender Eliminator the right depicts the Yoshimura fender eliminator for the same bike.
Similarities:
- Where they're made: Both NRC & Yoshimura parts are made in the USA.
- Instillation: Both have plug-and-play options. This means no motorcycle fabrication is required (motorcycle and part specific).
- Options: Both have a wide range of options for many motorcycle makes & Models.
Differences:
- Cost: Yoshimura fender eliminators appear to have a competitive cost when compared to NRC, however the cost you see does not include aftermarket turn signals. It assumes you want to re-use your OEM turn signals. For example, the kit for the 2021+ Aprilia RS 66o from New Rage Cycles is $180. That includes the turn signals. See it here. The Yoshimura kit only includes the plate bracket and plate light for $160. See it here. If you want to use the aftermarket turn signals you need to shell out another $27 for a bracket kit AND another $144 for the LED turn signals. This means the Yoshimura will cost you $331. That's nearly twice the price as the NRC kit.
- Finish: NRC parts are aluminum and are powder coated with a black textured finish. Yoshimura parts are also aluminum, and are anodized with a smooth black finish.
- Tucked options: NRC offer standard fender eliminators and tucked options for some bikes. Yoshimura only offers standard options.
- Branding: Yoshimura displays branding on their fender eliminator kits that's visible even when the license plate is installed. New Rage Cycles has their brand on the plate bracket which is covered up once the plate is installed.
- Warranty: Neither Yoshimura nor NRC has a published warranty on their site. Yoshimura shows "1 Year Warranty" on their fender eliminators, but when you click the details you learn it's only for their exhaust systems. New Rage Cycles warranties the LED lights in their parts for a lifetime. Other warranty issues are resolved on a case by case basis. We know this because we asked them.
Grey Areas:
- DOT compliance & Homologation: On their site Yoshimura indicates "D.O.T. compliant L.E.D. light and housing" This appears to be for the plate bracket and plate light only. No DOT compliant claim are made on their aftermarket turn signals. NRC does not mention DOT compliance or Homologation at all.
Let's be clear here, we're not saying any one brand is better than the other. As you can see there are way more differences than there are similarities so your decision should come down to budget, style, and what features / parts you're hoping to get. Also, In order to keep things simple, we used some generalizations above. For example, when we say NRC parts are powder coated aluminum, we just mean nearly all of them are. We hope this guide helped, and wish you luck in your decision!