Cheapo Chinese Skid Plate?

[piotrek]

22 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

Really not sure there is any way for the SW-Motec plate to cause more damage than it protects... its pretty well designed.  And if you were to have something barely clear your sump and slam at full bore into your exhaust lunchbox... you could also be in for some fun.  

I just think it robs the bike of the already limited clearance. I am not dismissing that it adds some protection against minor bumps and flying rocks, but I will take the 15mm clearance... for now LOL. I will be on 70/30 tires next season and those will probably be pretty good at flinging rocks.

Edited October 6, 2021 by piotrek
sp

[Wintersdark]

Yeah my oil drain plug doesn't hang down like the FJ plugs do, so that's a good bonus.  The skid plate on my Tenere is the first I've ever had, and it's got a huge dent in it now (mind you, I was doing really rough stuff with it).

I dunno if I'll ever get one for the Tracer.  It never goes offroad, and big rocks on roads are extremely rare in my experience (at least, where I'm likely to ride it)... If I did, I'd just get the cheapest one I could find, like the AliExpress job.  I'm sure it's much more fragile than a name brand one, but I feel the likely hood of an object puncturing it AND the oil pan is insanely remote. 

I mean, I've ridden half a million kilometers in my life, and have never had a bike damaged that way riding on road.  Not to say it can't happen of course, but there's a limit to how much protection weight I want to bolt onto my bike. If I had an FJ for sure I would, and I'm going to get a stronger plate for my Tenere... If it can cobble together a Mount to use the stock Tenere player on the tracer, though, I may do that.

 

Seriously though, if just doing for the tracer? Unless I ride really rough roads with it, if just go cheap Chinese bag plate 100%

[peteinpa]

Another thing to keep in mind is a skid plate will reflect a lot of engine noise back to you.  I installed one on a Kaw. KLX650C and the first time I started it scared me with the noise.

I for one won't be installing one on my 9.

Done too many miles, coming up on half million,  with no holes in oil pans on singles, twins, triples, V fours, both directions, and inline fours.

On dirt bikes and dual sports, of course.

If you regularly are on dirt roads that see rocks bigger then golf balls then yes. I can see going maybe 45 mph and the front tire kicks one up it could crack the pan.

[bwringer]

I haven't noticed any change in reflected engine noise on my FJ-09. The skid plate is pretty small as such things go, and it's very tucked in; you can't even see it from the saddle.

On my old V-Strom, the skid plate was much larger and there was a noticeable difference in noise with it in place. That bike also had a fairing with a lot more open space seemingly custom-designed to amplify and funnel engine noise at the rider.

I don't take the FJ-09 off pavement, but there's a LOT of crap in the roads around here, so for the places I ride I'm reasonably comfortable with the tradeoffs and benefits.