Amotostuff skidplate on Givi Crashbars

[Kimchirider]

Another of the goodies I brought back from the US this summer was an Amotostuff skiplate, to add to the Givi crashbars I put on last year. I went with the raw aluminum finish just to add some color to my very black Wee, and since it's in an area that's going to get a lot of abuse I figured I'd have that pretty powdercoat scraped off soon enough. The biggest pain during installation was getting the kickstand mounting bolts off with the limited space to get leverage and my limited tools. After about 30 minutes of sweat they were free. The little Allen bolts for the clamps on front don't seem very long or beefy enough, but I've been checking them every ride and they aren't coming loose. I've heard several things ricocheting off the plate while riding gravel roads, but no noticable scars, yet. It's such a relief to hear rocks making that dull aluminum thud of the skidplate instead of trying to identify what engine parts they were nailing and doing the dreaded get-off-and-see-if-everything-is-OK-under-there routine. I changed the oil just before putting the plate on, so the next oil change will show how much trouble that's going to be. So far, I'd give it two thumbs up and now feel like an idiot for taking my Wee off-road without a skidplate before.

[tmcgee]

It's still pretty easy to get a drain pan under there for oil changes. In 14,000 miles none of the bolts have come loose on mine, but locktite on all motorcycle fittings is always a good idea.

[Kimchirider]

It's still pretty easy to get a drain pan under there for oil changes. In 14,000 miles none of the bolts have come loose on mine, but locktite on all motorcycle fittings is always a good idea.

I put Loc-Tite on the little allen bolts on the front mounts, but not the rear bolts, thinking I'll have to undo them and let the plate hinge downward to change the oil. Is that how it works, or do you have to take the whole thing off each time?

[garry]

I just unbolt the rear and let it swing down into my oil pan.

[tmcgee]

I just unbolt the rear and let it swing down into my oil pan.

Same here.

[sulman]

Same here.

Ditto, ditto.

[XLonDL650]

I take the back two off and one of the front ones off on the the left side. I found a short oil pan at Wal-Mart that will fit underneath both the oil filter and oil drain. That way, I don't have to clean the skid plate after draining the oil.

[Kimchirider]

Thanks guys. It'll be oil change time in about 1000 miles, which should be around the end of the month at my current rate. I'll let you know if I hit any snags.