Crash Guards and Skid Plate Pat Walsh Designs

[Howboucha]

I love it!

Read the review here: http://www.stromtrooper.com/patwalshcrashguard.htm

A great investment for your DL1000.

Brendan

[thefifthcircle]

Thanks for the review!! I have been eyeing the skid/crash but I have a 650 so I might have to make my own. :)

[yebogiant]

Good Review! I've been waiting anxiously to see what one of us had to say about this bit of kit. Looks like its gonna be the crash bar for me, i had a feeling it would be.

Brendan, do you think you could post a couple more pics of your bike with the bars mounted? I'd really like to see what the bike looks like with them on. The pics in the review are all a little close up, and the same goes for the pics on Pat's site.

Thanks alot! Nice bike by the way!

[Howboucha]

I had a good ride on Sunday and I have more thoughts about this set up.

My Sunday riding buddy and I were comparing it to what we have seen from the other manufactures. The Pat Walsh design looks like it will provide more protection, especially to the engine area. The bars cover more area than the others and come down to the skid plate.

I was extremely impressed with the fact that there were no strange rattling or vibrating sounds after the install. We rode about 100 miles on everything from sweet pavement to dirt, nasty roads. I bounced the V-Strom around and nothing shook loose.

It also looks as if it will be easy to mount something on the bars to keep the wind off my legs during cold riding.

I will shoot some more photos soon for a better "far away" look.

[MWValley]

Nice job Brendan! As usual another great photo-documented DIY presentation. Thanks for the close up and personal with the bars. They look just great. A bit less money than some of the alternatives. As Monty Burns might say, "Excellent!"

Hey I also would like to add some lights to my crashbars, but I am waffling on the paltry power punch of the Stromerator. Our alternators only put out about 350 or 360 watts on the earlier Stroms and 400 or so on the K4 and K5 models.

John Swiatek, the genius at the helm of Powerlet estimates the Strom needs about 300 watts to run. That leaves about 50 or so watts for early Stroms and 100 for the laters ones to "spend" on things like heated grips, vests, and aux. lighting. One set of standard driving lights typically uses 110 watts, of course when outfitted with 55W bulbs as is usually the case.

I am a real fan of PIAA lights since I am sold on their very high quality and perfomance. I would put maybe one 1100X lamp on my Strom but there is only one bulb that will fit the 1100X (very small, very bright lamp) and that bulb is a 55 watter.

I think I might put a single PIAA 510 (black with grille) on my Strom. This lamp uses an H-3 bulb which can be had in both 35W and 55W flavors and in different light colors too. Super White, Extreme White, Ion Crystal and so on. I think one 510 with a 35W=70W PIAA bulb would be a fine addition to any bike and would only draw 35 precious watts.

If anyone is interested in adding a light or two to their Strom but they don't have crashbars or don't want to add lights there, I have seen a great solution. Creative Cyle Concepts sent me a prototype machined light mount that attaches perfectly to the Strom front fender bolt hole. The mount is designed for the 1100X PIAA so far but it looks like a champ. I bolted an 1100X to my bike just to see how it would look and it's very nice.

Keep the the great work, ride far, ride well.

Jeff

[zembu]

I just spoke with Pat and he said they'll be shipping the kit for the 650s in about a week! Yeah!

[selder]

Thanks for the great review. I am leaning heavily towards this as a solution for my 05 650. How much ground clearance do you lose, and does anyone know how this would compare to the clearance loss for the SW Motech bar/plate combo?
Steve

[thefifthcircle]

I just spoke with Pat and he said they'll be shipping the kit for the 650s in about a week! Yeah!

Sweet!! You think he will take an IOU:lol: I am pennyless at the moment. I guess I will just have to start saving :(

I got my Pat Walsh designs combo skidplate/crashbars this weekend. Pat even installed them for me at his house. My Wee-strom was the pattern for the 650 combo and radar shelf.

What a quality set up it is. Strong and great looking too. Pat installed them in less than 30 minutes. Probably could have done it in less but we were yacking! Great guy with a lot of great ideas.

It will be easy to change the oil too since there is access to the drain plug as well as a slot for oil to drain from under the oil filter.

Well worth the $249 investment, IMHO.

Beav

[Compared To What?]

This Thread is worthless without pictures. . . .

[Howboucha]

There are plenty of photos in the link posted in the original post. But here is a photo of what it protected when I decided to ride down a muddy-closed road. I did hit a few things pretty hard and I know the guard prevented possible damage.

http://www.stromtrooper.com/brendan%20kearns%20gallery/stromguard.gif

[turbojoe]

I just installed the Motor Guard and it looks great!
I've yet to test out the motor guard part and I plan to mount some highway pegs soon.
Contrary to the instructions and BK (sorry, no disrespect intended), using a wrench is not the only way to get the 17mm sidestand bolt off. I used a ratchet with an extension and a swivel. Slid right onto the bolt! Getting it loose was another matter. I slid a piece of pipe over the ratchet handle to give me more leverage and bent the male end of the extension. Removed the extension and kept at it and it finally came loose. Getting the bolt tightened once the plate was in place proved a challenge. Got it started with the bike on its centerstand, then put it on the sidestand to finish because the centerstand was in the way.
BK had a good idea of tying the bike down to do the job. I had to go from sidestand to centerstand and back several times. Took me 1-1/2 hours, but I'm not as mechanically capable as some of you others.
Here are a couple of pics: http://www.sticksandstonesphotography.com/vstrom/. I have more of the install process if anyone's interested.
Definitely a good investment and Pat was great to deal with. Thanks Pat!

[MATTMAN]

Any reviews for the 650 set up yet?

[gersh10]

I have a question. I've been looking at several different models this weekend one of which is the Hepco & Becker crash bars, I like the way they come up around and protect the faring. My concern is that my bike fell over this weekend and scratched up my faring pretty bad, broke the blinker and the clutch handle, and that was just a tip over (I have an issue with the side stand on the DL650 being to straight up and down and not being very stable on gravel). The damage on the faring is above where the Pat Walsh, motech’s and a few other guards even come to, any comments on this? Also the Pat Walsh bars only connect to one point each side of the bike and then to the skid plate correct? Has anyone hit anything with the skid plate? How well did it handle the hit? My concerns are with only one attachment point up on the frame it would work as a pivot point on impact reducing the amount of protection. In looking the skid plate on the Pat Walsh looks to be one of the most protective out there. Any feed back on other skid plates and crash guards would be appreciated.

[Beav]

I've had Pat's bars/skidder on my Weestrom for 5000 miles now. My bike was used to pattern and fit the 650 set-up. I have some cheap highway pegs mounted on the spare holes by the crashbar crossbrace.

Pat's bar/skidder is designed to transfer energy when the bike is dropped or the skidder is given a good whack. This keeps the engine safe and allows the frame to do it's job. I also like the fact I can change the oil and filter without removing anything.

Great design and superb customer service.

Beav

[gersh10]

I just ordered mine this week. Thanks for the info.

[gersh10]

Ok here is a question for the 650 folks, has anyone else had a problem with vibration and the skid plate coming in contact with the exhaust once it is hot? The vibration is noticeable at 5500rpm and especially on the as it is decelerating, and once everything is hot I get a nasty metal on metal rattle.

[MNRon2002]

I got mine in July, and it went on very easily and no problems. You might want to call Pat and discuss it with him.

[gersh10]

I did that once, he was telling me how guys get creative even using a crowbar. My concern is with the aluminum exhaust that I’ll end up damaging the exhaust system with the crowbar or the vibration may end up wearing a hole in it where it contacts the plate. As the exhaust heats up and expands it literally drops about an eighth to a quarter of an inch causing the contact with skid plate at about 5500 rpms (cruising speed). I guess I'll have to give him another call.

[MNRon2002]

Mine fit well, but if it fit like yours I wouldn't be happy either. I don't know what to tell you other than I'd call him again. I would use spacers before I'd be bending it with a crow bar. And I would NOT leverage against the exhaust...

Good luck and keep us posted.

[gersh10]

No, I'm going to leverage against the exhaust. They went on great and the fit looks good. But I think some bikes are smoother running than others, not sure why but I’m pretty sure there’s a difference from bike to bike. This may attribute to some of the problems with vibration and my contact issues. I just don’t see a better design out there for the V-Stroms. I like the set up so I’ll call Pat first and see if I send the skid plate back if he can dish it for me to give me more clearance, if he can’t or won’t I may even take it to a metal shop to see if they can.

[bphillman]

I installed my new one today.. MAJOR ISSUE!!

I took a hard right at an intersection just after installing the unit and darn near dumped it when the right rear of the skid plate made contact with the cement and pogo'd me.. There is plenty of room there to have an angle cut as opposed the the squared off edge that is there currently..

Be very careful making a moderate lean to the right if you have one.. I will post pics shortly of the damaged area, as well as sent to Pat and see what he can do about it.

I hate to rag on an otherwise outstanding product, but this is a safety issue IMHO.

[gersh10]

Yep, I took the paint off mine on the right side as well. It hits long before you drag a peg. I remember thinking “What the hell was that?!?” and I didn’t figure out what actually made contact (I was looking for missing paint on the bottom end of the bar) till I was working on my exhaust problem and noticed the paint missing. But since I’m putting on a Suzuki center stand I’m thinking of putting the extended feeler gauge on both sides. I agree that there should be and angel cut into this area, if you where in the twisties with any speed and that hit you would be toast. I cold also see pressing a slight dish into the bottom for more exhaust clearance. But if I’m the only one with an exhaust problem I can’t see a design change.

[soboy]

I installed my new one today.. MAJOR ISSUE!!

I took a hard right at an intersection just after installing the unit and darn near dumped it when the right rear of the skid plate made contact with the cement and pogo'd me.. There is plenty of room there to have an angle cut as opposed the the squared off edge that is there currently..

Be very careful making a moderate lean to the right if you have one.. I will post pics shortly of the damaged area, as well as sent to Pat and see what he can do about it.

I hate to rag on an otherwise outstanding product, but this is a safety issue IMHO.

Wow - thanks so much for posting this important information. I was just about to order the Pat Walsh bars, mainly because they look like a great mounting bracket for some highway pegs (I need to give my tired old knees a break from time to time). However, what I like to do most on my Strom is to corner aggressively up in the twisties of the North Georgia mountains and I need all the cornering clearance I can get. If the Walsh setup reduces cornering clearance, I am going to have to pass on it. Oh well, back to the drawing board re: how to mount highway pegs - any suggestions?

[gersh10]

Do you by any chance have the Suzuki center stand? The reason I ask is it reduces the lean angle on the left side and comes with a longer feeler gauge for your left foot peg and I don't see the Pat Walsh reducing the right turn clearance any more the Suzuki center stand does on the left. I'm going to buy the extended feeler gauge for my right side and test my lean angle. Hopefully this week.

[bphillman]

I do not have the centerstand...

I did however up the preload on the rear shock and took it out for a 100 mile run over Ortega hwy and back home. No issue at all, but I was being conservative due to not really wanting to go to the ER. I think Pat needs to angle cut the skid on the right/rear.

I am not sure that any other manufacturers units are not suffering from the same issue as this, they all may.. I honestly can't believe this wasn't brought up before by other members.

[gersh10]

It just happened to me a week or so ago and it was a light hit, I noticed it but if I would have been “pogo’d” through and intersection I know I would have said something too. Can we forward this topic to Pat and see what input he might have? He has always been open to suggestions. I don’t even know if anyone has said anything to him yet.

already did..

Hoping for a response soon.. Thinking of breaking out the TIG and re-engineering it.

[bphillman]

That was me listed above as guest.. New PC forgot to login!

[bphillman]

Pat responded today and said he had not heard of the issue.. I suggest those of you that have had the issue should drop him a line. I sent him a pic as well..

At anyrate, he stated that they will be engineering an angle cut into the corner in question on the next revision.

Nice guy! Glad he listened.. regardless of this issue, I still recommend this product highly

[Albie]

I had problems with my GS and Jesse bags dragging when I leaned over. A set of Ohlin's shocks cured that. Kind of an expensive fix. :lol:

I've noticed that I've been dragging my skid plate as well. Bare steel showing at the edge. Anyway, all the more reason to go ahead and get a Wilburs shock :D

Well, now things are starting to take a turn for the worse. Apparently, my continued contact with the pavement has caused a weld to fail where the rear and side of teh "box" meet. About a 1/2 inch seperation has occured. Gonna take a pic and send it off To Pat and see what he has to say.

[Albie]

Oops, that was me above, forgot to log in.

[ted]

I have the same problem, that one edge is about gone. it will be interesting to see what the repair will be. otherwise i love the system. I did mine mostly doubled up, but i now have the suspension as tight as i can get it & raised the forks back up to stock setting from 5/8 inch down, metic challend. with stiff suspension the bike handles just as well as it did before. Will i'm off, skiping work for the next 5 days and heading for the grand canyon.

[bphillman]

Well, took my first ride.. 400 miles 2 up.

So, I noticed something else.. Resonation and noise @ 6k to 6500 rpm, .. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE USABLE RPM RANGE!!!!

If I wasnt worried about the undercarriage damage, I would remove it.

[gersh10]

I'm going to try and build isolators between the bars and the bike and see if that doesn't help alleviate the vibration problem. I took the bike in for maintenance, they said they balanced my throttle bodies and now I have even more vibration than before, once I hit 6500rpms my mirrors become useless and my faring begins an audible vibration, also as I pass the 7000 mark the vibration becomes even more prominent throughout the bike. Currently the only bars I have not heard about vibration problems with is the SW Motechs. My thing is I want the skid plate to protect the bottom of the bike.

[Albie]

Well, took my first ride.. 400 miles 2 up.

So, I noticed something else.. Resonation and noise @ 6k to 6500 rpm, .. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE USABLE RPM RANGE!!!!

If I wasnt worried about the undercarriage damage, I would remove it.

Earplugs, not only do you get rid of noisey parts, you save your hearing as a bonus. DO you really want to end up with hearing aids later in life?

[bphillman]

Well, took my first ride.. 400 miles 2 up.

So, I noticed something else.. Resonation and noise @ 6k to 6500 rpm, .. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE USABLE RPM RANGE!!!!

If I wasnt worried about the undercarriage damage, I would remove it.

Earplugs, not only do you get rid of noisey parts, you save your hearing as a bonus. DO you really want to end up with hearing aids later in life?

So is this the official fix for the resonance?? :-)

I use full face helmet, and have very little wind noise, and use a Chatterbox, so the earplugs are not really an option.. Not to mention the is by far the quitest bike I own, the Harley is obnoxious, as are the Cannondale and LT500.. I will go deaf from my wife yelling at me for having so many bikes long before the bike makes an impact. :-)

so, you ever hear the one about the guy that goes to the doctor and says "Doc, it hurts when I do this" Doc's response is "Well, don't do that!"

[Albie]

Hmm, I've used earplugs WITH a Chatterbox in the past. I could hear just fine. Upgraded to a Starcom with earbud connector now. Use ER-6's with the unit and it's the bomb.

[Howboucha]

Today I realized another advantage of the Pat Walsh Designs skid plate combo. Check out http://stromtrooper.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=21053#21053 to see what I did today.

BTW, the weld on the skid plate, shifter side, angle down where the side and bottom join has busted on mine too. I am not bothered at all because I remember when I cased it super hard and the skid plate is what saved the bottom end. It did its job. I may have it re-welded but it really isn't causing a problem.

[MATTMAN]

Does anybody know if Pat made the angle mod to he 650 version yet?

[MATTMAN]

A very quick E-mail answer from the man himself:

We are in production now on a revised skidplate that will not have the possibility of touching the ground (unless an accident occurs). The 2 occurrences where we had a problem were caused (we think) by not enough pre-load on the rear shock, and the bike either being overloaded, or with a very heavy rider on board. Both riders have been sent replacement pans at no charge. We appreciate this feedback because it gives us the opportunity to improve our design. If you order, we will delay shipment until the product is ready to ship, notify you when we will ship, and do so immediately at that time. We expect about a 2 week delay right now. We are currently out of stock on the 650 skidplates anyway, so your request is timely. Please let us know if we can help you further. Thanks for the inquiry, Pat Walsh

[bphillman]

I am 220 lbs, when I had a passenger, he was my 12yr old 100lb son, preload was reasonable, and I NEVER received a replacement.. Huh, maybe I wasnt one of the ones he was thinking of? Though I was the one that brought it to his attention. :shock:

[MNRon2002]

Call him up and see if he will cover you. I have a feeling that Pat is busy but will do the right thing. Let us know.