StromTrooper banner

Engine Under Cowl

5K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  casp67 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, new to the site and ready to jump on a 2013 V-Strom 650 as early as this week.

I have a question about the engine under cowl. I was told by a dealer that in order to have this, you must also buy the engine guards. Is this true? He also mentioned that the plastic under cowl is not the best option, and he recommended a steel skid plate. I don't plan on doing any off-roading (perhaps the occasional gravel road) so I don't consider a skid plate necessary.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Appreciate the input.

G
 
#2 ·
don't need them

In all my rides I've only need a skid plate once. Taking a short cut and curb hoping my loaded Vee with my wife aboard I did bump the exhaust pipe.
If you're going to do serious off road riding, or on single-lane trails or on bolder strewn mountains passes then yes get some protection before you do damage and get stranded.
 
#3 ·
Your dealer doesn't know the product he is trying to sell!

You do NOT need the engine guards to mount the cowling on the new 650. It is a stand alone accessory that mounts brackets to two already cast/tapped holes on the front of the engine and a bracket on either side of the engine that is held in place with existing clutch/magneto cover bolts.

It is NOT a skid plate and won't offer MUCH protection from flying objects. But there will be some protection and it should help deflect common road debris from the oil filter well enough. I like it because it keeps mud and road spray off the engine, especially the front exhaust pipe. It really cleans up the looks of the engine.

It also costs way more than it probably should, but the fit and finish are factory quality so I......bought one.
 
#5 ·
I fitted an SW-Motech skidplate to me K9 Wee, and I'm glad I did. The reasons it has scratches on the underside range from the stupid (decided to see if I could motor over the concrete barrier at the end of a parking space, and the answer was "yes, so long as you have a skidplate") to exactly what it was intended for (I've scraped bottom a few times on some rugged, boulder-strewn backroads), to unintended functionality (it's a convenient jack point *AS LONG AS YOU ONLY LIFT AT THE ATTACH POINTS* of the skidplate -- ask me how I know).

If you never intend to go down anything rougher than a well-maintained gravel road, you'll be fine without one, but personally, I wouldn't want an ADV-type bike without one...but then again, I think we've already established that I'm kinda stupid about where I take my Wee :biggrinjester:
 
#6 ·
I have been riding in the dark in the rain when I could see very little if anything laying in the road. Cussing my bad luck when bam...WTF was that. The skid plate gave me courage to keep going and not pull over and look for oil leaks. As a minimum, I would put a nice thick soup can or something over the oil filter that is dangling down there like a big exposed nutsack waiting for a whack from something coming off the front wheel.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top