I am looking for information about the Yamaha skid plate ,problems ? I am thinking about ordering a Alt Rider instead. I would like to hear your thoughts ::009::
I have the OEM skid plate and it's been fine for my off road duty. I've actually scraped a few rocks crossing creeks here in Arkansas, had a few rocks thrown up and hit it without having a hole knocked in my sump and/or destroying the engine and/or frame contrary to the conventional wisdom. ::001::stevepsd said:The Yamaha one is not robust enough for any off-road duty. Very lightly made. Do a search and you will see pics of how flimsy the mounts are - plus it mounts to the sump. Not good. Any other choice out there is better - AltRider (I have), H&B, SW-Motech, Jaxon's, etc....
Thats quite a bit of rationalization, don't you think? What you are talking about is impacts to the botton of the plate, which the OEM plate has no problem with. What we are talking about is a strike to the front of the plate that forces it rearward, laterally against the oil sump bolt.protondecay123 said:I have the OEM skid plate and it's been fine for my off road duty. I've actually scraped a few rocks crossing creeks here in Arkansas, had a few rocks thrown up and hit it without having a hole knocked in my sump and/or destroying the engine and/or frame contrary to the conventional wisdom. ::001::
The alternatives, well there are some things to carefully consider: :lamp: Changing the oil with the some of them.. . let me see how many bolts do i have to remove? and two of them are . . . a little tricky. Price wise? The alternatives are . . . pricey. :'( All of them generally provide more coverage than the OEM, but Jaxons is the only unit that mounts directly to the frame and allows you to change oil without removing it IIRC. ::008::
Maybe we ought to do a spreadsheet with number of bolts for mounting, have to remove for oil change, price and sump attachment ??
A better question is what kind of off road driving are you going to do with a 580 lb bike? If you plan on hanging out with the XR650's or DR400's. You better buy Jaxons, IMHO. It mounts to the frame. You can lift the bike with it. The others, they have their points, but the complexity, price and incremental increase in protection, you have to decide if it's worth it. ::002::
It wasn't to me. My dealer got me the Yamaha plate for about $160 http://www.yamahapartshouse.net/KeywordProducts/Search?criteria=23P-F14B0-V0-00 ( which is a lot less money than some of the alternative skid plates will run you ( label me cheap bastard !! ( Maybe you are not cheap like me! ::016:)) and for riding the fire roads and creek crossings, it's been fine. ::009::
Also I got the 4 year extended warranty. I figured that as long as I went OEM it may quiet a few questions should the need for a warranty claim arise? Maybe, Maybe not. ::020::
It' all scale. The only bikes that broke in this way where having the ever lovin' shit kicked out of them. Forest roads, gravel, creek crossings, all things Yamaha had in mind. Dakar wannabe? Conquer the Rubicon? Slickrock Utah? Obviously needs to go a different route.Tremor38 said:Thats quite a bit of rationalization, don't you think? What you are talking about is impacts to the botton of the plate, which the OEM plate has no problem with. What we are talking about is a strike to the front of the plate that forces it rearward, laterally against the oil sump bolt.
I wouldn't call the OEM price 'a lot less money.' Especially when you consider the added vulnerability of the OEM plate compared to the insurance afforded by most all of the aftermarket models...with the exception of a few no names Ebay. No matter how much off road riding you figure to do, the S10's ground clearance alone suggests one is playing Russian Roulette as long as they are sporting any bash plate that attaches to the sump. Minimum price to pay?...a new oil sump. Ultimate price?... Stranded in the middel of nowere with a hole in the oil sump.
True, but just crossing a taller-than-normal curb on the S10 might getcha ;D Ah well, most curbs are near civilization ::008:: I think I'd still carry a tube of JB weld ;DDon in Lodi said:It' all scale. The only bikes that broke in this way where having the ever lovin' shit kicked out of them. Forest roads, gravel, creek crossings, all things Yamaha had in mind. Dakar wannabe? Conquer the Rubicon? Slickrock Utah? Obviously needs to go a different route.
Those blasted farkles add-up, don't they? I decided to spoil myself with the side cases then go a bit thriftier with farkling from here forward ???Epping said:I went for SW-Motech after considering most. I'm really happy with mounting, quality, oil drain & filter removal access & protection. Good package.
Yamaha was too light weight & I agree about the direct bolt thru the sump being a weak point.
Altrider was my favorite but the price was a deal breaker.
Nick Sanders went back and forth between Prudhoe Bay and Tierra Del Fuego with a OEM bash plate and I don't figure that I'm going to get my self in much worse situations than than. There are going to be situations where it doesn't matter what kind of bash plate you have. Ground clearance and weight are two of the main considerations I have when I'm looking down a old logging road.I wouldn't call the OEM price 'a lot less money.' Especially when you consider the added vulnerability of the OEM plate compared to the insurance afforded by most all of the aftermarket models...with the exception of a few no names Ebay. No matter how much off road riding you figure to do, the S10's ground clearance alone suggests one is playing Russian Roulette as long as they are sporting any bash plate that attaches to the sump. Minimum price to pay?...a new oil sump. Ultimate price?... Stranded in the middel of nowere with a hole in the oil sump.
First day in South Africa, picked up bike, added OEM accessories. Second day, bent fan bracket, Third day Hole in sump, Forth day, Bent rims.protondecay123 said:Well for anecdotes regarding a hole in the sump most people refer to the F800. Maybe this has happened with the SuperTen and you could educate me?
Yeah, I think there's no clear-cut 'right' or 'wrong' in this case, and as you say your choice is based on where you plan to ride. From purely a price perspective, I think the higher price of the other plates is well-represented with extra mounting fixtures and increased coverage. ::001::protondecay123 said:Found the SA report. That was a nice Ride report. They killed a KTM 950 SE as well. The HP2's had it pretty rough as well. Had to have the subframe welded back together! That ride report made me wonder if I'm being too cheap of a cheap bastard. But I'm not in Africa.
The tragic tenere was sponsored by a vendor and that always adds some grains of salt.
I'm may or may not up grade, but the SA ride report was a great read. Thanks for educating me!
Well, that's been my point more or less. But there is one thing that has me wondering about a lot of skid plates is that the whole bottom of the engine is a two chamber oil sump. Why are things being bolted/bracketed to what you are trying to protect? :question: My perspective is that if you really want to have the best protection that is substantially better than the OEM el cheapo plate then bolt it to the frame to protect the oil sump/bottom of the engine. ::002::Tremor38 said:Yeah, I think there's no clear-cut 'right' or 'wrong' in this case, and as you say your choice is based on where you plan to ride. From purely a price perspective, I think the higher price of the other plates is well-represented with extra mounting fixtures and increased coverage. ::001::