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Flatland Skid Plate -- Install Notes
Rusty Shovel:
Oh, how I love UPS! Here they've come again with gifts!
Time to get rid of the plastic stocker. Before PIC:
There are no instructions but, really, how hard could it be? Let me spoil the surprise; I messed up and had to redo it.
Taking off the old skid plate is as easy as removing two 8mm bolts. If you can't figure out which bolts, I'm sorry, you need a new hobby.
So here's where I mess up.
I slide the bars into the holes then secure it with the two 10mm bolts supplied with the skid plate. Locktite is easy insurance.
It looks done, right? But before Miller Time, I have to give it "the whack test" by smacking with my fist. The plate is rock solid, but makes a metal-on-metal "Ping."
I examine the skid plate's rear tabs and see that they're resting, metal on metal, in their housing. So I go back to the plastic skid plate and...
AH HAA! These look useful. (I wonder how many folks overlook this detail and then complain about their "rattle-y" skid plate?")
Like a glove.
Through trial and error, I learned that it's easier to shove the rubber thing into the female end on the bike and then insert the skid plate. I dutifully tried to craft that last sentence so it wouldn't be laden with innuendo, but there was just NO way. ;) Oh yeah, and PLEASE stop checking out my legs! It's Houston; if I'd done this in pants I would have suffered a heat stroke.
It's a much tighter fit with the rubbers on. (Again, phrasing.) But this time the plate passed the "whack" test with flying colors.
BTW, those dark marks on the plate are just my greasy fingerprints. The plate reflects more engine sound than the plastic one, but it should deflect a lot more rocks, so I guess that makes up for it. The plate appears very sturdy, but owing to it's aluminum construction, it doesn't feel much heavier than the plastic plate. Certainly it would be too light to notice a difference from the saddle.
I'll update if I experience any trouble down the road. The initial quality feels good. Their are a minimal number of welds and the welds look clean and professional. I can't imagine that competitor's products offer any better protection than this, especially for the price.
Good Job Flatland!
Alabama Adventurer:
Excellent pointer on the reuse of the rubber grommet; I might have missed that!
truck11:
Good info, thank for sharing.
Looks like the flatlands is slightly shorter than the stock - Where the tabs are towards the rear. Any thing not covered now?
Rusty Shovel:
--- Quote from: truck11 on April 04, 2014, 12:57:38 pm ---Any thing not covered now?
--- End quote ---
The only fragile looking thing not covered by the Flatland skid plate is the master cylinder. The plastic skid plate ignored this too. The only plate that I've seen to address this is by Adventure Spec.
But at $300 plus shipping from the UK, I don't think the added protection is worth it.
I'd rather just get this master cylinder cover from KTM Twins for $40 and call it a day:
ShakeWell:
Thanks for the write up, I'm ordering one next week, especially since now I know all I have to do is put the rubber thing in the female end and whack it... ;D
Any thoughts of putting something on the top side of the plate like Line-X or some other coating to dull the sound bounce-back? I read about a few people using roll on bedliner, various epoxy solutions, or even spraying flex-seal on the top side to take a little of off the sound.
Great upgrade.
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