Bash Plate Options

Now that I have some decent side guards (Nomad front/DirtRacks rear) installed on the 2016 Kawasaki KLR650, I need to turn my attention to some protection on the bottom. The KLR650 comes with a factory plastic bash/skid plate that would be fine skidding along on top of sugar sand, but not rocks or stumps. The former (rocks) are not that plentiful here in Florida, certainly not big ones; the later (stumps) are a'plenty. Plus, who knows, I may want to take it to some adventure work in a rocky terrains somewhere, someday.

I found nine (9) options for bash plates surfing around the web that range from $90.20 to $207, unshipped, at the time I did my search. Obviously, these aren't reviews as there's much info that I couldn't get my hands on. I read the manufacture's listings and, where available, reviews and made my decision based on that information. I'll tell you which one I got at the end. Here's a summary of the nine plates.

• Happy Trail Skid Plate -- $90.20
• Ricochette Skid Plate -- $98.95
• Mastech Skid Plate -- $125.00
• Nomad Rider Skid Plate -- $129.00
• Moose Racing Skid Plate -- $133.00
• JNS Skid Plate -- $140.00 ($170 with replacement engine mounts)
• SW Motech -- $155.00
• Outback MotorTrek -- $179.00
• AltRider -- $207.00

Happy Trail Skid Plate-- $90.20

Good thick, 5mm aluminum grade material. Ugh, comes only in black hammertone. 5 mounting points. Supposedly it has a doohicky port and a bottle opener on it someplace. LOL. Damn good price. Doesn't look bad. Quoted 6.2 pounds seems a little high for what I'm seeing. I sure wish it came in a lighter color though.

Ricochet Aluminum Skid Plate -- $98.95 ($109 on the Ricochet Webside, found elsewhere for $98.95 with free ship)

Very simple design of 4.7 mm thick, H-32 (anodized) aluminum. Comes in 9 different anodized colors. Has a cutout for oil drain. Seemingly smaller in size than many other models, but I'm kind of liking that. Where I want the coverage is flat on the bottom and not too far up the front (or sides) so as to interfere with my Nomad front guards. Smaller should be a little lighter too.

One downer I note is that the install hardware includes 4 T-40 Torx. Probably would need to replace those out with a 5.0 mm allen head or some other tool that I already have in my tool kit. You can only carry so many freaking tools and the skid plate is one of those things you want to be able to remove in the field.

One other thing is I know the Ricochet will definitely fit with the Nomads, because the KLR650 that Nomad Rider used in their installation video on YouTube has a Ricochet installed.

MASTECH Aluminum Skid Plate -- $125

Just like their bars, Mastech offers up a damn good looking piece of equipment here. This bash plate is way high up on the short list!

Nomad Rider Skid Plate -- $129

Honestly, I missed this offering and didn't know that Nomad had a skid plate offering at the time I made my decision. Would I have bought it? No, but I'd have liked to have considered it. Anyway, the Nomad boasts a three inch longer base plate and "the highest side coverage of any KLR650 skid plate on the market." Hmmm, that's the highest side coverage of any plate on the market? Take a look at the other options in this post and you decide.

The lower mounting points appear to be two clamp type mounts. The front mounting point is shown in the photo below as the lower engine mount bolt on the down tube; that's a good place to mount the front. Two sole mounts on the bottom seems a little on the skimped side, but overall I'll bet the thing hangs on pretty good.

My most important observation about the Nomad Skid Plate is that, unlike the other options, it retains the stock front motor mounts that have the...using their words..."flimsy wing mounts" that the stock skid plate attached to. Other options replace or make use of the so-called flimsy wing mounts. Leaving them just hanging out like that is really kind of goofy looking if you ask me.

Overall, it's a good looking plate, it has a decent mount base, and would likely be sturdy enough to do the job. However, I'd prefer a lighter contrasting color and I really couldn't have those bat-wings sticking out like that. Too bad.

Moose Racing Aluminum Skid Plate -- $133

Light weight aircraft aluminum. Thickness? I can't seem to find it. Looks remarkably like the Ricochett skid plate...I mean like identical. I've found elsewhere that Moose private labels some other manufacturer's products and tacks on a premium for their name. In another case, I found Moose private labeling TCI Borrego luggage racks and taking on $20. I got it from TCI for the lower amount and, in this case, I'd save $33 and go with the Ricochet.

JNS Skid Plate -- $140

Really a massive piece of equipment here. 5mm aluminum plate. Look at those welds, very nice. This brand actually provides models to match up with SWMotech, Givi, Nomad and a number of other engine/side guards. Big honker.

All models on backorder...

The one thing about the JNS is that it attaches to the existing rabbit ear mounts on the down tube. If you're looking for an impact that high up, those rabbit ears are going to flex. JNS offers a better set of rabbit ears for another $30. Your call, it would increase the price to $170 before shipping.

SWMotech Skid Plate -- $155

We're now moving into some real pricy options, but good names behind the products. At 5.0 mm iodized aluminum, the Motek is a solid plate. Good coverage. Good reviews. It's probably one of the most popular. At this price point, though, its moved above cheaper options that I'm comfortable purchasing.

Outback MotorTek Skid Plate -- $179

I'm not that familiar with this outfit, but they sure make a nice looking skid plate! You laugh, but hey, we all want functional AND good looking accessories. I think the JNS and Nomad plates are functional, but they both look a little goofy...the JNS is so dang big and the Nomad retains the goofy bat-wing stock plate brackets. I don't want those looks on my bike.

Anyway, the Outback MotorTrek plate is 4.0 mm laser cut aluminum with air ports much like the Motech. That's a little thinner in the metal area than some other options, but really a good thickness.

One real interesting feature is that this skid plate had ridges on the bottom. The web page claims that the ridges allow the plate to better glide over obstacles and, in fact, adds reinforcement to the base plate without adding weight. I dunno, sounds good!

AltRider Skid Plate -- $207

Nice looking piece of equipment. Hmmm, 3mm tig welded aluminum. That's thinner than most of the others running at 5mm. Reviews recommend replacing provided hardware with longer bolts (22mm vs 16mm). That's not a big deal for a $100 cheaper bash plate, like the Ricochet. I guess looks are more important at AltRider. Onward...

And the winner is...

I'm going with the Ricochet Skid Plate in brushed aluminum to give a little contrast in color to the engine compartment. Simple, lightweight and under a hundred dollars. It'll fit with the Nomads and get the job done.

UPDATE

Ricochet Did Not Fit: Although Ricochet won the battle of the bash plates on paper, it has some design problems that I had to contend with. Here's what happened:

I received my Ricochet skid plate and, while installation, was as simple as four bolts on the base and two nuts on the down-tube U-clamp, it didn't fit properly. The left side of the plate was too close to the engine case; it wasn't touching, but I couldn't get a business card between the case and the plate. That presents an opportunity for the bash plate to damage the engine case.

I sent photos to the manufacturer who agreed that it was too close. They asked me to remove the plate and take some measurements which I did and provided to them. Their ultimate response to the matter was that if I was uncomfortable with the installation to drill out the slots in the front of the skit plate to allow the plate to shift a little left. I drilled out about 8 mm and, while still pretty close, I can live with it.

See my post entitled, Ricochet Skid Plate Installation for details.