Archive for August 17, 2011

Happy Trail Skid Plate

Posted: August 17, 2011 in Farckles
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OEM skid plate left – HT skid plate right…

One of the first farckles [accessories] I put on my ’97 KLR650 was a Happy Trail skid plate. The stock unit is thin plastic that won’t do much to protect your bike. So for my 2010 KLR it was a no brainer to order up another skid plate from HT.

Side view…

Features:

  • Constructed of 5/32″ aircraft quality 5052-H-32 aluminum
  • Attached to the frame with strong, reliable heat treated steel clamps
  • Plates are custom fitted to each model
  • All plates have an opening to allow easy oil changes
  • Designed to be compatible with centerstands

Color: Anodized bright aluminum or anodized black finish.
Weight: 4.5 – 5.1 lbs.
All necessary hardware is included.

Top view…

One thing I like about Happy Trail is they ship to Canada via USPS which is [reasonably] fast and fairly painless unlike FEDEX/UPS which charge $50 on top of shipping costs just because the parcel comes to the Great White North.

Bottom on my KLR with OEM skid plate removed…

Pulling the stock skid plate takes only a minute or two. You can tell I’ve been keeping my KLR off the dirt until I get all the protective farkcles installed by how clean it looks!

HT skid plate and engine guard installed…

Since I was going to install Happy Trail crash bars I installed the engine guard first so I could use it to help guide where I positioned the skid plate. Installing the skid plate requires one u-bolt at the front to go on and 4 clamps from underneath. The result is a very secure attachment. As you can see the engine guard and skid plate provide lots of protection from rocks for the front, sides and bottom of the engine. I will be installing a metal radiator guard as I’m not stoked about the plastic OEM unit.

KLR with HT skid plate installed…

Note that you can get this skid plate from HT in black anodized finish or bright silver aluminum finish. I got mine powder coated to match the side racks.

Oil change with skid plate on…

The stock oil drain bolt is fully protected with this skid plate and there is an access hole so you can easily drop the oil when needed without messing with the skid plate. I’ll post a follow up review in a year or so.