Skid Plate Build

Subject: Skid Plate Build 1/17/2011, 7:06 pm

I havent really found anything that floats my boat for skid plates and mounting. The big bosses are out of town this week so its a good time to attack this.... peepwall

The begining stages.

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/17/2011, 7:46 pm

I think cardboard might fall apart the first time you hit water. wink

Maybe upgrade to Styrofoam.

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/18/2011, 7:05 am

Styrofoam will help it float tooooooo!!

Brilliant!

Posts : 52 Join date : 2010-05-12 Age : 59 Bike : '82XL500R

The cardboard will work fine after he adds the duct tape. Duh. Troy341

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/18/2011, 8:26 pm

Concerning the last three replys.

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/18/2011, 8:59 pm

Looks like you're off to a good start. Going to use 3/16? Have fun. bananna

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/18/2011, 9:02 pm

Yeah using 3/16...I have the pieces cut out now. Hopefully cant start putting some shape into them tomorrow.

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/20/2011, 8:00 pm

That's gonna look good!

Subject: Re: Skid Plate Build 1/20/2011, 8:05 pm

Crud, I followed the Curvy Road

and there isn't any skid plate fabrication yet.

Fib

Subject: Final Assembly 1/21/2011, 8:24 pm

So after tracing out the cardboard shapes on to 3/16 aluminum plate I cut them out on a band saw and touched them up on the sander. Then I made a template to get the right curve for the bottom piece. The two side plates were a little more tricky as they are a compound mitre. They required a little more massaging and patience. Overall they were both a good fit to the center piece. The black lines were used for bend lines to keep them similar in shape and a good starting point for shaping the side plates.

More tweaking and eyeballing led to welding the pieces together. (didnt use a tape measure in this build except for the two mounting holes in the front) My tig welding was a little sub par in the looks department but it will hold together just fine.
I havent tigged in about year and half .

I wanted to use all the same mounting brackets that the original bash guard used so I made a couple of little tabs and drilled a couple of holes to make that happen. The right side of the origanal bash guard used a bolt to go through the frame and was nutted on the inside. So I just tapped the hole to a 5/16 and put a new bolt in to make it work. I will eventually drill some strategic holes for air flow but wont put any holes in the bottom of the skid plate like the ones you buy. When I draiin the engine oil its no problem to pull the four bolts that hold it on.