Hyde Skid Plate, Opinions Please.

[cvl05]

Well is sold a pumkin today and ordered a left over 08 ec300 from Tom in Az. Just have to work out the addons. I find the CRD skid plate to be a joke, must not hit rocks in Europe or something???? Any way I'm thinking of the HYDE skid plate pipe gaurd combo. I hear it protects real well but has some mounting issues. Can someone chime in on this, Glenn don't you run this on your bike????

Also anyone running the Mecca radiator gaurds??

 

[gasgasandrew]

hi have fitted one to my 07 250ec great product just crap mounting fastners you need to spot weld the threaded rivets as they turn when you go to remove it at a later date other then that has saved my pipe hundreds of times they tend to collect a little mud but still better then a cage guard as it can flex and won't damage your frame , have a carbon guard on my wifes ktm 200 exc but it tends to bend the pipe at the barrel in a stack I still think the HYDE is the best of the lot thanks

 

[stevethebrit]

I drilled some small holes with a drill at the lowest points (under the expansion pipe) and one larger right in the middle, under the engine. Not enough to compromise strength, but let som water, mud and small rocks out. It was a real b*tch to mount, I had to have a mate assist me, but it looks good. I think one of the rivets broke as I was tightening, so I'd take GGandrews advice and spotweld them for strength. Bit poor that Hyde don't do that stock.

 

[PEB]

The search function is very helpfull, everything you ever wanted to know about the Hyde. http://www.gasgasrider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=599

As i state in the linked thread I beefed up mine with some HDPE on the bottom and made some new mounts.

 

[GMP]

The M5 hardware is a bit wimpy. The mounts don't make complete sense, but you can make ones that do from the ones provided with a little heating and bending. M6 hardware and some clip nuts and your in much better shape. I also made a stiffener on the front mount so it can be tightened more without bending, and added some rubber hose sections to the frame rails for more protection. Skid plate foam solves the mud trapping problem. Overall I'm quite satisfied, especially with the pipe protection aspect of the Hyde. I have some photos to take of this and other new mods.

 

[coolum74]

Re: Radiator Guards

Not sure of the availabity there but Force rad guards are bullet proof. Worth a look anyway.

Adam

Edit; They are Australian made so with the Aus dollar low....

 

[F_G]

Had a buddy of mine with the Hyde on a KTM 300, still managed to dent the lower frame rails. I'm guessing here, but plastic doesn't have the rigidity of aluminum and some of the bigger hits transfer to whatever is above the plastic skid plate. Does look pretty beefy though. The Meca skid plate is a beautiful piece of artwork and protects pretty good so far. Just be ready to perform a lot of modifications to get it to function correctly.

The Mecasystems rad guards on the other hand, bolted on with no modifications at all, appear to be pretty beefy, haven't bent a radiator yet.

 

[AZRickD]

I got the MecaSystems frenchie plate from GoFasters. Waaay too pricey IMOH.

The bracket that clamps on the front is stamped steel (soft) and needed to have a strip (gusset) of steel welded by me to keep the clamps from bending and making the thing rattle. I also applied six small dollops of silcone caulk along the perimeter of the plate where it contacts the frame just in case it gets loose again.

Other than that, it protects average or above.

 

[Krasi]

I have found it easier to install the Hyde combo when I strap the metal "holders" (or whatever the name is) with pastic strap fasteners to hold them on top of the plate mounting holes.
The other solution I found is to use the hook for the pipe springs to keep them in place while screwing the bolts. Works for me.

As for the protection, I'm happy with it. No bends or dents despite numerous lay-downs.

 

[cvl05]

hyde

Thanks for all the info. I'll go into this with an open mind and expect to spend some time getting it right. I tend to think things should go on with ease if designed right but we all know that's not the case at times. PEB thx for the search link. I tried a search but screwed up somehow.

 

[LAWMAN]

I have the Hyde, the plate only, not the pipe guard, on an '07 300. the mechanic that put it on complained that installation was terrible.

it works ok, but when the pipe gets pushed back into it, it does what plastic does--it melts.

 

[jyellard]

I have the Hyde combo. You will probably wind up buying some beefier mounting brackets. It is tough getting it on, but I was able to do it by myself. I wouldn't say it is hard to get on because of an improper fit though. It is hard to get on because it somewhat wraps around the pipe and it a good, tight fit. I put mine on when my bike was new and never ridden. I can imagine it could be a real pain if the pipe is not straight.

 

[jasont1532]

after 80+ hours on the skid plate i have worn through both rear corners dented the frame rails and bent the right side outer frame rail. also after 2 rides the mounting for the pipe broke but large hose clamps work. the rubber bumpers all ripped out till i siliconed them in. next time i will get a metal skid plate and try to mount the hyde pipe guard to the plate.

 

[stevethebrit]

I haven't noticed anything on my frame except som of the paint has worn off. 35+hrs, but not in really tough rocks. I don't even use the front bracket the last 20hrs, the threaded rivets loosened, meant to spot weld them, but haven't got round to it. As far as I can see it sits solid even without the front bracket, and is MUCH easier to mount/dismount. It does gather a lot of mud though, despite drilling some extra holes.

 

[GMP]

The hybrid home brew is an interesting idea. I've got rubber hose lining the frame rails and so far no problems. I have cased out and have gouges in the plate to show for it. The bumpers fall out from the tits shearing off on the outside. I've bent the outer right rail on my '00 with an alloy plate too.

 

[PEB]

A couple pics of my Hyde setup

I added some HDPE to the bottom after I dented the frame rail. It is bent to the contour of the front of the plate and hangs voer the back just enough to protect the leading edge of the linkage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS1h85OYq4Q

The nasty sound you hear is the white plastic hitting the block, not even a sratch on the linkage.



The front mount is just an aluminum bar with a couple nuts jbwelded to it. The rear mounts are a big washer on the shifter side and a little alu. plate on the brake side.

 

[SideshowBob]

I bought the Scorpion from Gofasters, it's seriously beefy.

 

[GMP]

The superior pipe protection of the Hyde is hard to dispute. I would definately try to integrate the pipe guard section of the combo to an alloy plate if/when the skid plate part is no longer usable.

 

[skid jackson]

I bought the Scorpion from Gofasters, it's seriously beefy.

I have a scorpian skid plate on my husky 125 ...
canadians build everything like a tank.
it's a serious piece of protection .... not for weight weenies though....

 

[dank]

i put a skidplate/pipeguard on my 03 ec250, and while i didnt have a problem with the screws so much, the cross frame mount was too wide at the flat, and required me to do some constructive rebending to get them to fit, but otherwise it was no problem.