flash75 Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Hi guys, I am thinking about ditching the rear skid plate that protects the disc and rear sprocket as its a bit rusty and I prefer the cleaner look without it. I have seen quite a few pics of guys running without one and wondered the pro's and cons. Is this area prone to damage without the skid or is it pretty safe, the ground clearance doesnt look that much. I am running in the dunes only so I guess theres not many rocks to hit. Edited December 21, 2009 by flash75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madjimmax Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 Hi guys, I am thinking about ditching the rear skid plate that protects the disc and rear sprocket as its a bit rusty and I prefer the cleaner look without it. I have seen quite a few pics of guys running without one and wondered the pro's and cons. Is this area prone to damage without the skid or is it pretty safe, the ground clearance doesnt look that much. I am running in the dunes only so I guess theres not many rocks to hit. Your most likely going to get different answers from different people, but as for me I would say you should be ok some guys run them some dont. When I changed my swinger I never put one back on I have intentions of doing so but still havent got around to it. And I havent had a problem yet and I do ride around a lot of rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locogato11283 Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 if youre only riding in the dunes then toss it. its not that likely youre gonna mess up your chain and rotor in the sand. if youre running in the trails all the time with tree stumps and rocks then i would suggest leaving it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachmw Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 if youre only riding in the dunes then toss it. its not that likely youre gonna mess up your chain and rotor in the sand. if youre running in the trails all the time with tree stumps and rocks then i would suggest leaving it on. x2. I dont use one but ride mostly sand. When on trails you have to be carefull not to run over big rocks or stumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hank 024 Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 I bought a UMI skid when they first came out and it was garbage, ran it for a few months and it cracked so it never went back on . But i ride mostly dunes and take it easy on the rocky stuff should get the skid welded and might try it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterlocal22 Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 i say get it, better safe than stranded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MILO Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 if youre only riding in the dunes then toss it. its not that likely youre gonna mess up your chain and rotor in the sand. if youre running in the trails all the time with tree stumps and rocks then i would suggest leaving it on. x3. i wouldn't go without one in the trails but you most likely would be fine without it in the sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragbanshee Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 You're right, much cleaner look and if you are in the sand 75% of the time, then forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meat Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 I ride rocky trails all the time and haven't used a swingarm skidplate in a real long time. I'v found that if I'm careful, I very rarely hit my sprocket or rotor. I was hitting my skid plate a hellava lot more than I hit my sprocket & rotor. Iv hit my skidplate so hard I'v broken off mounting bolts, then the skid has to be removed while your out deep in the woods, far away from the truck. One of the shittiest jobs is removing broken skidplate bolts out of your swingarm, trust me. A few times iv hit the skid plate so hard and so many times that it bends into the brake rotor, and then your stuck. If you've put enough miles on an ATV, sooner or later you'll be deep in the woods, banging on your skidplate with a big rock trying to bend the plate off the brake rotor. It sucks. The perfect setup is the dual sprocket guard setup with the poly brake rotor guard. I'v bent rear brake rotors on my Banshees, but I haven't bent any on my 250R in the past 5 years I'v owned it. And if you do bend a brake rotor, its not a big deal, you can find a used brake rotor for 20 bucks. Bend the brake rotor out along the trail, just unbolt your rear brake caliper, wire tie it to the frame and ride back to the truck to put on your spare brake rotor. Every year I usually hit one big rock in the middle of the trail. You know the rock that you see coming and you know right away that its going to be close to hitting. When you see that big rock coming, get your ass off the seat, stand up on the pegs and try to actually bunny-hop the quad over the rock, if you do hit the rock... chances are that it just puts a gnash on the edge of the brake rotor. Iv had too many skid plates piss me off on the trails, so I'll take my chances without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meat Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 This is what happens when you lose the front mount of your belly skid plate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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