Hyde Racing skid plate on my 2011 XC 300

[Krieg]

Just got finished mounting my Hyde Racing plastic skid plate on my 2011 XC 300 E. I'm impressed by the robust build and thickness of this plate. Mounting took a few beers and some prime time cussing thanks to the fact that there were NO INSTRUCTIONS provided! Once I figured things out, it went on fairly easily. Getting the bolts started in the front bar clamp can be a PITA even after you figure out that you're supposed to use the over-length all thread rod with nut provided to position the bar to accept the first bolt... (instructions please! ). It is also essential to remove the pipe mount hardware in order to pop the plate in place behind the pipe. Once the mount pokes through the hole in the plate, the bolts can be re-installed easily.

Overall, not a bad product. I'm happy. To me, it looks much cleaner and "OEM" than any of the aluminum plates. But I'm not racing my bike and I know an aluminum plate will offer better protection for those who ride more aggressively than I do.

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best... The Hyde plate is a 7 in my world.

Pros: Thick, robust build. OEM appearance. Price.

Cons: No installation instructions makes mounting more of a challenge than it needs to be . Could fit better on the left side of casing. Oil drain hole needs to be bigger.

[Clay]

Krieg,
Who did you buy your bike from?
Clay

[HuskyDude]

Glad you got it to fit. Black looks good on the red frame.

Don't really want to give any negative comments but you'll have to tell us how it is for cleaning...looks like it might be a little bit of a mud collector.

Hope it doesn't make the bottom heat up to much ya know the bottom cases need a lot of air flow around them, help keeping your engine from over heating. The coolant rads are only part of the equation.

[2whlrcr]

The oil drain hole is a real PIA. I used a hole saw and enlarged mine.

[swazi_matt]

I know Terrence hyde personally (it is a South African Product) and have mentioned some of the above to them. They were unaware of the second crank case drain hole, and when i mentioned the lack of instructions (it gets trikier when you fit front disk protector and recieve a bag full of bolts and spacers!) and their reply was that the instructions are on the web site.

I have also enlarged the oil drain hole, large enough for a toilet roll inner. This way i slide the roll in the hole and then remove the drain plug, this way no oil ends up on the skid plate .

Another mod that i have found to improve the skid plate is to use large (9mm wide at least) zip ties to replace the rear bracket (unless they have changed it recently i do not think the rear bracket lines up properly anyway) I also used the front GG bracket instead of the hyde bracket.

If you are finniky you can also put some protection (thick double sided tape/mirror tape) between the frame rails and the plate because evetually dirt and vibration will rub off the paint there.

I am not a fan of the sump and exhaust combo, and i think hyde is also not a big fan because he has just started producing carbon fibre exhaust guards!

A pressure washer generally cleans out any dirt that collects in there. The guard comes up quite high at teh front so does not collect too much mud

[moto9]

I had a Hyde plastic plate and as the actual glide it's self was ok, the mounting bracket completely sucked!
It's a thin soft metal bracket that bends easy and would not keep the plate tight.
You'll see what I mean after a few logs.

I found the same issue with the MECCA skid plate.
So, what I did was use 2 mounting clamps off a old CRF 450 works connection plate I had laying around, I added a couple off tough rubber washers between the plate and the clamp...and that solved that problem.

[Krieg]

Originally Posted by swazi_matt

I know Terrence hyde personally (it is a South African Product) and have mentioned some of the above to them. They were unaware of the second crank case drain hole, and when i mentioned the lack of instructions (it gets trikier when you fit front disk protector and recieve a bag full of bolts and spacers!) and their reply was that the instructions are on the web site.

I have also enlarged the oil drain hole, large enough for a toilet roll inner. This way i slide the roll in the hole and then remove the drain plug, this way no oil ends up on the skid plate .

Another mod that i have found to improve the skid plate is to use large (9mm wide at least) zip ties to replace the rear bracket (unless they have changed it recently i do not think the rear bracket lines up properly anyway) I also used the front GG bracket instead of the hyde bracket.

If you are finniky you can also put some protection (thick double sided tape/mirror tape) between the frame rails and the plate because evetually dirt and vibration will rub off the paint there.

I am not a fan of the sump and exhaust combo, and i think hyde is also not a big fan because he has just started producing carbon fibre exhaust guards!

A pressure washer generally cleans out any dirt that collects in there. The guard comes up quite high at teh front so does not collect too much mud

After reading this I went to Hyde's website and looked at their instructions. I guess I should have thought to look there first. Duh.

[Clay]

Originally Posted by swazi_matt

I have also enlarged the oil drain hole, large enough for a toilet roll inner. This way i slide the roll in the hole and then remove the drain plug, this way no oil ends up on the skid plate .

Matt,
I'm sitting here chuckling at the ingenuity that off road riders have. The toilet paper roll idea is awesome!
Clay

[slodrew]

Originally Posted by swazi_matt

I have also enlarged the oil drain hole, large enough for a toilet roll inner. This way i slide the roll in the hole and then remove the drain plug, this way no oil ends up on the skid plate .

Brilliant!

[Krieg]

Originally Posted by Clay

Krieg,
Who did you buy your bike from?
Clay

Gerald from Upstate.