Check that Skid Plate!

[cthowards]

I have a Works Connection skid plate with foam installed on my CRF450R. It was there when I bought the bike back in December 2005 and I have never taken it off...until today. The foam was a solid block of mud and dirt that must have weighed at least 15lbs if not more! I could not believe how heavy it was! Just walking the bike around it feels so much lighter and may explain why I have my compression settings stiffer than recommended by Factory Connection.

I use a Billy Who funnel for oil changes and never had a reason to take it off. Now I will run it without the foam and will make sure I keep the space between the motor and the skid plate super clean. The outer edges of the foam looked like foam but it was really a solid brick! :bang:

 

[thebleakness]

Yep, same exact thing happened on my 450R. I took a hammer to mine to break it apart! haha Then I power washed it, let it soak in water, smacked it around some more and then washed it again. It was incredible how much that thing weighed.

 

[mxneagle]

If you race (or ride) in muddy conditions you'll want to put the foam back in to keep the space from filling with mud and weighing even more. Just goes to show you that you need to spend as much time maintaining a dirt bike as you do riding it.