Nice to meet you, Mr. Skid Plate

I have not pushed the off-road limits on my v-strom. Actually, a handful of gravel roads, a muddy few miles to join some friends camping and a few loops in the Tuscan countryside sum up all of my off-road experience.  The limited experience that I've had has convinced me though that I'm putting my bike a little more at risk.  And considering on my upcoming trip I may take a few roads off the beaten path, I decided that a skid plate was about due.

After some research online, and reading threads off of advrider and stromtrooper I noticed there plenty of good options out there.  One that matched the minimalist design that I was interested and importantly the price range that I was interested in was the skid plate made by Dan Vesel out of Spokane, WA.  When I first contacted them, it was a seasonal item for them, when I asked to be placed on their wait list, they told me they could possibly ship the next Monday.  And they did.

Installation was a snap, with the only disclaimers being to not tighten the back bolt too tightly (6-8 ft lbs) and check the bolts periodically (its sad yes, but common sense is a must.)  I threw the idea of locktite around, but with removing the plate at each oil change (I made sure to change my oil the night before) I decided against it.

Overall it looks great!  Covers the engine, oil filter and part of the exhaust.  Once again, I like the minimalist coverage, though I do hesitate over the exposed part of the exhaust in front.  Hopefully I'll sing its praises in the future here. Ride safe, but more importantly, ride.