Clearance issue with Hepco-Becker skidplate touching exhaust header?

[Scoobynut]

I haven't seen anyone else comment on this, so I thought I'd ask if anyone using the H-B skidplate has changed their oil and noticed any markings on the skidplate from where it's contacting the header. When I last changed my oil a little while ago, I cleaned the inside of the skidplate, and while cleaning it, I noticed a mark or scuffing about 2" long from the lowest-hanging part of the two header pipes (it's only contacting one of the header pipes). It's only contacting the skidplate in that 2" area, but in looking at a similar length marking on the header, the skidplate is definitely touching the exhaust in that one place. I have two concerns about this. 1.) It's definitely creating a hollow, high pitched resonance at certain rpms. Not the end of the world, but knowing it's because the skidplate is touching the header bothers me as you would expect. 2.) If it's touching as described, if the skidplate gets compressed at all from hitting a rock or other object, it's probably gonna crunch that head pipe and possibly cause other damage at the flange where it enters the motor.

I've checked all the brackets for tightness and alignment and they are installed as they should be as far as I can tell -- as a matter of fact, any small adjustments I've made to the rear and/or front bracket to try to lower the skidplate a slight amount has only resulted in an inability to get the bolts to line up to the threads of the brackets, so it seems that either the brackets I have are a little out of spec, or possibly they're all like that, but no one else has noticed this clearance issue when changing their oil. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the scuff on the plate or the header when I had the skiplate off. Anyone care to chime in on this? All thoughts and ideas welcome.

 

[NittanyXT]

I had some slight clearance issues with mine as well. I spaced the plate off the brackets at the rear about 1/4 inch with some old hard rubber washers I had lying around. I also ground out the cutout at the front of the plate around the header slightly as well. Let me know if you need pics.

 

[Scoobynut]

I had some slight clearance issues with mine as well. I spaced the plate off the brackets at the rear about 1/4 inch with some old hard rubber washers I had lying around. I also ground out the cutout at the front of the plate around the header slightly as well. Let me know if you need pics.

Thanks for the reply Nittany. I will try your hard rubber washer idea, that should do the trick. The cutout at the front of the plate on mine doesn't seem to have any clearance issues, but no doubt the header is close to the cutout in any case. Thanks again. ::008::

Design/engineering demerits to Hepco-Becker for not ensuring there's adequate clearance for the exhaust (in only some cases?). I would be certainly willing to give up a miniscule amount of ground clearance to ensure the header is not contacting the skidplate.

 

[NittanyXT]

No Problem! ::001::

 

[AndyCBR]

I never had any contact issues with my stock header until I hit a bowling ball size rock at 55 mph, which was a freak occurrence. Bashed in the RH headpipe through the skidplate which caved in about 1" deep.

I am quite sure I would have been stranded with case damage without the plate so it did serve its purpose. I beat it back out at my next oil change to get me back home and have since replaced the header.

Like above have said if there is contact when installing new some washers may help.

It's definitely tight and I agree H&B should have engineered a little more clearance. Then again I am sure there is some production/assembly variance from Yamaha at work here too.

Maybe ask H&B for another set of brackets to try out. Could be a funky bracket.

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[Scoobynut]

Thanks for the input, Andy. Sounds like your experience confirms what I was worried could happen. I don't exactly go rock-hopping on this bike, but then again I rode the Lolo trail this past summer and there were a couple of times I thought the bike would bottom into the skidplate over some rocky sections (didn't happen though).

I'm not sure how I would go about getting another set of brackets from Hepco-Becker, I suppose I would have to contact the retailer I bought the plate from. If I recall, it's not very easy getting replacement parts through H-B, but maybe I'll give it a shot this winter when I have nothing else to do. Thanks again.

 

[AndyCBR]

I ran the whole cdr with the plate and did plenty of bottom outs at slow trail speed with no damage just scratches.

The bash in event was a real freak deal. Going 55 in Banff national park on roads that cars were doing 50 on a bowling ball size rock appears out of nowhere. I managed to miss the rock with the front tire but it wedged in between the plate and the ground and raised the whole bike and knocked off about 10 mph.

I guess my point is the plate is great at protecting the header in all but the most extreme circumstances. The H&B plate also has lots of coverage farther back than most.

On the parts try moto machines. They got me parts when Allan at A&S couldn't even return a phone call.

Best,
Andy

 

[Scoobynut]

Thanks for the heads-up on the parts, I'll give 'em a try. Does your name, Andy CBR, imply you're into CBR's? Just wondering as I have a minty '93 CBR900RR on ebay right now...

 

[528Hz]

HB is a wonderful skid plate. Looks awesone, does have great coverage including the header behind the engine. It came with oval holes at the rear section. Earlier this year I took the bike to Pachaug SF in CT where we ended up off the trail in boulder hell mixed with mud. Being mounted with one long bolt in the front and those rear holes being oval, after an hour of constant bottoming out while mastering slippery boulder hopping we finally exited and I have decided to check the bike. All was well. The skid plate was in tact, scarred but victorious, however the bracket holding the front of the plate had pivoted on the bolt and the oval rear holes I suppose allowed the plate to shift back a bit. Since the clearance with the OEM filter was small as is, skid plate made contact with the filter and made a small dent in it. The filter was in tact, but upon return I have contemplated on solutions and I ended up going to a local metal shop. had them weld on extra aluminum in the rear, drilled new ROUND holes and used a half in spacer in the front between the skid plate and the bracket thus moving the plate a half inch forward to allow more filter clearance. I can use longer then OEM oil filters since as well. No contact with front Hidenau upon compression with a half inch move forward. That is if you plan to do some big boulder hopping that stick out more then the clearance of the bike.

 

[Scoobynut]

HB is a wonderful skid plate. Looks awesone, does have great coverage including the header behind the engine. It came with oval holes at the rear section. Earlier this year I took the bike to Pachaug SF in CT where we ended up off the trail in boulder hell mixed with mud. Being mounted with one long bolt in the front and those rear holes being oval, after an hour of constant bottoming out while mastering slippery boulder hopping we finally exited and I have decided to check the bike. All was well. The skid plate was in tact, scarred but victorious, however the bracket holding the front of the plate had pivoted on the bolt and the oval rear holes I suppose allowed the plate to shift back a bit. Since the clearance with the OEM filter was small as is, skid plate made contact with the filter and made a small dent in it. The filter was in tact, but upon return I have contemplated on solutions and I ended up going to a local metal shop. had them weld on extra aluminum in the rear, drilled new ROUND holes and used a half in spacer in the front between the skid plate and the bracket thus moving the plate a half inch forward to allow more filter clearance. I can use longer then OEM oil filters since as well. No contact with front Hidenau upon compression with a half inch move forward. That is if you plan to do some big boulder hopping that stick out more then the clearance of the bike.

528, sounds like a good solution for the kind of riding you do, and sounds like H-B thought a little bit about any potential movement with the oval holes for the rear brackets. Myself, I'll only bottom the bike when I don't intend to, and I'm sure not going to go looking for rock gardens, heck, I'll just be happy to get my plate away from the exhaust for now. Still, it's good getting feedback like yours and from the others who have chimed in here. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Kevs]

I haven't seen anyone else comment on this, so I thought I'd ask if anyone using the H-B skidplate has changed their oil and noticed any markings on the skidplate from where it's contacting the header. When I last changed my oil a little while ago, I cleaned the inside of the skidplate, and while cleaning it, I noticed a mark or scuffing about 2" long from the lowest-hanging part of the two header pipes (it's only contacting one of the header pipes). It's only contacting the skidplate in that 2" area, but in looking at a similar length marking on the header, the skidplate is definitely touching the exhaust in that one place. I have two concerns about this. 1.) It's definitely creating a hollow, high pitched resonance at certain rpms. Not the end of the world, but knowing it's because the skidplate is touching the header bothers me as you would expect. 2.) If it's touching as described, if the skidplate gets compressed at all from hitting a rock or other object, it's probably gonna crunch that head pipe and possibly cause other damage at the flange where it enters the motor.

I've checked all the brackets for tightness and alignment and they are installed as they should be as far as I can tell -- as a matter of fact, any small adjustments I've made to the rear and/or front bracket to try to lower the skidplate a slight amount has only resulted in an inability to get the bolts to line up to the threads of the brackets, so it seems that either the brackets I have are a little out of spec, or possibly they're all like that, but no one else has noticed this clearance issue when changing their oil. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the scuff on the plate or the header when I had the skiplate off. Anyone care to chime in on this? All thoughts and ideas welcome.

I have the same issues too. Not sure if my picture below is what you're mentioning thou, but nonetheless, here's mine.

On stock headers, had the high pitch resonance and the header touching the plate when heat expanded.
Only has 1-2mm clearance.


I loose all the 5 plate attaching bolts, re-align the RHS below rider's peg plate mounting bracket(it was mount slanted by the mech), re-adjust the center engine bracket to desire and lastly, slowly tightening all the bolts back whilst adjusting the plate to give the header(when cold) about 4-5mm gap(best if have help, otherwise, I used my foot to assist to support the plate...).

Finally, managed to solve the resonance sound issue and the header doesnt touch the plate when heat expanded.

Otherwise, the next suggestions would be to grind the plate to allow more clearance.

 

[Scoobynut]

I have the same issues too. Not sure if my picture below is what you're mentioning thou, but nonetheless, here's mine.

On stock headers, had the high pitch resonance and the header touching the plate when heat expanded.
Only has 1-2mm clearance.


I loose all the 5 plate attaching bolts, re-align the RHS below rider's peg plate mounting bracket(it was mount slanted by the mech), re-adjust the center engine bracket to desire and lastly, slowly tightening all the bolts back whilst adjusting the plate to give the header(when cold) about 4-5mm gap(best if have help, otherwise, I used my foot to assist to support the plate...).

Finally, managed to solve the resonance sound issue and the header doesnt touch the plate when heat expanded.

Otherwise, the next suggestions would be to grind the plate to allow more clearance.

Yours looks like a clearance problem by the header cutout of the skidplate. Mine doesn't have that issue -- mine is contacting the bottom of the header where it hangs lowest underneath the sump. Thanks for the input though. Looks like guys with H-B skidplate clearance issues are coming out of the woodwork here!

 

[528Hz]

I solved that issue somewhat by griding off some of the aluminum with a good file. Even with all the banging around I described earlier the skid plate just left a small mark on the header, nothing to worry about but just as a precaution.

 

[Kevs]

Yours looks like a clearance problem by the header cutout of the skidplate. Mine doesn't have that issue -- mine is contacting the bottom of the header where it hangs lowest underneath the sump. Thanks for the input though. Looks like guys with H-B skidplate clearance issues are coming out of the woodwork here!

could it be the bracket not in ideal angle thus the plate is not spaced away enough from the pipes?

 

[Scoobynut]

could it be the bracket not in ideal angle thus the plate is not spaced away enough from the pipes?

The bracket is in the ideal angle for both rear brackets, at least as far as lining up the bolts that thread into the bracket. I already bent the bracket to get it away from the header -- problem is, when you do that, the plate won't fit flush to the bracket, especially because H-B has the beveled, separate, 'washer' thingie that the bolt mates to on the outside of the plate. It also screws up the alignment of the bolts on the front bracket. The plate and brackets have a very specific fitting to each other, and if you get it out of whack at all, the bolts won't line up to the threads. H-B could've easily solved this by ensuring that the brackets mate with plate as they do now, but the brackets hang lower than they do now. I'm impressed with the overall quality of the plate and hardware, but this just seems like a real oversight on their part.

 

[Kevs]

The bracket is in the ideal angle for both rear brackets, at least as far as lining up the bolts that thread into the bracket. I already bent the bracket to get it away from the header -- problem is, when you do that, the plate won't fit flush to the bracket, especially because H-B has the beveled, separate, 'washer' thingie that the bolt mates to on the outside of the plate. It also screws up the alignment of the bolts on the front bracket. The plate and brackets have a very specific fitting to each other, and if you get it out of whack at all, the bolts won't line up to the threads. H-B could've easily solved this by ensuring that the brackets mate with plate as they do now, but the brackets hang lower than they do now. I'm impressed with the overall quality of the plate and hardware, but this just seems like a real oversight on their part.

hmm... I did notice your description when I was adjusting the plate.

Especially the RHS below rider's peg bracket, the bracket mates nicely to the plate at the lower bolt hole, but not the upper bolt hole.
Had to slowly adjust the bracket and plate whilst tightening the bolts until both mates fully nicely.

So far no prob... until the next oil change that is....

 

[nwrider]

I just had mine off to install some sound deadening material. No fitment issues at all and there seems to be adequate clearance between the headers and the front of the skid plate. I have only ridden about 200 miles so far with the H-B installed and haven't been off road yet -- just finished the break-in and the weather's turned cold and wet. Arizona here I come!

 

[Kevs]

went home yesterday evening after work, and checked the header pipes and plate, true enough, the lower pipe(left side from header) is touching the plate...

Guess may need to try and re-adjust & align the brackets and plate again.. otherwise may trap debris or worse, a hit there may cause further damage...

 

[Scoobynut]

went home yesterday evening after work, and checked the header pipes and plate, true enough, the lower pipe(left side from header) is touching the plate...

Guess may need to try and re-adjust & align the brackets and plate again.. otherwise may trap debris or worse, a hit there may cause further damage...

Yep, that's exactly what mine looks like. I guess I'll try the thick rubber washer insert between plate and rear brackets as was suggested earlier, but even then I will have concerns that that could still be compressed enough to cause damage on a big hit. It seems that any kind of washer/insert may cause bolt alignment problems. But, if it gets rid of the hollow ringing as I move up the rev range, that will be 1 out of 2 concerns knocked out. Anyone planning on contacting H-B on this?

 

[3putt]

Just found this thread today. I had my plate off to remove oil for valve check and found some underbody sound deadener spray laying around. Actually stopped the resonance oil canning noise and looks much better! I have been offroad in lots of rocks, never highcentered but it has taken lots of heavy hits and no damage.

I used spray can by Dupli_Color Underbody with sound deadener. Like this, but I bought mine at Advance Auto: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/shw-uc102/overview/