The SW-Motech skid plate arrived today, so it's off with the old, and on with the new.
Tools and Supplies:
10 mm box end wrench
10 mm socket
12 mm socket
4 mm hex tool (socket style)
5 mm hex tool (socket style)
8 mm hex tool (socket style)
Socket wrench
Long extender
Torque wrenches
Hammer and wood block
Blue Loctite
(To see images at full size right click and choose "view image" in Firefox)
It came in a large box, just a little dinged up.
But it was well wrapped...
...and emerged unscathed.
The welds are through, and appear professional.
The Yamaha aluminum skid plate sits well inside the SW-Motech product, but is taller.
The Yamaha plate is considerably shorter than the SW-Motech.
Hardware and brackets come in this bag.
Brackets are individually wrapped.
The hardware. Note that a number of identical items are entered more than once on the parts list, so you have to add them up.
The brackets. These are steel and much heavier than the plate. Much heavier than the Yamaha brackets as well. Probably 2mm for the front brackets and 3mm for the rear. A 3mm skid plate is 3mm skid plate, but these brackets make the difference.
Also included are a parts list and a series of diagrams showing the assembly. It is assumed that anyone using this post is referring to these supplied materials.
Mount 8 rubber grommets into the skid plate holes. Place the large spacers in the 4 bottom grommets, and the 4 smaller spacers in the 4 front grommets. Remove the oem black plastic skid plate if it is still mounted. Don't worry about the two oem steel brackets just now, we'll get them later.
All 8 mounted.
Prepare the front under engine bracket. Place one of the three button style "rubber elements," and the two large threaded rubber elements. Use a large washer with only one of the threaded rubber elements, as shown. Use two small washers and the silver locking nuts to secure. Tighten the nuts with a 10 mm socket, holding the rubber by hand.
Go ahead and mount this bracket. Use the two 5 mm hex cap screws, m6 x 20, and two small washers. Mount to the lower mount posts used by the oem black plastic skid plate. You can use blue loctite on these screws. I did not look up a torque for these and tightened with a T-handle hex tool to my best judgement. Go ahead and tighten these up now.
Now mount the two front brackets.
The left bracket goes where the oem left front bracket is. Remove the oem bracket with a 5 mm hex tool. Remove the plastic fuel overflow line guide with a pliers by compressing the prongs. It should come right out. Install it in the new bracket. Mount the new bracket with the original screws and torque to 8.7 ft lbs. Yes, go ahead and tighten it up. No loctite.
The right front bracket also replaces the oem bracket in the same spot. Use a 12 mm short socket to pull the two screws and mount the new bracket with the original screws. No loctite. Torque to 7.2 ft lbs.
Now prepare the rear under engine bracket.
First mount the short threaded rubber element with the metal spacer to the boss at the rear of the engine. Use blue loctite and tighten by hand.
Now place the two remaining button style rubber elements in the rear bracket.
Mount the rear bracket to the muffler hanger bracket on the right. Use a 12 mm socket. No loctite. Just get it threaded properly for now. Do not tighten.
Mount the rear bracket to the side stand bolts on the left. Use an 8 mm hex tool. These bolts are torqued down well and loctited. I had to use a socket style 8 mm hex tool and a large socket wrench to free them. A small bracket will fall out when you have removed the two side stand bolts, and the side stand will hang free. The small bracket is not used, and the rear skid plate bracket replaces it. Clean the old loctite from the bolts. Apply fresh blue loctite. Slip the new rear bracket between the side stand and the engine and mount the two bolts loosely. Tighten just enough that you will be able to adjust the bracket position with a hammer and a piece of wood, but that it won't move around on you.
You are now ready to mount the skid plate. Mount the 4 bottom bolts first (m6 x 20 hexagon screws) and use a washer with each. Adjust the position of the rear bracket as needed to get correct threading. No torque is given for these screws. I used my judgement. When all 4 screws are mounted and tightened go ahead and torque down the rear bracket. The two screws on the side stand mount go to 46 ft lbs. The muffler hanger bracket screw goes to 14 ft lbs (it is tensioned by the rubber grommets in the muffler hanger bracket).
Now mount the four front screws with the 4 countersunk washers and the four black locking nuts. Note: Anything you drop may result in you needing to remove the skid plate to retrieve. I used a 10 mm box end wrench to hold the black nuts without dropping them. A 4 mm hex tool will drive the screws. No torque is given. I tightened them up until they seated and I saw some swelling in the grommets.
The skid plate has two holes for draining the engine oil, but I don't think that oil filter is going to come out of there with the skid plate on.
Tools and Supplies:
10 mm box end wrench
10 mm socket
12 mm socket
4 mm hex tool (socket style)
5 mm hex tool (socket style)
8 mm hex tool (socket style)
Socket wrench
Long extender
Torque wrenches
Hammer and wood block
Blue Loctite
(To see images at full size right click and choose "view image" in Firefox)
It came in a large box, just a little dinged up.
But it was well wrapped...
...and emerged unscathed.
The welds are through, and appear professional.
The Yamaha aluminum skid plate sits well inside the SW-Motech product, but is taller.
The Yamaha plate is considerably shorter than the SW-Motech.
Hardware and brackets come in this bag.
Brackets are individually wrapped.
The hardware. Note that a number of identical items are entered more than once on the parts list, so you have to add them up.
The brackets. These are steel and much heavier than the plate. Much heavier than the Yamaha brackets as well. Probably 2mm for the front brackets and 3mm for the rear. A 3mm skid plate is 3mm skid plate, but these brackets make the difference.
Also included are a parts list and a series of diagrams showing the assembly. It is assumed that anyone using this post is referring to these supplied materials.
Mount 8 rubber grommets into the skid plate holes. Place the large spacers in the 4 bottom grommets, and the 4 smaller spacers in the 4 front grommets. Remove the oem black plastic skid plate if it is still mounted. Don't worry about the two oem steel brackets just now, we'll get them later.
All 8 mounted.
Prepare the front under engine bracket. Place one of the three button style "rubber elements," and the two large threaded rubber elements. Use a large washer with only one of the threaded rubber elements, as shown. Use two small washers and the silver locking nuts to secure. Tighten the nuts with a 10 mm socket, holding the rubber by hand.
Go ahead and mount this bracket. Use the two 5 mm hex cap screws, m6 x 20, and two small washers. Mount to the lower mount posts used by the oem black plastic skid plate. You can use blue loctite on these screws. I did not look up a torque for these and tightened with a T-handle hex tool to my best judgement. Go ahead and tighten these up now.
Now mount the two front brackets.
The left bracket goes where the oem left front bracket is. Remove the oem bracket with a 5 mm hex tool. Remove the plastic fuel overflow line guide with a pliers by compressing the prongs. It should come right out. Install it in the new bracket. Mount the new bracket with the original screws and torque to 8.7 ft lbs. Yes, go ahead and tighten it up. No loctite.
The right front bracket also replaces the oem bracket in the same spot. Use a 12 mm short socket to pull the two screws and mount the new bracket with the original screws. No loctite. Torque to 7.2 ft lbs.
Now prepare the rear under engine bracket.
First mount the short threaded rubber element with the metal spacer to the boss at the rear of the engine. Use blue loctite and tighten by hand.
Now place the two remaining button style rubber elements in the rear bracket.
Mount the rear bracket to the muffler hanger bracket on the right. Use a 12 mm socket. No loctite. Just get it threaded properly for now. Do not tighten.
Mount the rear bracket to the side stand bolts on the left. Use an 8 mm hex tool. These bolts are torqued down well and loctited. I had to use a socket style 8 mm hex tool and a large socket wrench to free them. A small bracket will fall out when you have removed the two side stand bolts, and the side stand will hang free. The small bracket is not used, and the rear skid plate bracket replaces it. Clean the old loctite from the bolts. Apply fresh blue loctite. Slip the new rear bracket between the side stand and the engine and mount the two bolts loosely. Tighten just enough that you will be able to adjust the bracket position with a hammer and a piece of wood, but that it won't move around on you.
You are now ready to mount the skid plate. Mount the 4 bottom bolts first (m6 x 20 hexagon screws) and use a washer with each. Adjust the position of the rear bracket as needed to get correct threading. No torque is given for these screws. I used my judgement. When all 4 screws are mounted and tightened go ahead and torque down the rear bracket. The two screws on the side stand mount go to 46 ft lbs. The muffler hanger bracket screw goes to 14 ft lbs (it is tensioned by the rubber grommets in the muffler hanger bracket).
Now mount the four front screws with the 4 countersunk washers and the four black locking nuts. Note: Anything you drop may result in you needing to remove the skid plate to retrieve. I used a 10 mm box end wrench to hold the black nuts without dropping them. A 4 mm hex tool will drive the screws. No torque is given. I tightened them up until they seated and I saw some swelling in the grommets.
The skid plate has two holes for draining the engine oil, but I don't think that oil filter is going to come out of there with the skid plate on.