Enduro Engineering Aluminum Skid Plate

What it is

Enduro Engineering makes a bolt-on 3/16” thick 5052 aluminum Skid Plate to give the frame rails and engine cases on your current bike a lot more protection. The plate uses aluminum hardware and quality fasteners to attach to the frame with a hook-shaped bracket and bolt-on bar.

How it works

• Simple bolt-on and even easier if you have a helping hand.
• Attaches securely for minimal vibration.
• Protects the important stuff without being too bulky.

Some bikes, like current KTMs, come with a nice plastic skid plate that offers just enough protection for most riders but not enough when you really need it. I've learned my lesson way too many times. The result has been bent or dented frame rails that really decrease your bike's value, let alone create changes to the bike’s handling on some machines. Even the odd hole punched in the cases can be ride-ending catastrophic as well as very expensive to repair. So spending $100 on a skid plate all of sudden seems like a wise investment.

Enduro Engineering makes a no-nonsense aluminum skid plate that covers the frame rails and gets up and covers the cases around the ignition cover, water pump and clutch cover without interfering with the foot controls on the bike. Installation is straightforward with hook or bar brackets attached by countersunk Allen-headed and/or hex-headed hardware. The mounting wraps or presses against the frame rails for a secure fit and the bend of every plate we tried matched the lower frame rails without gaps. On some bikes the plates attach to the existing brackets on the frame as well.

Holes are used for lightening up the plate but also allow access to most oil drain plugs so routine maintenance does not require the skid plate to be removed, at least this was the case on the 500 EXC we tested.  Sometimes aligning the plate, mounts and screws without a third hand can be tricky but it can be done. And it is a lot easier when the plate is new and straight compared to when it is old and beat up.

One of the downfalls of the aluminum plate is the increased noise from the motor and a bit from vibration if the plate isn’t securely attached. We can report that the EE plate was so well attached that the noise increase was minimal, even on an engine like the KTM 500 that already has a “tinny” sound coming out of it.

The weight increase is not really noticeable for the most part, even on bikes without a standard skid plate, since it's mounted so low. We did not feel any effects of the plate on the bike’s handling, something that does happen on certain skid plate/frame combinations, especially aluminum ones. The holes drain water out just fine but like any skid plate it will pack with mud and gravel in the right conditions and that can add some weight.

For the protection, the number one reason for adding an aluminum skid plate, we can give the EE unit a thumbs up. It took rocks, logs and roost from the front tire like a champ. After a solid year of abuse the sandblasted and peppered skidplate had war stories scratched into it yet the frame rails were still perfect. After all of the abuse it was still possible to remove and re-install the plate for maintenance, although getting the Allen wrench in the bolt took a little coaxing. The durability was easily as good as some other aluminum skid plates we've tried that are much thicker and heavier compared to the mounting and shapes EE choses to use.

The simple conclusion is that this skidplate is a wise investment.

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