DIY Custom Skid Plate

If I can do it you can too! I am no expert as you can see by the video but live and learn! The nice thing about building a skid plate is that its not a real precision piece. I don't usually tell people to subscribe but, this will not be the last thing I build for my bike so if you are interested in this kind of thing then...ya know.
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[@tinytrax1978]

I love this build ! It is refreshing to see a diy video that doesn’t require a full machine shop full of tools to do , this my friend is true diy !

[@timsmith6029]

If you're gonna heat it, heat it till it's cherry red, or till a magnet no longer sticks and leave it to cool naturally. Then bend it by hand. And if you value having the right number of correctly shaped fingers put the guard back on the grinder. Nice CAD work. (cardboard aided design)

[@stevenwarner7348]

Ive been checking in on various sites on You Tube now for well almost 10 years. Pick a topic, I've been there. (Still appreciate ChuckE2009, you know that kid from Ohio who moved to Texas. Taught me to weld. ) This is (I think) the most comprehensive and honest video I've seen about the (PROCESS) of being creative with metal. OOPS now there are a bunch of other video's of other people doing this. And I guess BJ over on Brick House Builds has done this. Oh well. Anyway ... Thank you so much for this one. ~ It's the creative process that you share here. Just great. ~. I guess you name it, someone has done it ~ On You Tube! Oh yea. 👍

[@jivjav100]

"Soo... I've thrown it outside..."👏👏😂😂😂😂 i love it. These projects get me like that too.

[@kiaveljones2874]

turned out clean

[@p.santos6644]

Well done. Don't worry about the imperfections, it's a bash plate and will be full of dents anyway, besides it's under the bike and nobody will notice 👍

[@lukastomasch]

It came out pretty good man. I was looking for a DIY inspiration on motorcycle skid plates and your video popped out. Nice one, thanks a lot! It gave me a few ideas and yes I'll probably weld the pieces together :) Ride safe pal!

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Awesome!! Good luck on your project!

[@mark.e.p]

I've used 3mm aluminum. You don't heat it, just score it with a screwdriver then bend it with wood both sides clamped together. Use a jig saw for cutting.

[@eabilbao7686]

An honest builder about the imperfections but awesome results.

[@johnmarkussen]

I cut deeper where i want to bend and then eventually weld some Nice seems back. Nice done

[@frantzbouffard1196]

WoW! Awesome job! I'm looking to do one for my BMW GS 800. Your video is very inspiring!

[@MTL_Rider]

I was considering about doing this for my Versys and wondered how much time I would need to invest. After watching this I will I will just spend the couple of hundred dollars. Not because of the difficulty but about the time to invest. I just don't have the time with 2 young kids. I think you guys that put in the time to dyi items your self are great, and I'm sure it gives you great pleasure in the end even with slight imperfections. thumbs up!

[@mainstreammoto4856]

2 kids make it difficult. I have 3. Had to work on it after they went to bed. It's only worth it if you enjoy building things. I didn't really consider it work, just a fun project and a bonus of saving a little money. If you have the extra money, nothin wrong with buying one. Ride on man!! I think the Versys is an awesome motorcycle btw!!!

[@marquez971caleb]

This was very entertaining to watch! great job in providing some great content.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Thank you very much man! Ben was right, it is a little lower then I wanted it to be but oh well. There is always next time!

[@rickreasoner8664]

Your Plate has good character. Looks like it came off a Star Wars ship that’s been thru a few battles.

[@acslater5490]

Cheers for uploading! I'm planning to make my own for my KLR tengai this weekend and this has given me a bit more confidence getting to it

[@mainstreammoto4856]

All right! Good luck on your project and let me know how it turns out!!

[@deepsouthNZ]

cool project mate, bloody good job

[@ramsrider14]

Thanks for the video mate, this is exactly what I'm looking for and you video has helped me wrap my head around what I'm going to do lol Converted a road bike to a dirt/road/adventure/hybrid and need a skid/bashplate.

[@bazz6670]

Good job mate, you gave some good ideas for my strom. When I have had to bend steel on other projects I just cut through enough to weaken it to a stage where it will bend and then run a few welds along it. New sub here thanks.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Hey that's a good idea! Thanks!

[@stevegandalf4739]

How thick is that steel sheet? It looks like 3mm or more. Was there a reason you didn't use aluminium? I'd say what you made was more armour plate rather than skid plate :) Great project anyway !!

[@maudominguez1158]

That was hardcore man!! congratulations, truly inspiring and funny learning process.

[@toby7504]

Thanks for good tip on how to make one. Made one for my triumph tiger. Result are on my channel. Tanks again sir

[@TerrenBichard]

Looks good. Going to try making mine for my 2018 v-strom 650dl. Thanks for your time.

[@kelicomfg]

nicely done man. create create create... cardboard is my go to as well... I'm doing mine out of Aluminum though... get TIGGY wiit it...

[@Fxnn1302]

looks amazing, great work! I am planning on doing one for my Enduro

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Yeah that's one of the things that didn't go as planned. It ended up being about 1'' lower than I wanted it. The bike started out only having about 6 1/4 inches and now it's down to 5 1/4. Another thing I would have changed is I would have added one more angle to the front. As is, I can see going over a log or something and it getting stuck between the front tire and the skid plate. As far as skidding over things tho, I'm not too worried about it. I tried to keep the bottom as smooth as I could so it would slide over things without resistance. I'm not going to take on that kind of terrain quite yet. I don't think that I would want to cut around the exhaust and leave it unprotected tho. I could be just misunderstanding what you have in mind. As soon as I get a chance to test it in a proper environment I'll be giving and update!!

[@Navin.R.Johnson]

Very informative video. I learned I don't want to build my own skid plate and will gladly pay for one.

[@PnPModular]

great video and something i have been looking at buying but considering the price this is a really cool project thanks for sharing

[@oscarbottazzi4231]

Great job definitely you have skills and patience I enjoy every minute.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Thank you very much!

[@Decker486]

that looks darn good to me, awesome job, great video! thanks for sharing!

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@Decker486]

Cheers from Bolivia!

[@decont1er840]

Nice job ! , you really went all the way , i just finished mine for my dl 650... and its way more basic...

[@DIeSEL20d]

It’s just 5:25 of the vid and I loved so much. I’m exactly the same. Stay creative mean 👍🏻 I will do the same soon.

[@TravelwithShino]

Well done brother 💪

[@JohnEYoung-zw6pf]

I like it, about to build one for my KLR and save a buck. Curious since I skimmed the video, what thickness sheet metal did you use? Think I’m gunna go steel since I don’t have a TIG set up and I don’t wanna go too thick I’m thinking around an 1/8” maybe 3/16” 🤷🏻‍♂️ If you don’t mind adding an overview to your video that’s be helpful. Nice work tho!

[@kevinmithnick9993]

Thanks for sharing!

[@fmatiasayala]

Amazin Vídeo... and great job congratulation !!! Maybe Do you have plans ..

[@RonaldTugublimas1]

Wow! Nice project. You can do business with it. Save the graphic and measurements then make more of it and sell online. Thank you for this video...

[@mikeclark870]

Cool video think I'm going to try to make one out of an old road sign

[@borisostrica]

Great video! It would be great if you could share that printable with us.

[@nickmeier9356]

Excellent

[@benanderson341]

Excellent Job Sir! For just using basic tools, that turned out awesome. Good tutorial, too. I do not think you missed any major parts of design or assembly. I have to say that looking at it, the only thing I would have done different would have been to cut around the exhaust pipe, enabling you to mount the skid plate higher on the bike. As is, I fear you might find yourself skid plating over many obstacles. You seem to only have 6ish inches of ground clearance without you on the bike now. How much clearance do you have when you sit on the bike?

[@modshiftmotion]

Badass.

[@DestraAmni]

Nice

[@neoraj9583]

Hi sir .. Fantastic Work Done👍👍👍 One simple question.. Does a skid plate prevents an air cooled engine from getting cooled ?

[@chickenfriedbobcat6090]

I know the problem with bending the skidplate. Your metal was bleeding heat too fast. One end cooled by the time the other heated up. I've seen a paste you can apply that stops the heat from traveling. It keeps the metal hotter longer. Type in heat paste on eBay. Great video by the way. You've inspired me to make my own for my klr650. Luckily I have my stock plastic plate for a model.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Right on man! I'll have to take a look at that heat paste. Good luck on your project too!

[@John-om5dm]

Legend

[@vstrom9586]

To aid in making a straight bend score the back side with a zip cut

[@browning7750]

Good job! Ride on!

[@georgespillman1847]

i reckon you should have done the home improvement theme song over the fast bits

[@vstrom9586]

Good job

[@690ADV]

great vid, way cool!

[@marvdw1]

nice job...not bad for diy and $62. the prices on skid plates are absurd in some cases. are you a metal worker by trade?

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Oh no, I don't have much exp with metal working. I know just enough to be dangerous! Not everything went as planned but we push on anyway right!!!

[@bbmoti]

just watched it great work what kind of steel is it ? and how mutch it weight? I'm thinking making it from aluminum

[@mainstreammoto4856]

It's just basic low carbon steel. Weighs about 8 to 10 pounds I'd guess. That's a good idea to make it out of aluminum!! much lighter!

[@RoyMeraki]

you are so resourceful, may I ask what is the material used, was it aluminium or steel or just iron sheet.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

It's just a sheet of 1/8 inch mild steel. I'd like to make one out of aluminum but I don't have the equipment.

[@NguyenGiapspkt05]

Hi, great job!!! can you share your size of your Skid Plate.

[@harshavardhanacr]

21:57 could have create hole a little lengthy then doing a new one I guess 😊

[@strangefate2934]

Thanks Eminem teach me how to make skidplate.

[@retrotellephone]

Is that an oxyacetylene torch?

[@harshavardhanacr]

Metal gauge???

[@ceferbu]

Hi, do you have the plans or the dimensions of the skid, i have the same bike, i would like to build my own, thanks.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

I don't have any plans, I even threw away the cardboard template that I used to make this one! However, I will say that the design and template process is really quite simple! All it takes is a little time and vision. I could probably put some plans together but, If you put your own spin on it, you may come up with a design you like even more!

[@gkmaweb6080]

nice video, but whats the point of making it, for the public without including a few measurements,

[@mainstreammoto4856]

This is about making a custom skid plate for a motorcycle, not just a V-Strom. By making a mockup out of something cheap like cardboard and transferring those measurements to aluminium steel or whatever, you now have a technique to make one for just about anything, not just one type of bike. The measurements become a given once you make your mockup and by not having exact dimensions a person is forced to use their own creativity and put their own style into it. That's why the thumbnail says "Build Your Own Skid Plate" and not "Build A Skid Plate Just Like Mine" I'm certainly not trying to be rude so don't get me wrong. If you know even a little about working with metal you can build as good of a skid plate as I did if not better! You can improve this in many ways!

[@ReachOutToWilliam]

Watching this makes the $200 cost of a production skid plate seem pretty cheap. I would bet you have at least $100 in materials. Probably more.

[@mainstreammoto4856]

Yes, the decision to make or buy one is very subjective. I spent about $62.00 at the time I built it but, with the price of iron today it would not be near as cost friendly. Even with the frustration I enjoyed building it and learned a lot more than I would have just typing in a credit card number! I need a skid plate for my DRZ, and I'll probably build that too even if it's not cost efficient!

[@warpedbear6863]

Should have just bought one.

[@delphinetixador3233]

Le son est très mauvais !!!!!!