How to choose the enduro bike protection: skidplates, guards etc︱Cross Training Enduro
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- www.crosstraini... The best radiator guards, skidplate, handguards, crankcase protection, bashplate, disc guards and case saver for your enduro bike? And do you really need all this gear? How much protective gear should you put on your enduro motorbike? What do you think are the essentials? Our dirt riding tips are great for developing your hard enduro skills. If you look at the pro level enduro riders, they often add nothing at all. Not even a carbon fibre exhaust guard. My personal recommendation? I think full-wrap handguards will be a great idea for all average dirt riders after enduro bike protection. We have a video about the pros and cons of different types. Ditto for the bashplate or skidplate. Try our training vids for working on your extreme enduro techniques. I think the next level of protection potentially includes radiator braces, disc guards, and exhaust guard for two strokes, and a linkage guard. The rest? Just optional in my opinion. A speedo protector? If your motorbike is regularly upside down you should probably get dirt bike protection. Case saver? Need hard enduro training? Work through our video lists. If you maintain your chain properly you should have minimal risk with breaking your crankcase. Chain guide? As an experiment, I kept my brand new Sherco 300SE completely standard. I wanted to see how long it took to mangle it. More on that later. First. Why do the pro enduro riders use so little protection (except for condoms with all their groupies)? Did you know most of the best hard enduro riders are actually aliens and freaks? Some enduro models have fairly weak chain guides, if your chain regularly comes off in rocky terrain a heavy duty chain guide could be worthwhile for enduro bike protection. Hard enduro techniques are covered in our training vids. Into enduro and dirt bikes? Check out our dirt bike videos. Extreme enduro training vids are our focus. Frame guards and swingarm protectors? These are really just preventing scratches so certainly not essential dirt bike protection in my opinion. If you want extreme enduro training see our playlists of enduro skills to learn. They rarely crash. Their technique is so good they rarely need exhaust guards or linkage guards. At their skill level, even a set of full-wrap handguards adds enough weight to affect steering. If you are enduro riding get into our enduro training vids. And they add a bit more width to handlebars so they hit trees more. The emphasis is on keeping the motorbike as light as possible. If they do wreck an exhaust pipe they have spares back in the pit. And exhaust guards can hold in too much heat in race conditions. Most of us are dirt muppets. We crash far more often. We slam our skidplates into logs. We ride through rocks with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. So the question is how much motorbike protection do we need? There's no right answer for everyone. Here is a sample of what you can fit your beast. This protective gear can easily weigh 12kg or more. Are you obsessed with keeping your motorbike light? You will probably choose a bit less protection. What about riding style? Do you 'think' your way through tough terrain? The only added protection used regularly by pro riders seems to be a front brake disc protector, and occasionally a rear disc protector. And bigger clutch covers which allow slightly larger oil capacity and a bit more strength. Or do you throw yourself into gnarly conditions and just hope for the best? It had one benefit. It definitely made me 'think' my way through tough terrain. I really focused carefully on log-hopping technique so I didn't wreck the exhaust pipe. My first damage? After three months I dropped the Sherco at a standstill and it broke the clutch perch. $330 to replace. Ouch! I fitted full-wrap handguards the following week. If you never ride in rocky terrain, there is a lot of gear you probably won't need. Are you happy to fix things yourself? Some riders spend a lot of money on heavy guards for two-stroke exhaust pipes. But for half the price, you can buy a repair kit that uses air pressure or water pressure to fix a bent pipe. The same with radiator guards. An alternative is just carry some JB Weld in your toolkit to plug any leaks. And when you get home, straighten your radiator again. Ditto with crankcase protectors. If you carry JB Weld in your toolkit you can usually do a repair job that will get you home again. I remember fixing a busted crankcase and kept using it for another 18 months. So what happened with my experiment and the brand new Sherco?
#crosstrainingenduro #enduro #hardenduro #extremeenduro
Also have a look at the Australian made products from Propower based in Queensland.
Radiator guards, carbon fibre exhaust guards, rear disc guards and frame guards for European models.
propowerinternational.com
We've used quite a few of these over the past decade - very tough and often cheaper than the rest. Worth looking at even if you are overseas. Free international postage and the Aussie dollar is pretty low compared to the greenback.
I never tire of the crash sound effects.
Especially the “Wilhelm scream.”
Incredible how many films it shows up in... even in recent years
For me the two essentials are a baseplate and radiator guards
Followed by wrap around handguards
0:13 - talking about the pros leaving things stock - both riders shown have front and rear brake disc guards. Jarvis has an aftermarket skid plate with linkage guard. Neither Jarvis or Walker are currently factory sponsored - if they were, I'd say they don't need to worry about protecting the pipe as the factory support will just swap out a bashed up one and throw on a new one. Maybe they do have some sort of parts sponsorship that isn't known (to me?) where they do get replacement pipes. For many of us, adding the bike protection is twofold: 1. to avoid damage that could cause us to have to walk the bike back 2. to avoid costly damage (my XTrainer pipe lists for $550CAD, so I've left it with the dents in it for now, but wish I'd gone with the moderately heavier P-Tech skidplate/pipeguard combo as it would have saved me $ in the long run.)
I suspect factory support would always include a good supply of new exhausts, Rick. It would be a relatively cheap part direct from the factory.
Absolutely right, spend money on your riding time first. But - also - think about YOUR weight before you argue about the weight of a skid plate. If you are not on a race - who cares about 2kg more to have some more water and some tools with you. I can feel like Jarvis even with a fully packed rucksack - its a mindset.
Spot on. BarkBuster, no brainer. Skid plate, yes, but can depend on how the side cases protrude, rad guards reduce air flow and cost money better spent on beer. I'm old and weight = exhaustion. I can't afford to not ride with caution. So I ride to my limit. If I ride with others, I might attempt stuff I won't if solo. Since returning to riding 2yr ago after a 30 yr break I have focused on relearning the basic skills, the right tyres & pressure for the job, & suspension. Love you vids 🖖 PS I have had a good share of falls, some heavy bruising, even ribs, but haven't broken anything yet, bike or body. Heat exhaustion is my bane. Love my Barkbusters.
Well done on avoiding busted bones so far! I've only done it twice in 25 years but multiple fractures both times, sigh.
I think you hit the nail on the head with rocks. If you don't ride rocky terrain, slam into a lot of logs, or generally drop your bike dozens of times per ride - a basic plastic skid plate is probably all you really need.
On the other side of the spectrum, if you ride "hard enduro"... especially badly like me... you will break everything that's humanly possible to break.
On the handguards front - I've always run full wraps but recently switched to SxS Burly guards and am really liking them so far. The narrower bar feel and cleaner cockpit is really noticeable. I changed the levers to ARC unbreakable levers at the same time, we'll see how they'll hold up at Tough Like Rorr this weekend 😁
Interesting... I've included the link if anyone wants to take a look at those handguards, Dmitriy slavensracing.com/shop/burly-handguards-by-sxs/
Full wraps, skid plate, healthy dose of not giving a shit about small damage.
I'd say I'm on the higher end of protective gear on my machines rather than focusing on lightweight...
But I ride alone 95% of the time, in remote areas and dislike fixing/replacing stuff. So for me personally, I'd rather carry a little extra weight regularly and ride back to the truck hassle free despite any spills... but focusing on not dropping the bike is top priority... I do that by focusing on all the tips and tricks y'all share!
I reckon the trade off with extra weight but more protection sounds like a good idea for solo riding, Matt.
Engine protection. Hit my engine due to skid plate being too small to protect it. Didn't sound like anything other than a normal hit but the oil dumped and engine seized. So case savers and bash plate are my number one.
Bummer! It gets expensive hey? Especially with a four stroke. We are kinda lucky with two strokes that even if all the transmission oil leaked out you'll probably finish your ride fine if you don't notice.
Ditto's Barry, as usual you do a great job of breaking down all of the aspects one needs to consider before emptying ones wallet on needless protection even if it looks....cool. I too have a 2022 Sherco 300 SE which only has around 80 hours on it and I do mostly single track soft and hard enduro stuff and personally I NEED full hand guard wraps, full skid plate, rear brake rotor guard and radiator guards (because bike is dropped on it's side often 😁). I tried to go without a pipe guard and pipe was getting mangled so ended up with a new pipe and carbon fiber pipe guard. Case breaks are RARE and I think the negatives out weigh the positive in that they hold in engine heat. I believe an honest parallel for a rider to consider is how much protective gear do you need on your body for riding? So, if you feel the need to look like a gladiator going into battle your bike probably needs more pro, go for it. Another consideration for us older riders, I am in my late 60's, the old body doesn't heal like it use to so I would rather be riding than laid up mending an injury.
I completely agree, Dirk... the same issues need to be weighed up with rider protection. And we'll probably need more as we get older! I'm in my 60s now too and I'm incredibly aware of how much easier it is to get hurt in the past few years.
Plastic swingarm, fork bottom protectors and throttle position sensor guard. Standard flappy hand guards with folding levers and sore little fingers.
The only one I disagree on is the case saver.
A bit anecdotal, but I personally have had a branch lodge in my rear sprocket, chain then spooled up so hard it bent the case saver. I of course have also witnessed the too loose chain slapping and doing thousands of dollars of damage. Arguably avoidable. Yes. But a case saver is very little, low down weight. Worth it I reckon.
I've never run expansion chamber guards. If you don't go the crab pot, its just useless, and crab pots are bloody heavy. To people that disagree, where does the energy go when something hits a carbon fibre guard? Right up the top, the worst place to get damage.
Our choices are definitely affected by issues we've had in the past, Luke. I've never had a chain bunch up like that so I tend to not run case savers but of course it does happen! Interestingly I know a guy with a Sherco, his chain did come off and bunched up, and the case saver just broke the crankcase at one of the mounting points. 😒 Hard to say if it could have been better or worse without the crankcase saver...
@Cross Training Enduro I've heard of that too. I'm just glad it hasn't happened to me. Ha.
Great vid. I truly agree that it depends on skill level and willingness to compromise weight to protection. From year 1 to 4, I've slowly taken things off my bike and moved to a lighter setup. Like most things, it's time, personal preference, and individuals identifying what they are willing to compromise in a ride or race.
A lot of compromises, hey? Now that I've gone for minimal protection I find myself 'thinking' my way through tough terrain more to avoid damaging the bike... which I think has been a good thing overall.
When I purchased my Beta the service manager suggested a linkage guard was one of the few must haves, not from a protection point of view, but more to stop the linkage catching as much on logs when log hopping. All I have is wrap around hand guards, the stock skid plate and a linkage protector. The pipe has copped a beating, but that's just an excuse to upgrade. I also don't like the idea of putting all of that load through the exhaust flange on the cylinder, so as you suggest, not having pipe protection may be a good way to stay more mindful of not smashing the pipe into things.
On my DRZ400 SM which I swap the slick 17" road tyres for dirt 21" - 18" and have done 15k km in the dirt on, it came with a small metal bash guard in the middle and plastic sides all I have done is crankcase guards and full wrap hand guards.
I've done the Creb track 5 times, Seven hills east of Cairns a few times and a heap of narly tracks exploring and so far no major damage.
I'm only an average rider so I do plan my attacks on really ruff terrain.
There's a lot to be said for planning your way through snotty stuff!
Chain guide has an added benefit of *hopefully* preventing a hand from getting sucked into the rear sprocket if you were to have a very unfortunately timed crash. I know in some road racing organizations they are required. I count that finger meat grinder barrier as a must have personally, for the sake of my fingers, I dont really care too much about the bike.
Great video!
Do you mean the lower chain guide? I figured they were standard on every bike. There's usually a flimsy upper 'guide' too which many riders take off....
@@crosstrainingenduro oh that is what you meant. I agree that's useless
Got a 2017 bush pig. Cracked the case the first week. JB weld still holding 6 years later.
I recently met the guy who bought my Beta Xtrainer a few years back. The JB Weld on the cracked sidecase was still holding up. He has no plans to buy a new case.
Like you I run full wrap hand guards, bash plate and rad braces. Carrying a JB weld stick in case of side case punctures as there are plenty of rocks and roots in my area. Another fabulous video!
Thanks!
I have wraparound hand, guards, metal skid plate, carbon fiber pipe guard, clutch master cylinder guard, and that’s about it. All that’s based on personal experience of what I tend to break. If I was really worried about extra weight, I’d just lose 30 pounds!
😂 Actually I was starting to develop a bit of a gut last year, Dave... man it took some work getting rid of it. Or most of it. Revised diet, daily exercise, the usual stuff.
Considering physics in the ability to climb and decend hills, weight of the system (bike + rider) is THE crucial thing to consider. Our traction is limited and there the ability of this system to climb a certain hill or decend a hill in a controlled manor. Professional teams and rider know this (contrary to the so called "adventure riders") and sacrifice parts to gain this advantage as long as a failure of the part will still get you to the finish line. Everything is a compromise in our sport and the winners have done the right choices.
I ride really rocky terrain and before I got full wrap lower fork guards, I scratched and dented my lower fork tubes twice for a total of $800 in repairs. I also use a brake snake. And for fun and cactus, I run 5 gallon bucket hand guards
Ouch. Fork tubes against rocks I guess?
Must haves for me, bash plate and full wrap hand guards. All others are nice but not totally needed.
Same on all my bikes, a glide plate, wraparound handguards, and rear disc protector. Tried a carbon fiber guard... once... and never again! They like to transfer all the impact to where the guard isn't and it bent my pipe where it goes to the cylinder and wouldn't seal anymore. Honestly, never seen any pipe guard do much to protect a 2T pipe where you really need it, on the U- bend just after exiting the cylinder.
No easy solution for those 2T exhausts unless they go back to the old days and have them all tucked away again... but I suspect radiators prevent that.
I installed the upward and forward pivoting SPP levers on my sherco. I also installed them as far inward as possible so the end of the handlebar sticks out about 2 inches further than the levers. Lastly I wrapped Teflon tape under the perches so the whole master cylinders can rotate easily but the perch bolts do not need to be loose. I do plenty of crashing in rocks and havent had a lever or perch break. Shercos are already heavier than the austrian bikes and betas (weigh yours if you dont believe me), so the last thing they need is more weight.
I'm loving the Sherco but I thinks it's about time they put it on a diet lol. Sherco seem to be leaving the weight out of their specs now but I think the dry weight of the 2022 model 300SE was 102kg so maybe 107kg fueled up? Way too heavy. KTM was down to 100kg wet weight before they changed to TPI and added weight again.
@@crosstrainingenduro haha. Oh mate. No no no. Try 120kg fuelled up. I've weighed mine and it's consistent with others who have weighed theirs. None of the manufacturers are truthful about their weight specs but sometimes the Japanese. People think the WR450 is significantly heavier than the 500exc because of this. There are no sub 110kg enduro bikes bar the x trainer. The austrian 2 strokes are about 112kg fuelled up I think, although they have less fuel and protection than the shercos. The 4 stroke shercos are about 1 or 2 kilos lighter than the 2 strokes believe it or not.
But don't take my word for it. And especially don't take the manufacturers word. Weigh your own bike and see for yourself. Just don't weigh a 2 stroke mx bike after, you'll cry at the difference.
120kg? Did you remove handguards, radiator guards etc before weighing? And use calibrated industrial scales? We've weighed a few bikes and once you take any added bling off most fall under 110kg with a full tank of fuel. Actually the one manufacturer who is usually very accurate is KTM... anyone with calibrated industrial scales has reported they get the same figures as the factory claims. Sherco takes out the bullshit award for claiming their 300 four stroke is actually lighter than the 300 two stroke.They claimed this for years and now thankfully it's not mentioned in the specs.
I recently took alot of my protection off. I've got S3 bar ends instead of wrap around. An axp extreme skid plate, radiator guards are a must in my opinion and the ends cut off the levers. The chain guide that comes on the sherco is uselss so that went in the bin when i got the bike. So far the only bad damage is a dent in the exhaust which is above the scuff line from my ptech gaurd so would have happened anyway. After 20 odd hours I have become a much smarter rider already due to the extra thinking and emphasis on technique
Plus I don't have to clear out 10kg of mud from the ptech every ride 😂
The Beta and Sherco models don't have the strongest chain guides and should be upgraded if you'll be bashing through rocks regularly. Mine has flexed enough to let the chain come off twice.
I was talked into frameguards on the grounds that scratches = rust = expensive (eventually). Don't know how true that is, probably 99% of bikes go in the bin long before the frame rusts through, but they weigh bugger all so why not.
Chris Birch told me that he (and other pro-level riders) don't use full-wrap handguards because of the risk of getting your arm in there when airborne/crashing and breaking your forearm or wrist. I have seen some pros either DQ'd or otherwise handicapped because they didn't have full-wrap handguards (Jarvis - if my memory is correct in Romaniacs several years ago broke off his clutch perch in a simple fall-over and rode for a while contorting his left hand to somehow hold the clutch to the bars and still use the clutch - and then taping the perch to the bars at a stop). My full-wrap handguards have saved my fingers (and levers etc.) countless times. I don't ride fast/hard/well enough to factor the broken forearm as enough risk to not use wrap-around handguards.
We discussed the risk of broken bones with full-wrap handguards in our handguards vid, Rick. Definitely divided opinions about this one. I suspect it comes down to whether you hang on to the bars even if you are flipping over them? The majority of riders seem to let go and have no issues... but possibly some keep gripping and risk broken arms?
The problem with observing what the pros do is a different set of considerations - sponsorship deals , who's paying for the parts ? Hopefully someone else to fit them and repair the damage , and the 'presentation' aspect. Eg, look at the small Acerbis hand guards fitted to Manni's KTM - the mechanics had to make a small adapter plate to marry up the KTM lever perch bracket to the guards. Second, I've heard it discussed that pipe guards can transfer impact forces into other areas - the pipe/head flange . Of course, there's also a reinforcement piece sold for this. Moving on, watching Mario Romans bike build , he makes a point of having a thicker rear disc to prevent bending , as well as a disc fin . Crashing related, many now fit a second starter button somewhere in case the main one gets broken. Finally , I recently dropped my (trials) bike on a stump which neatly broke off the top of the spark plug and no-one sells a guard that would have prevented that . 'Trailbound co' has bikes that have reeeaally been scraped against the scenery if need a longer term example.
All good points. I often think there's almost no point at looking at what pro riders do because it's completely different world.
On my XCW I have the factory skid plate. Wrapped hand guards are a must. Hard to get out of the woods with a broken clutch lever
Unless you have an Auto Clutch 😁
I don't run full wrap hand guards because I hate how cramped it it makes my hands feel, just run the clamps loose with Teflon tape and they spin. Rad braces/guards are a must because I ride a TPI KTM that pops the rad hoses super easy on the powervalve cover, I had to quit a race early because I lost all my coolant and bought rad guards that day. I can also never go back to running anything but mousses, I need a soft tire for the technical slippery riding in Canada and tubliss was constantly going flat, and tubes just pop. Trystan Hart rode my bike and said it was setup nicely, if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me.
First I've heard of those hosing popping off easily, Matt. Fast way to seize a bike.
@@crosstrainingenduro to clarify it pops a hole in the hose by pushing against the power valve cover. The hose doesn't come off. The rad guards stop the radiator shifting and making it worse. I also cut a piece of hose in half and put that between the two to stop it rubbing as well.
En mi caso tengo instalados en mi Husky 300:
- guarda manos cerrados
- Guia cadena reforzado.
- Protector de disco de freno delantero y trasero.
- proyector de cárter y bieletas de la suspencion trasera.
(Anteriormente utilice protector de carbono para el escape, pero desde hace 1 año yo no más)
Y para mí es todo, en mi estilo de manejo hard enduro.
El resto no lo considero necesario 🤷🏻♂️
Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
It always sounds better in Spanish 😎
@@crosstrainingenduro Thanks 😉
Had a carbon guard on my stock husky pipe but ended up pushing the left side into the starter motor and developed cracks(2014 model) got a Ballard’s stainless pipe and it is tuff as, don’t run the carbon guard on it but I had a high speed off and did the same and pushed the left side into the starter again, but I would buy another one in a minute 👍🏻 have looked at getting it fixed, one guy said he’s never done a stainless one so he’s not sure how it would go🤷🏼♂️ but I’m still riding with it lol
Great to hear. If I really make a mess of mine I'd be keen to try the Ballards
Wrap around and skid plate is enough for most of the places I ride.
Most pros are riding a supplied bike, that they don’t have to fix
I know Chris Birch liked to keel his bikes as stock as possibly so replacement parts were easy to source, sometimes bronze riders would donate them during a race
I’ll stick to armouring my to withstand a nuclear strike if it saves me buying new parts 😉😉
I remember Chris telling us that in a training session years ago. And he made fun of my bar risers lol.
@@crosstrainingenduro No he doesn't like bar risers, Alfie Cox told him years ago he was way taller than him and didn't need them so why did he.
They also mess with your steering geometry.
I have a 2020 Dr650 with all the armor I can fit. Lol. I keep getting fuel in my air box the. Think it's float seals and float needle failing. Only seems to leak while running the engine
Plastic acerbis skid plate and unbreakable levers
Question: with boots, have your looked at the alpinestars tech t boots about less protection?
I wouldn't wear any Alpinestars at all, I think the quality had dropped too much over the years.
@@crosstrainingenduro what about any other trials boot then? The footing on the t looks good for footing/ a lot of grip off the peg. Everything else seems very motox
See our vid about boot choice. If you opt for soft flexible boots you are always trading comfort for protection.
#1 - Full wrap hand guards - skid plate - front and rear disc guards. I feel that full wrap hand guards protect more than just your bars and levers. It seems like it protects your whole bike somehow???
Definitely extra protection in the psychological sense lol. I tried running without them and didn't like the feeling of being 'exposed'.
@@crosstrainingenduro Opposite for me hahah I had wrap arounds for ages but broke a finger and hurt my wrist a few times so I took them off and now use the stock ktm ones, I instantly felt safer and more free, i guess its just up to what's happened to you with or without them
IMO proper protection for the terrain you ride minimizes the risk of being "THAT GUY ". Fixing stuff trail side is bad enough but holding up your riding buds while feeding the horde of Cannuckistaini bugs is just wrong .
I've experienced those cannuck bugs personally, James lol. I was swatting the bugs off the guys trying to fix the bike.... northern BC.
I believe the full wrap hand guards also make the bars much more rigid. Which leads to more arm pump.
There is a local guy here in Alberta Canada that makes some awesome flag style handguard. They protect master cylinders and levers. They ar e super heavy duty. But lighter than full wrap and don’t compromise flex and no chance of breaking wrists.
Got a link, Curtis? I think I covered that style of guard in our handguards vid but didn't have any particular brands.
Its akin to fuel injection ,great for the Pro's ,overcomplicated and unnessary for muppets with no backup ,give me a carbied ,kickstarter back up ,2 stroke any day
A dirt bike is a tool, not a jewel!
How Dare you say that about my girl friend , " Katie M"😁
ski plate only
For heavily snowed tracks? 😎
The pro's have a semi trailer full of spares ,mechanics backing them ,get picked up and taken back to base if their bikes fail and they don't pay for their bikes. Unlike us muppets who have none of this .Protect everything and using metal putty ,great for a temp fix ,hardly permanent
I'm always wary when someone says 'But this is how the pro riders do it' lol. Especially with bike protection... they live and ride in a totally different world to us!
Pro riders don’t use guards bc they don’t pay for bikes!! 😂