Hepco & Becker Skid Plate Suzuki V-Strom 1050 XT for OEM Guard

Bit of a pain to install.(tedious, rather than hard)

Looks good. Minimal ground clearance loss. Can see dents (small) where the skid plate was doing it's job.

When I took it off to do an oil and filter change, the original allen key bolts rounded off on two of eight bolts.
Had to grind a groove in two of them to remove them.

Replacing them with hex head bolts.
Also added a bit of anti-seize so that they will be easier to remove next oil change.

I am very impressed with the materials and workmanship. It fit well and looks great. I agree with Ronald C. Removing the bikes OEM crash bars (easy and quick) to install and for oil changes / maintenance is the way to go. I will buy further products from H&B.

Excellent product,i recomend removing the 2 bolts,2 allen head bolts and removing the engine gaurd,installing the skid plate on a bench and then reinstalling the gaurd,also remove the engine gaurd with skid pan as 1 when doing oil changes...

Moto Machines was quick in getting my order to me undamaged. The Hepco & Becker skid plate is well constructed. I have to agree with Ronald C. that the install was a pain. Partly because of the Suzuki Auxiliary Lights mounted on the engine guards. The really pain in the neck was the "Rubberized clamps" especially on the left side of the motorcycle. Barely enough room there to try and hold the M6 screws with washer, push threw the rubberized clamp, insert another washer and then try to start the lock nut! The German Engineers should try and install one! It looks great and hopefully when it comes time to do an oil and filter change it is a matter of removing (8) screws and (4) nuts. With the "Rubberized clamps" remaining in place!

Great product and service. I recommend Moto Machine and and all items I have purchased from Hepco and Becker.

This mounted up cleanly and easily to my 1050 XT. It took some adjustment and moving things around to get the pipe clamps in just the right position, but in the end, everything bolted up. This expands on the factory protection and actually adds something to stop the oil filter from taking a direct hit, which was the big problem I had with the factory guard. It looks good, doesn't rattle or make noise on the highway, and it was similarly priced to other engine guards (that didn't fit my bike).

I wanted a skid plate that did not interfere with the OEM protection of my 1050XT. Also I did not want to buy a skid plate that required additional parts and removal of my OEM stuff. When I found this I was excited and quickly ordered it even though it was on back order. It arrived safe and sound from MOTOMACHINES a few weeks later and when I looked at it I saw the quality and attention to detail; definitely German engineering. I took my time on the install of course with some good music playing. It was step by step simple. Make sure you have the appropriate wrenches to reach in when tightening. I am in awe of how amazing this looks after I installed it and it’s nice having peace of mind knowing my bike is protected. Like the other reviewer said, this should be standard from Suzuki!

This skid plate fits and looks great. The rubber clamps are difficult to install due to limited access. Packaging was excellent and item arrived unscathed.

I'm so happy that Hepco & Becker came up with this skid plate! My wife bought her 1050XT last spring before this was released and we had to remove the OEM crash bars and buy new upper crash bars that would work in conjunction with the Suzuki skid plate we bought. I do wish the mounting points with clamps were more substantial and easier to install (especially with my ADV fog lights). For light use, this should do the job to protect the underside. Thanks Moto Machines! Cheers, Trent

What Christopher said. Just pull the trigger. You want THIS one. Install was easy, protection is awesome! This is how the V-Strom should've come:slightly_smiling:

Skid plate fits very well. Easy installation with great protection.