Skid pan comments?

[pago cruiser]

Looking at adding a skid pan to my new-to-me 2014.  Live at the end of a 3 mile long, crappily graded dirt driveway, so it keeps my dirt bike skills from waning... .  It also really beats up the bottom of my bikes.  And the 2014 Valk rides lower than the Legacy Valk.  And whose bright idea was it to put the coolant tank down there and "protect" it with tin foil?

Could anyone who has used these post some comments on their long term use?  Have read the threads on this site and the...other...one; most are pertaining to install.

Coming from someone who once modified a scoop shovel to make a bash plate for a Yamaha DT1  , all the offerings appear ...wimpy. Granted, I'm not going (too far) off road, but I do this 6 miles a day, all year.  When I see the thickest diamond plate offering advertised as "extra thick 0.045" super strong aluminum...", the engineer in me just cringes .  That 0.045" is about 3/64".  Call it 3/4 of 1/16". MEH.   That ain't extra thick; and as the grade of aluminum is also not mentioned (super strong???), it also prolly ain't 6061 (used in many structural applications) or a 7000 series (the best by far, with about 2X the tensile and yield of 6061, but really hard to work with). 

Also, many of the comments I find talk about having to bend/deflect these in order to install them. Especially the stainless version, which looks to be paper thin - although I do like the louvers stamped in the bottom for venting the CAT.

So.  Any comments from users?  Good, bad, or "darn, wish I would have...".

TIA, and hope all on the site have a great holiday season. 

[Jack B]

I have the pan from Show Chrome on my F6B and I have scraped the bottom a few times on speed bumps, driveways, low- high spots in the road. So I am glad that it is there. Would it have have scraped without the skid pan I don't know.

[Valkpilot]

Highly recommended and widely used over on GL1800riders.com

I've got one on my 1800 Wing. It's a two piece design so that I can drop just the front piece to do oil changes.

In addition to the coolant tank being exposed as you point out, the oil filter is offset to the left of center which exposes it to road debris.

So, unlike with Valks, there are more than a few stories about punctured oil filters on GL1800s, and even some examples of punctured engine cases.

Concerns about heat retention have proven unwarranted.

Cheap insurance, thinks I.

[Shrubbo]

The one I bought looked paper thin and useless but I spent a lot on it so I put it on anyway.

It has payed for itself.

The bit where it has been bent around the water bottle instead of whatever it was ripping through the water bottle has convinced me of that. The annoying thing is this should be standard, man that oil filter is asking for it.

[bscrive]

I have one on mine.  I got it soon after I bought the bike, but mine doesn't have the louvers, it is just flat.  Mine is also a two piece, so it is easy to do oil changes.  I wouldn't ride without one, just for the added confidence.

Here is the one I bought.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Engine-Plate-Belly-Pan-Goldwing-GL1800-inc-F6B-and-Valkyrie-52-817BK/301339790759?epid=202944376&hash=item4629404da7:g:bToAAOSwEK9ULzJo&vxp=mtr

[Robert]

I would definitely recommend getting one after seeing the difference.

I was concerned about the heat from the exhaust and the engine before I got it but was willing to give it a try since I had an couple of things fly up and hit the engine. So after having the thing on for awhile I recommended it to my friends who bought the F6B and the Valkyrie. The coolant bottle and catalytic converters are right there also and was unsure if the heat would be more than it could handle.

The louvers actually do help in keeping the heat off the driver and diverting the heat down and away. Besides the benefit of keeping the dirt and debris off the engine. The shield is thin but thick enough to stop most of the rocks or things you would normally hit on the road from going up and getting wedged in the engine compartment. I have heard a few things hit it and thought how happy I was to have it. Plus after seeing pictures of a bike without it I am really happy its there for cleanliness. It makes the bottom of the bike smooth so things dont have a point to catch in or wedge into to gain leverage they just hit the bottom and glide off it. After hearing a few things hit it with some pretty good force I would think not having one could be a real issue. Since anything can wedge in that area.

The shield is a bit thin and can vibrate on the exhaust or the engine since it rests on those in addition to being fastened under the lower side covers but with a bit of adjustment its not a problem. The heat from the exhaust resting on the shield was enough to discolor it on point of contact but again not a big deal.

I have the stainless one and it really doesn't make to much difference either black or stainless. Every once in awhile I see the stainless and think I should get the black and then say it looks good to see the underside and keeps me washing it.

Oil changes are easy with it on as long as you get the one with the front section able to be removed. The securing locks are a bit rinky dink and come loose but its not a real problem. The front of the shield (where the oil filter is) is wedged into the front cowling and fastened by the 2 fasteners at the back of the front shield. Actually a good design although seems like it wouldn't be.

I dont jack up the bike on it but if you did I dont think it would be to much of a problem since the supporting points are the engine and exhaust and this is the normal supporting points already.


All in all a necessary item.



http://wingstuff.com/products/24485-performance-stainless-belly-pan

[Kyryll]

Only with help of skid plate I was able to add illumination at the bottom of the bike. Can share pics if anyone interested.

[Moofner]

Only with help of skid plate I was able to add illumination at the bottom of the bike. Can share pics if anyone interested.

I did the same with mine. Purchased the two piece setup and it has done a wonderful job.