Skid plate with linkage guard Husqvarna, GasGas 250/350 17-23

• Husqvarna FE 250 and FE 350: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• GasGas EC 250F and EC 350F: 2021, 2022, 2023

For the KTM EXC-F 250/350 from 2017–2023 there is the SP15, a 6 mm HDPE plate without a linkage guard. The aluminium equivalent without a linkage guard is the SP02. From model year 2024 use the SP18 (aluminium).

The plate covers the engine cases, the starter motor and the clutch and ignition covers from below. Without a guard these parts take the hits on rocks, roots and logs, as well as stones thrown up by your front wheel and by the wheels of bikes ahead of you. A cracked case or cover means an oil leak and usually the end of the ride off-road, and replacing an engine case means splitting the engine.

The linkage guard covers the linkage from below and helps keep the bike from hanging up on an obstacle by the swingarm link. A mud drain hole sits at the lowest point of the plate, and a tab at the top stops mud and stones before they get into the gap between the engine and the plate.

HDPE is high-density polyethylene, a plastic that resists impacts and abrasion and is also used to make safety helmets. What that means on the trail:

• Less weight. This plate with the linkage guard weighs 0.87 kg, while the aluminium SP02 for similar bikes, without a linkage guard, weighs 1.01 kg.
• Springs back. On impact the plate flexes, absorbs the energy and returns to its shape.
• Quieter, no vibration. The plastic damps the impact of rocks and does not pass on vibration.
• In winter too. HDPE does not turn brittle in the cold.
• Slides over obstacles. HDPE has a low coefficient of friction, so the smooth underside slides over logs and rock edges, and the bike hangs up on them less often.

Sharp rocks will scratch and gouge the plastic over time. Those are working marks, and the plate keeps protecting.

The kit includes brackets, mounting bolts and washers. You bolt the plate to the frame at four points, with no drilling and no changes to the bike, so in an impact the force goes into the frame and not through the bolts into the cases. The SP14 works together with clutch and ignition cover guards.

We design every plate from a 3D scan of the specific bike and cut it on CNC machines in Katowice, Poland. Professional riders test every new model before it goes on sale.