The info on the Tryals Shop website listed a flat skid plate for 04, yet the one on my 04 looks to be the same as the formed plate on the 03. Can anyone else with an 04 verify that they used the same plate or that mine has the wrong plate? There's a picture of the right side of mine for reference below.

Looking at the water pump guard that Boofont added to his bike makes me wonder how some folks are using a coil mount from a Beta for this purpose. Anyone got any pics of that installation (or is that what you used, Boofont)?

:santawink:

Edited December 13, 200322 yr by Don T.

Oh yeah, here's a close-up picture of the 04 engine & skid plate from the Tryals Shop's own page; doesn't look a thing like my bike's plate!

Edited December 13, 200322 yr by Don T.

I have a 04 SY250 as well and mine hasnt got the flat bash plate either, just the normal one. My dealer told me they didnt bring it into production because they had doubts whether it would be strong enough, so they stuck with the normal one.

I have to wonder if it wasn't just a cost based decision considering that Mike K. ran a flat skid plate last year without incident; no changes means no tooling costs and being able to use the parts already in stock from last year. With the manufacturers trying to keep costs down as much as possible due to the exchange rate changes, I can see this being the case. With the move to 4-stroke bikes coming in 05, it would also make economic sense to use up any parts in stock that might not fit the newer motor. The flat plate probably fits the 4-stroke fine and is retrofittable for anyone that would end up needing a replacement; that would keep them from being stuck with any parts that no one would buy (since they would most likely just move to a flat plate on replacement anyway).

Has anyone on the board ridden a bike with the flat plate for any length of time to be able to share the differences in protection and rideability? I can see where it would be easier to balance on the flat plate; will it give any better water pump protection or will I still need to get/make a guard for that? I'm trying to get the bike outfitted the way I want it before I start the season & end up bashing something that I could have protected in the first place. I'm figuring on the flat plate & the neoprene tube protectors for starters; maybe the shorty levers as well as some bar ends will finish out the package... how about it?

Edited December 24, 200322 yr by Don T.