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Whilst our riding the backroads on my Thruxton this morning, I hit a stretch of gravel (where the road was being resurfaced), slowed to a crawl, yet still managed to hear numerous stone ding noises coming from beneath.
My inspection once home revealled that the homemade skidplate I'd fabricated had done it's job and had protected the front/underside of the engine from damage.
I constructed it from a piece of 3.0 mm x 60 mm aluminium 'flat bar', formed over a timber mould (made/cut from a 2" x 10") replicating the shape of the front 'down tubes'. Unlike what I've seen everyone else going with, I brought the front of the plate further up, aligning it with the bottom of the oil cooler and bolting it on over the 'spreader plate' (using stainless 'button 8mm hex-head bolts) and tucks under just short of the oil drain plug.
When you view the bike in profile, the stoneguard/skidplate begins at a point where the front fender stops (on the Thruxton). I painted the plate with that 'hammerite/hammer finish' (charcoal) and todays damaged revealed at least 6 direct hits/chips on the guard.
I was initially a little concerned with the added height, worrying that air flow my be impeded to the front of the engine, but by going with a 60mm (2 3/8") wide plate, there is still a 10mm gap on either side for air to flow through. So far, my new oil temp gauge has proven that this hasn't caused a higher temperature problem.
PS: and it looks 'the Business'!
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