SXS Slideplate

[ebulic19]

As the final touch to the refresh on my 00' KDX 200 I decided to put a skidplate on. I checked the forums here to see if anyone had mounted an SXS but to no avail there was nothing so I figured I'd post some pictures and my experience on here.

The process was definitely testing of patience. Just remove the exhaust system and get to mounting.

SXS uses aluminum hooks with 5mm allen bolts and some fairly large washers to mount - blue loctite recommended. The front two mounts on the frame closest to the header went on relatively smooth. Drive side also went on with some fiddling. I noticed that it is somewhat helpful to thread the bolts into the aluminum mounting hardware very loosely and then hook them on the frame with the slack you have. The back two mounting pieces took a little more fiddling.

The drive side back mounting piece went on somewhat crooked but bolted up using the pre-drilled holes from SXS.

The clutch side required me to drill another hole parallel to the pre-drilled hole, just a little further toward the rear wheel. In addition, I took the aluminum mounting hook to the bench grinder and took the step off the hook to allow for the slideplate to come up a little higher.

Once I got that bolt threaded I took a heat gun to soften the plastic up a little bit and allow it to form to the cradle. I tightened everything down and heated it again and let it sit for a little while, then unthreaded and put blue loctite on all bolts.

Overall, it came out pretty nice, it just pained me to have to drill into a pricey piece of plastic, but it beats a new knuckle. I am excited to see how it sldies over logs. SXS is one of the leading skidplates in the enduro scene. I figured i'd give them a try. I have an AXP on my TE300 (AXP isn't made for the KDX) and figured i'd treat the old girl.

[Chuck78]

Thanks for posting. I was not aware that these existed for our bikes. Looks like a very excellent design, however Hyde Racing has one up on them for having the mounting bolts recessed up into the skid plate... BUT .. SXS have a linkage guard built in... So it's a trade off, I would say these are the best two skid plates available, far better than any aluminum plates.
My concern with their mounting bolt configuration is that I would grind the heads off of the bolts and deform them on rocks to the point where they would not be able to be removed unless destructively removing with a rotary cut off tool or drilling. In mountainous regions or Appalachian hills, some trail areas have rocks EVERYWHERE... Skid plates are much more necessary for rocks than logs.

I still really like the linkage guard feature and I'd thought about making my own for my Hyde Racing skid plate. I have the Hyde Racing pioe guard skid plate combo now that they're back in stock (17 left!), & I really think it's the ultimate. It won't work for the FMF Gnarly Woods pipe though, but made to fit the FMF Gnarly Desert + fits the Pro Circuit Platinum 2 reasonably well.
I may look into this skid plate and sell my standard Hyde skid plate new in box (bought one for my 99 220 rebuild project before they made a new batch of the pipe guard skid plate combos which of course I wanted one of those instead).
I've been running a standard Hyde Racing skid plate for years, and found it to be virtually indestructible.

[ebulic19]

Chuck - I bet if you called/emailed SXS before they made it for you they may countersink some of the mounting holes. I am almost certain they made this to order given the wait time for it, I could be wrong however. Good point about the heads grinding on rocks. I guess only time will tell, but the nice thing is that their is a cut out hole for oil changes so my hope is that I will seldom need to remove it.

I've read and seen personally a lot of people using the SXS so I am certain it will be good to protect the old KDX. They are made of UHMW.

UHMW (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) offers a combination of exceptional properties. This thermoplastic material is tough with superior impact strength. It is corrosion-resistant and exhibits virtually no water absorption. It is also wear-resistant, non-sticking and self-lubricating.

[Chuck78]

Did you get it manufacturer direct?

https://sxslideplate.com/product/kdx-200/

This is the only other place I found selling it online after a quick search...

https://mojomotosport.com/products/sxs- ... 95-06-d406

$154 4/7/24

[Chuck78]

This is without a doubt a very very nice skid plate. one of the best on the market.

However, I do like how the Hyde skid plate wraps around the water pump almost entirely, giving it a moderate amount of protection. The SXS does leave it 95% exposed.



That being said, I did still manage to break my cast aluminum water pump cover flange where the hose nipple bolts on, playing on BIG rocks at the legendary Wellsville trails where TKO racers train, even WITH the Hyde skid plate covering 80% of the water pump cover area...







.

[ebulic19]

Chuck - I got it from Mojo since shipping was free from them. But the return address on the box was from SXS.

I almost got the HYDE skidplate because the coverage is nice and the price is more appetizing, but I was in the market for something that covered the linkage/knuckle.