CRF300 Skid Plate on a Budget

Install and Review

This build continues to evolve with a growing list of upgrades and add-ons all of which are focused on delivering durability, power, safety, comfort and control. The Yamoto Skid Plate turned out to be a great addition.

First impressions…Light and surprisingly capable, the 300 Rally is the starting point for this adventure bike build, that won’t break the bank.

So the 300 Rally makes somewhere in the neighborhood of just 24 hp. Which equates to about 0.07 hp/lb power to weight ratio. Which compares quite unfavorably to the Husky 701 enduro LR at 0.20 Hp/lb which I have been spending a lot of time on lately. To give you a few other bikes for reference the KLX 300 is 0.08hp/lb and the CB500X is 0.11hp/lb and if you are trying to keep up with a friend with a Tenere 700 and the 1250 GSA then it is worth noting that they have 0.16hp/lb and 0.23hp/lb respectively. And incase you are wondering what the biggest ADV bikes deliver, they top out at 0.27hp/lb for the Panamerica and 0.31hp/lb for the Multistrada…no where near the 0.69 of a MotoGP bike …but it probably all ends up as wheel spin …doesn’t it?

As such, I began the Rally 300 project as more of an academic exercise in financial restraint. To see what is possible with a modest budget..think sub $8,000. Lets face it, any more than that and you might as well get yourself the ubercapable T700 for $10K plus some change for upgrades.

That said my first ride on the 300 surprised me so much that I think this feather weight ADV scoot could actually turn out to be tons of fun!

So what’s the catch? Well if you get to like off roading and begin to ride faster you will soon realize there is a lot of wallowing, lurching, pitching, pogoing and bottoming. Meaning you are likely to find the bike harder and harder to control as speeds increase. Not to mention you might start finding parts of the bike left behind on the trail you’ve just traveled. Especially the bottom of the bike which will become altogether too friendly with rocks, logs, and the ground.

That’s where the slick YaMoto skid plate comes in. Light on the wallet and heavy on protection and fits really well with the existing bodywork.

The Factory Skid Plate fits nicely with the aesthetic of the 300 Rally, but offers little in the way of impact protection.

As an affordable option this YaMoto Skid Plate looks well built, with a high gloss finish, high density foam on key contact points to reduced noise.

Four Allen head bolts hold the front bodywork in place.

Once the bodywork is removed from the front of the engine, four 10 mm bolts need to be removed to release the cosmetic skid plate.

Thin and flexible the OEM skid plate is merely a thin veneer of plastic…think body work…not impact protection.

Plumbing washers are inexpensive and are typically high density rubber, which does an excellent job of reducing noise and helping everything stay nice and snug for many miles to come.

In addition to reduced noise, the rubber washers help hold the rear bolts during assembly you reposition the skid plate.

Locating the back bolts can be tricky, but with patience and a light touch cross treading can be avoided.

A couple taps under the skid plate will help align the front bolts. Fortunately all of the bolt holes lined up nicely which is not always true for budget friendly aftermarket parts.

There is no torque spec in the kit, but because this skid plate is light approximately 12 to 15 ft/lbs, or as tight as you can with just one hand positioned at the top of your wrench, as shown, should work out about the same.

The skid plate dose squeeze the bodywork slightly so wiggling the front bodywork back into place takes a little patience.

The bodywork is very flexible, so it can be very tricky to get the Allen bolts to grab the clip nuts. Reaching behind the nut is helpful to keep things steady while you thread in the bolts.

This skid plate fits perfectly with the 300 Rally bodywork without modification of any kind.

Side wings are just big enough to provide good side protection whithout interfiering with the bodywork.

Easy access to the oil drain plug is retained.

At 3 Pounds 2 Ounces this skid plate is substantial enough to be durable but not heavy enough to be overweight.

This design and fit are surprisingly close to what you might expect from OEM accessories.

This CRF 300 Rally is now properly protected from ground based obstacles.

Hopefully these insights are helpful for you.

Good luck with your own mods and upgrades.

Questions, comments or feedback?

Hop over to my youtube channel to get the full video walk through.

This skid plate may be available from other retailers however I found it at the following link:

eBay: MotoRoar YaMoto Skid Plate

Please note that I did not receive any financial or product support from any of the manufacturers or retailers mentioned above.