Rade Garage Skid Plate with Toolbox
Much like their bigger adventure bike brethren, the Husqvarna 701 enduro and it’s sibling the KTM 690 lack the unlimited ground clearance that full-on pure bread dual sport bikes enjoy. Weapons like the KTM500exc are basically motocross bikes with long legs, 13 inches of suspension travel, equally distant ground clearance, and towering seat heights to match. Adventure bikes are not required to land doubles at the local MX track so seat height and practicality prevail. This means the undercarriage of the bike is closer to damage causing obstacles like roots, logs, and boulders. Although, this fact is abundantly evident to those of us buying and riding these machines, manufactures often choose to ignore this vulnerability and ship out their new machines with thin plastic veneer calling itself a skid plate. For that reason every 701 and 690 needs a proper skid plate.
Aluminum or Plastic?
Lately there seem to be a growing number of great plastic skid plate options on the market, but if you plan to carry some of your tools or supplies low to the ground, you will find yourself looking for an aluminum item. In this case I’ve gone with Rade Garage’s beefy triangulated skid plate. Although this part has gone through a couple iterations in design, the installation and it’s key positive attributes remain the same. A strong skid plate with protection for brake and shift lever, while providing storage for a couple small tool wraps, or some riders find a tool kit and tire repair kit fit nicely.
Different versions of this skid plate use thumb screws instead of clips. Either way you have a water-resistant compartment that is big enough to hold tools and supplies.
It’s no surprise that the OEM rock deflector weighs almost nothing. If you’re looking for damage protection you won’t find it here.
At just over 5lbs, this is the lowest weight on your machine, meaning you will feel it the least. And when you move some of your tools from the top of your bike into it’s tool compartment, you will lower your center of gravity even further..
As you can see, this skid plate is a beast. The triangulation helps make this plate stronger on the flanges that protect your shift lever and brake pedal.
The 2020 Husky 701 enduro LR is a formidable adventure machine. The Rade Garage skid plate is great addition to this adventure build, and should be on your list of considerations as you prepare to take on the world on your 701 or 690.
Good luck with your own ultimate adventure bike build.
Questions, comments or feedback? Contact us at dualsportgarage@yahoo.com
Get the full video walkthrough on my YouTube channel .
This Rade Garage Skid Plate can be found at the the following link:
Metric Fastener Kit for Husky and KTM: SpecBolt
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