After a bit of searching I decided on a Ricochet/Utah skidplate. I saw nothing but good things.

So I went to mount mine this evening. I hung it loosely first and then tightened down all the bolts. Something didn't seem to be quite right so I took it back off.

Turns out I bent the front brace that the plate bolts on to. The spacers on the plate are too short to do any good and the brace was pulled right down. On top of that, a few of the threaded holes on the bike are now buggered up.

I'm pissed about that damage but I can only blame myself. I should have known better than to just crank down all the bolts and hope for the best.......

But I thought these were supposed to be good skidplates? This thing does not fit the contour of the frame properly and has pressure points. Even if the other fitment issues were resolved it would still cause frame damage on the pressure points if it ever took a blow. Is this a lemon? Or if these are just junk, who makes one that actually fits properly?

 

My Ricochet bolted up no issues. Maybe your bike is tweaked or you did get a dud?

 

The Utah plate is as good as you'll find, fits the same way as any other. The problem is that you way over did it on tightening those bolts. That cross member is a flimsy piece of metal, and all it really does is help locate the skid plate. It's not uncommon for guys with the just the factory skid plate to break that cross member off the frame under impact.

One thing you should watch out for is the length of the bolts going through that cross member. One member here -CousinLarry I think- discovered that if those bolts protrude through the cross member, that under impact that flimsy cross member can fail and let the protruding bolt punch through the engine case. At a minimum, you may need to grind down the length of the bolts so they end up flush with the top of the cross member.

Now that you've killed the factory cross member, you have an opportunity to install one that is worth a damn.

 

I bought a used one and it bolted right on. No issues. I'd pull yours off, run a tap through the buggered holes, and try again. Post up some pics so we can see what's going on. If you're sure it's not going on right then give the Ricochet a call. I'm sure they'd like to know if they put out a bad batch. They'll never know unless you call them. Ricochet Offroad Armor

 

I have one on my '12 and it fits perfectly. I can attest to it durability-it took a massive impact on the l/h 'wing' that was hard enough to knock me on my ***. The plate had a big dent and bent the o/e 'wing' against the stator cover but it did its job and got me back home. A few strategic blows with a 4# sledge-omatic and some prying made it good as new.

 

I gotta stop trying to work on stuff in 90+ degree weather. It never seems to end well.....

I took another go at putting it on now that its a tad cooler. Luckily I only galled the threads and didn't cross thread anything. I put some oil on the bolts and they went right in. The cross brace is visibly bent but I think the welds are still good.

The issue seems to be with the front of the plate and the hangers. I put the plate on without the hangers and it fit muuuuuuch better. Everything lined up right and went right on.

The front of the plate does not actually touch my frame. It buts up against the square stock on top and then protrudes away from the frame. That is why I had so much trouble. The first time around I started with the hangers and moved back. Everything was out of whack from square one. Is it normal for the hangers to fit this poorly?

Gap between plate and frame.


Bolts do not fit flush and bind on slot.

 

I just put one on my bike and it fit fine. The two front hooks that clamp the frame I tightened down until they bent to conform a bit but I didn't over do it. I did notice the two different length bolts but now I'm concerned about them interfering with the crank case. I'll look when I get a chance. Maybe yours was a bit tweaked, sucks but it's bound to happen any time you buy a fabricated product like this.

 

That is why all my threads are galled. I tried that. It made the hangers fit ok but put a ton of tension on the rest of the bolts. I could try to just crank down the hangers as the final step after all the other bolts are tight but then I run the risk of damaging something else. Cranking stuff down can have bad results. I re-teach myself that lesson every once and awhile.......

 

It was a pain in my ***, my middle bolts still arn't 100% lined up, but the back bols and front bolts are. That's all that matters.

 

I don't know...most all these skid plates for the KLX...or most any dirt bike for that matter...aren't exactly precision instruments. I can appreciate not wanting one to look like it's way of of position when it's attached to the bike, but otherwise it will do its job just fine as long as all fasteners are snugged properly. I would recommend blue loctite, however, as skid plates get a ton of vibration.