BMW R1200GS | DOIN' TIME

WRIST: Aaron Frank

MSRP (2013): $19,520 (as tested)

MILES: 5,975

MPG: 36

MODS: SW-Motech engine protection and hand guards

Like most adventure bikes, the GS’s stock “skid plate” is inadequate for anything more than mild off roading. Like an aluminum G-string, the factory fixture features suggestive cutaways that show off the exhaust’s slinky S-curves and expose those curves to damage at the same time. Boxy aftermarket skid plates have all the aesthetic appeal of a chastity belt but offer the improved protection you need if you’re planning to pummel the underbelly with trail debris.

Researching my available options I arrived at what I thought was the obvious choice from AltRider—the only design that doesn’t rely on the engine as the anchor point. AltRider’s skid plate instead mounts directly to the frame, so it doesn’t transfer any impact to the engine. Unfortunately, the AltRider plate interferes with the Wunderlich crashbars I had previously—and with great difficulty—installed. Unwilling to replace these with the compatible AltRider crashbars, I moved onto plan B.

Plan B was a complete under-bike protection system from SW-Motech, starting with the skid plate ( twistedthrottle.com ; $273). Fabricated from 3mm aluminum plate in a shape and size that provides more than twice the coverage of the stocker, this design fully protects the Remus exhaust I added a few months back. Should my skills progress to the point where I'm actually bashing over boulders and logs, reinforced mounting brackets, laser-cut from steel that's almost twice as thick as the original stamped brackets, will better resist bending and twisting too.

Combined with SW-Motech’s optional engine guard ($81) and skid plate extension ($67), now I’ve got true tire-to-tire engine protection. The three-piece engine guard mounts above the skid plate to protect the engine case from front-tire roost, while the extension clamps to the factory centerstand to protect the exhaust collector and swingarm. Incidentally, this is one accessory I wish I had added months ago. A summer of trail riding (effectively sandblasting my centerstand down to bare metal) followed by a few ill-timed rides on Wisconsin’s well-salted winter roads has rusted my centerstand like the undercarriage of a Chicago taxicab. I still cringe a little every time I walk up to my otherwise shiny and new-looking GSW propped up on its oxide-coated centerstand.

My final change this month was another I’ve been meaning to make since the beginning, replacing the flimsy all-plastic hand guards with proper, off-road-ready pieces. Ever since I knocked a Triumph Explorer off its sidestand last year and watched its similar plastic hand guards deform enough to break the clutch lever, I’ve been meaning to install actual metal guards like these SW-Motech KOBRAs ($201, including the optional lower extensions) on my GS. Consisting of a beefy aluminum frame with a full-coverage, impact-resistant plastic guard body, these offer hand and lever protection that’s more than just cosmetic.