Originally Posted by dan888 (Post 359870)

Here are some pictures of my home made skidplate project from last summer. I wanted a skidplate but thought I could make something up myself and save $100. I started by mocking one up made out of foam board. Lots of cutting and adjusting, and then some duct tape to fix mistakes.
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Once I had the mock up the way I wanted it, I took it off the bike, then cut, and unfolded it flat. Here is where I hit a roadblock. Calling around to the metal suppliers around me, I was quoted prices of $70+ for the aluminum stock I needed. That's quite a chunk of money to put into a project where one wrong cut or bend can ruin it. I lucked out and ended up getting the piece I needed, for free, from a family friend. He had told me if he couldn't get me a scrap piece big enough I could buy a piece at his shops cost, probably about $20. OK back in business. Next step is transferring the outline from the "unfolded" mock up, to the new aluminum plate.
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Once shape is transferred, take a deep breath and start cutting.
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Cuts all done. Rigged up some soft jaws for the vise, and started bending.
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The best method I found for bending was to pull on the plate while tapping at the bend with a rubber mallet.
Some of the bends took some round about set-ups, to keep the bends straight.
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Getting close.
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Done except for welding. It is one solid piece of plate, but because of the way it is cut and bent, it had to be welded in four spots, to make it solid.
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Here it is after the weld job, another favor from the same guy that got me the plate.
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I couldn't decide if I wanted holes in it, but finally pulled the trigger and used a hole saw to ventilate that sucker.
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Clean green on green.
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Originally Posted by klx678 (Post 541005)

Big tip on getting materials for metal fabrication on motorcycles

Key point, most of the time the metal supplier is quoting from stock, go to a metal fabricator and ask if they have some scrap cuttings of aluminum. I have been able to go to a metal fabricator and pick up more than enough scrap to make something like a skid plate or seat base, usually a couple bucks - it is scrap to them - or even free a few times. They point me to the scrap barrel and I pick up whatever I need.

By the way, 5/16 is kind of overkill, isn't it?

Originally Posted by klxnoobie (Post 540999)

Nice:D

The gal was able to source the two main pieces of plate for this to happen. Gratis, freebie! Just like the aluminum used for the rear fender eliminator I put together. So your right it pays to ask for scraps!
The skid plates offered for quads at that time were limited. Without going to expensive heat treating the metal to raise abrasion resistance, going thicker on the material helped durability and the useful lifespan of the part.