I've always leaned more toward the daring and risky endeavours such as riding dirt bikes, flying ultralight aircraft, and walking through "5 points" near Birmingham, Alabama at night on a layover. It's usually a calculated risk though and not the "throw all caution to the wind" kind of deal. I also like to have some form of protection whether it's a helmet to keep my melon intact or a parachute to keep the "splat" sounds to a minimum.
So because Yamaha "cheaped out" and didn't put a skidplate on the WR from the factory, I thought in order to prevent smashing the crankcase on a rock or tree root, I'd install an aftermarket plate.
I read a few forum posts and looked at a few photos of the limited selection of skidplates to choose from and I settled on the one from Thumpertalk.com. It is reasonably priced and looks like it'll do the job well.
It was an extremely easy install. Anyone with the ability to locate and use an 8mm and a 10mm wrench could do the job.
The before & after photos of the install (and my dirty bike) are below.
