Are bump skids worth the money??

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

While I could appreciate one for the extra lights, I question the "skid" part. I mean, ... you already have a very minimum of ground clearance. So, to protect it, you install something that gives even LESS clearance???

The loss of clearance is an insignificant 1/4", well worth the trade off. See post #17. The plate is about 3/8" thick but you remove the OEM skid plate which is about 1/8" thick, so net loss is about 1/4". Plus, the skid plate is stout enough to allow the Spyder to slide over an obstruction whereas the OEM one might well be torn.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

If you ride on roads with frost heaves as I do, the loss of 3/8" in ground clearance with a Spyder Pops Bump Skid is well worth it. I've had them on both Spyders I've owned.

Well Lin , I live across the river from you , in Vermont and I'm pretty sure your Frost Heaves arn't any bigger than ours ..... If / when they get that big they close the road and FIX them .... I have never hit a frost heave ( with the nose of the RT ) .... I have also driven on some fairly rough " gravel/dirt roads" and haven't encountered anything that prevented my RT from negotiating it. When I became an LEO, we were taught something they termed " situational awareness ". I've applied it to my Spyder riding techniques, ie. don't approach steep driveways ... straight on ... always do it at an angle. Or don't do it at all .... as far as hitting curbs, ...Why do have to get that close, the Spyder is only 9 1/2 ft long, this is way shorter than any car made...... So the cost + labor to put a " bump skid " on has never appealed to me. I drive an avg. of 7000 mi. per year , and spend about $500.00 in gas , so this would a year's worth of driving ...... not going to buy one ..... JMHO .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[2dogs]

I've got a little over 51K miles on my RT and I've only scraped (scratched) the OEM skid plate once. That was before I had 10K miles on it. Lesson well learned. Like BK says above, be aware of where you are and what you are doing, and the limitations of your machine. That awareness hopefully should be 360 degrees if at all possible. When you have an adam henry come up behind you so close you can't read his (her) license plate you'll start developing your hind sight. Stay safe ride safe and improve your "situational awareness".

 

[askitee]

No - once I got into the habit of reading the road I no longer need one. You just have to hone your peripheral perception.

 

[RazzleH]

I use SLiPLO stick on strips/pads. My front scraped on something on most of my rydes until I realised that the pre-load had never been set. 3 clear threads of pre-load from the bottom stopped almost all of my scrapings. I'm about to make that 4 threads clear threads to stiffen up my cornering a little more (to go with my Rabbit Sway Bar). The hardest part of this adjustment was trying to make the supplied C spanner work without it ripping into the notched lock nuts. I failed at that but Multi Grips did the trick in the end. A little black paint to cover the scratches and all will be well, especially my cornering and front clearance.

Google SLiPLO and go from there.

 

[UtahPete]

If your headlights don’t light up potholes and road kill in front of you as you approach, I can’t see how 5 feet of light at road level would help, Bfromia.:dontknow:

Pete

I agree. Those LEDs are nothing more than bling.

:thumbup::agree:
View attachment 193887 extra lighting to help you see & be seen:firstplace: no it’s not a bumper yes does help you see the bump- pot hole -road kill (whatever) in your path. Good investment not just FARKLE:2thumbs:

I disagree. Those lights have no practical value other than 'bling'.

 

[ThreeWheels]

Yes, the poly bump skid (SpyderPops) is worth every penny. It is hard enough to protect the frunk, and soft enough to absorb any hits.
The LED lights are a nice addition, but I found that individual lights would fail after a small hit so you'd get the Jack O'Lantern look. I have no experience with the new design with the LED's imbedded in the plastic, but I'd be skeptical.
The acrylic ones from Halo are very nice bling and provide a light show, but I'd be concerned that the hard plastic would crack if struck.

I'm severely disappointed that I can't get a bump skid for the 2020 and up RT.

 

[Lew L]

I agree. Those LEDs are nothing more than bling.



I disagree. Those lights have no practical value other than 'bling'.

Another ryder in our group has a lighted skid and it sure shows up espcially when he is sweep. And his name is Lou ( not quite like mine)

Bling or not---- easy to spot------

Lew L

 

[FrogmanDave]

Google SLiPLO and go from there.

Thread hijack here. That SLiPLO looks promising.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Thread hijack here. That SLiPLO looks promising.

Looks like a loser to me. You accidentally ride up onto a parking lot concrete bumper, then of course you back off. What happens? The back edge of the SLiPLO catches the rough surface of the bumper and gets ripped right off! And for the price you're well on your way to paying for real protection with the Bumpskid plate.

 

[RazzleH]

Looks like a loser to me. You accidentally ride up onto a parking lot concrete bumper, then of course you back off. What happens? The back edge of the SLiPLO catches the rough surface of the bumper and gets ripped right off! And for the price you're well on your way to paying for real protection with the Bumpskid plate.

Not to me Idaho. Best not to knock something before you have some real facts, hey! SLiPLO is working for us on two cars as well as the Spyder. For those who drive over curbs and things that are obviously likely to do damage ... good luck.

 

[UtahPete]

Another ryder in our group has a lighted skid and it sure shows up espcially when he is sweep. And his name is Lou ( not quite like mine)

Bling or not---- easy to spot------

Lew L

That may be so, Lew, but the OP was asking if the bumpskids are worth the money, and my response was that the skid itself is, but the lights don't add much benefit and may not be worth the added cost. We have both lighted and unlighted: the lighted is on Jane's because she thinks they look cool. When we're touring, she's on the road behind me and I don't see her bumpskid lights; just the glare of her headlights and foglights.

 

[Lew L]

,

Guess my mirrors are adjusted differently:joke::joke::joke:

 

[2dogs]

That may be so, Lew, but the OP was asking if the bumpskids are worth the money, and my response was that the skid itself is, but the lights don't add much benefit and may not be worth the added cost. We have both lighted and unlighted: the lighted is on Jane's because she thinks they look cool. When we're touring, she's on the road behind me and I don't see her bumpskid lights; just the glare of her headlights and foglights.

I gotta go with Jane on this one Pete. The lighted skid plate just plain looks cool. I'm not one for a lot of farkles but I've never seen anything else on the highway that resembles the lighted bumpskid. JMHO, it's an eye catcher, and that what's it's mostly about. Merry Xmas.

 

[Peacekeeper6]

I got my lighted bump skid from Spyderpops because I really liked how bright they are. To me, anything that makes your bike more visible to other motorists is a good thing.

There was one ride I did up a mountain road, and I had to get to the shoulder for some reason. The transition between the road and the shoulder was abrupt, and I ended up scraping the area underneath the frunk.

IMHO, I think it's worth it for the safety AND the protection factor ....

 

[Peacekeeper6]

Another ryder in our group has a lighted skid and it sure shows up espcially when he is sweep. And his name is Lou ( not quite like mine)

Bling or not---- easy to spot------

Lew L

:2thumbs: :cheers:

 

[Tulefog]

I ride on a lot of two lane asphalt, with cracks, and chunks of blacktop laying on the surface, occasionally i have hit one or dodged but went off on the shoulder and ground down the original skid plate a bit. i bought the Spyder Pops bumpskid and it looks pretty good yet, it does have some nicks but nothing i can't fill or smooth out.