Mileage: 10,029
Maintenance Summary:
- Installed AltRider Skid Plate
- Installed Sargent WS-602-19 World Sport Performance Seat
- Cleaned and lubricated chain
My hopes that the BMW seat wouldn’t be as uncomfortable as others had reported were dashed after only two 80 mile rides. Sargent had a pretty good Black Friday special going — 15%off and free shipping — so I ordered a new seat. It arrived today. Sitting on the seat in the garage it’s not immediately obvious that it will be any more comfortable; in fact it felt a bit cramped. However, I’m not going to judge it until I’ve put some miles on it. It appears to be well made.
With both the oil and coolant changed it was finally time to install the skid/bash plate. The AltRider model was more expensive than those from other manufacturers, but in this case it’s obvious that you get what you pay for. The skid plate is thick aluminum and very well made; I don’t think it will bend before the rubber mounts shear. All of the seams are welded, which I like better than the rivets used on other brands.
Installation was easy. The only trick is to leave the front bracket a little loose before mounting the plate and putting in the front engine bracket bolt. I did this to get the bracket properly aligned. I then took the plate off and tightened the bracket bolts before re-installing the plate.
As you can see, the skid plate should do a great job of protecting the oil filter and heat exchanger. Without any stock protection provided by BMW, not even a plastic guard, the engine fluids seemed excessively exposed to damage on this engine, even when riding on paved roads.
