IcutMetl
06-02-2009, 10:34 AM
I thought I would share my opinions on the Armadillo swingarm skid I bought for my 250r.
When I bought my 'wheeler, the swingarm was unprotected; I ride in the woods, thru creeks, rock over trees, and like 20" tires- I wanted a good, strong skid-plate that I wasn't afraid to beat the snot out of.
I looked at a couple different brands, but finally settled on the Armadillo based on the reviews from Rocky Mountain.
My initial opinion was: "wow; I could've hacked this together from a couple pieces of aluminum angle and 1/4" plate, zapped it with a mig welder." Definitely not the prettiest one on the market if that's your bag. Welds were done with a wire instead of tigged, which is fine I guess. Fit and finish were less than I expected; but I come from a machinist background so I'm on the picky side when it comes to that stuff.
One thing I DEFINITELY did not like about it right out of the box was that instead of countersinking the bolt heads into the plate in one way or another and using flat-head cap screws, they included plain ol' metric hex-head bolts that stick plainly off the bottom of the plate.
The next thing I didn't like is having aluminum spacers for the front 2 mounts on the swingarm. In my opinion, bosses/recesses should have been formed in, or welded from the factory.
I had to use a die-grinder to enlarge 2 of the 4 mounting holes to get the bolt pattern to match up exactly. It was close, but factories have quality control for a reason.
I was honestly ready to sent it back to RM-Atv when I first got it- it pissed me off just looking at it, but I didn't have the patience to wait longer, so I just put it on.
On the positive side, for the few trips I have put on it, it has not disappointed. It hangs a little farther off the swingarm than I thought. The dumb hex-bolts sticking out of the bottom have not gotten totally mangled yet, and i have seriously banged it on some rocks, tree stumps, logs, whatever, and it is definitly heavy-duty. If you're a function-over-form kind of rider, this is the skid for you.
When I bought my 'wheeler, the swingarm was unprotected; I ride in the woods, thru creeks, rock over trees, and like 20" tires- I wanted a good, strong skid-plate that I wasn't afraid to beat the snot out of.
I looked at a couple different brands, but finally settled on the Armadillo based on the reviews from Rocky Mountain.
My initial opinion was: "wow; I could've hacked this together from a couple pieces of aluminum angle and 1/4" plate, zapped it with a mig welder." Definitely not the prettiest one on the market if that's your bag. Welds were done with a wire instead of tigged, which is fine I guess. Fit and finish were less than I expected; but I come from a machinist background so I'm on the picky side when it comes to that stuff.
One thing I DEFINITELY did not like about it right out of the box was that instead of countersinking the bolt heads into the plate in one way or another and using flat-head cap screws, they included plain ol' metric hex-head bolts that stick plainly off the bottom of the plate.
The next thing I didn't like is having aluminum spacers for the front 2 mounts on the swingarm. In my opinion, bosses/recesses should have been formed in, or welded from the factory.
I had to use a die-grinder to enlarge 2 of the 4 mounting holes to get the bolt pattern to match up exactly. It was close, but factories have quality control for a reason.
I was honestly ready to sent it back to RM-Atv when I first got it- it pissed me off just looking at it, but I didn't have the patience to wait longer, so I just put it on.
On the positive side, for the few trips I have put on it, it has not disappointed. It hangs a little farther off the swingarm than I thought. The dumb hex-bolts sticking out of the bottom have not gotten totally mangled yet, and i have seriously banged it on some rocks, tree stumps, logs, whatever, and it is definitly heavy-duty. If you're a function-over-form kind of rider, this is the skid for you.