I need some protection for my bike currently i am thinking either a hyde racing skidplate/pipe guard or a aluminum skid plate and a cf pipe guard. The hyde is about $200 as opposed to the $140 P3 cf guard and a $100 EE skid.
Can anyone point me in the right direction. This will be going on a 200 exc.

hyde has terrible customer service and has is a banned seller on KTMTALK, but the procuct is supposed to be good, just hard to deal with. I use alum.

Mounted a Hyde skid plate/pipe guard unit on my 08 KTM 300XC this past summer. The owner was courteous over the phone and mentioned that there had been some fitment issues with this model, but what he was shipping to me was an upgraded model.

Supplied model fit perfectly and survived a high speed front end washout, that broke my arm and would have ruined the oem pipe without the Hyde's integrated design. I would have preferred to have ruined the pipe and saved the arm however...

Depending upon your terrain and region, others have pointed out this combo unit can collect and hold a lot of mud though. Do some searches for feedback on this product.

996DL

I dont like it Ugly plus it can sure catch about every thing on the trail fast moving water crossing might have some drag on the thing. great idea I just dont like it.

I ride in north east conditions. alot of rocks not much mud

I ordered one for my '06 250xcw this past March. I got it in a few days, mounted up fine. Rode it like 2 times before my first race. During my first race part of it melted, which i was 'ok' with crap happens. I called up Hyde, he kept on saying it did not install it correctly (without the little paper washers). However, I did. (the race I had was extremely wet, muddy and rocky - should not of tore off the paper washers in my opinion).
He finally agreed to send me a replacement, which he did however, it was for an '08 XC. It did not fit correctly due to the mounts, after a while of talking to him he send me a replacement for that, so I sent him the '08 back to him. I then got a guard for a 4 stroke 450 or something (cant recall). I then shipped that out and after some more talking he sent me another replacement. Another '08 XC. Just about a year later I still do not have the correct replacement. I also do not have a guard either, as I sent him back my '06 a long time ago, to make the '08 fit i would have to modify it and i have a feeling it still would not fit correctly.
The guard is very nice, I think I just got a defective one. But since getting a correct replacement has been just about a year in the works. I am getting a bit fed up.
If you do go with one make sure you do the screen mod, a must due in North East, or where ever there is a lot of mud. I didn't on the first ride and the bike weighed another 50+ pounds. the thing acts like a shovel without the screen guard.

Have you thought about a cf skid plate? they have a little more flex to them than aluminum,which i think is less abusive to the bike and your body when taking a gnarly hit.Ive never tried the hyde.I ride a 200 and its my race bike,i beat the hell out of it and i run a cf pipe guard and a cf skid plate.imho they are tough,light and last a long time. hope this info helps!

tsquare said:

I dont know if i want a cf skid plate, i want the side protection that the aluminum ones offer.

pain said:

Hi pain, I hear what you're saying.....I'm in the same boat as you. I am getting an '08 300xc-w & are unsure of what to put on. I like the Hyde, but seem to be getting more put off, the more I read & hear comments about them. I like the carbon fiber alternative (had a cf pipe guard & bash plate on my TM300) which I know work great, but was looking for a cheaper alternative I guess.

I could do with the $ savings of the Hyde, but I think I'm leaning towards the cf options....just my opinion.

Rob

the ONE cf I had split n cracked on a few hard hits. The alum ones Ive had, several, I can take off n beat back in shape with a hammer and use over n over. With that said on my 06 525 Im usng the stock plastic one. It works well, but I did break the first one and am on the 2nd one. I ogt the 2nd one for $15 used. I fond used alum for $40-60 ON THE NET.

I just bought a hyde for my 09 250sx and I like it alot but i have not got to try it out yet but it feels pretty tuff and is thick and it looks real good

rob1botes said:

Dont get me wrong, the guard is GREAT. I have run through some of the nastiest stuff and it barely shows and since putting it on, I have not done any additional damage to the pipe. I love the thing, but the customer service is very lacking.

Hydes EXG guards have had continued updates, and are purchased by many factory race teams because they work, look in any off-road mag and you'll notice allot of black on the bottom of the bikes.

One person showing of excessive product damage doesn't tell you much about a companies products, nor do comments of problems two or three years ago, what was not included was that the guard in the picture was returned and updates where made to this guard.

If this would happen and you were told to go pack sand, is much differant than giving a refund, new product or both and updates made to avoid issues.

Munn gets slammed too for shipping and poor communication at times. bbbaaaaaa

I put three Hyde products on my bike: front disk guard, radiator guards, and skid plate w/o pipe guard. I asked and got a package discount, items shipped fast. I had a question on disk guard installation and got a quick reply. Have not used the bike yet, too much snow here, they do seem very durable. I got them because of endorsements by other riders that have used them (skid plates). I'm a satisfied customer.

Being in New Jersey, I imagine you do ride a lot of mud. Yes, we have rocks but we also have mud! I'm in PA, so my conditions are similar. I looked at the Hyde but was afraid of the "shovel" effect. Actually, all the plates I looked at would have the same problem. I searched around and found something different that seems to work well. It has loops on the outside so it doesn't collect debris and also gives me something to grab as I'm dragging it out of a ditch
I combined it with a standard aluminum pipe guard and have been very pleased.

Something the Hyde protects against that mine does not is breaking the exhaust port. If you smash your pipe without a guard, the pipe smashes and thats it. With a guard, the pressure is transferred to where the pipe connects to the engine - not an easy fix if that breaks! Anyway, I'm willing to accept that risk.

Here is my setup (cost = $75):



Other views:
http://i2.photobucke...cs/IMG_1342.jpg
http://i2.photobucke...cs/IMG_2112.jpg
http://i2.photobucke...cs/IMG_1348.jpg

40 oz.

Why don't you try to contact Hyde and then up-date everyone on the forum about your experience, then you can either continue claiming poor service or I here crow tastes like chicken.

Like I stated, I have worked with them for almost a year now, many wrong parts sent to me and much of my time spent reboxing and scheduling pick ups. Once was not a big deal at all, but for me I am 90% out of the state or country on business so for me to have the time when home to do this is tough. I normally spend my time home doing what most people do each night/weekend - chores around the house, upkeep, etc.

I have no problem trying again, but I dont believe it can be stated that I 'claim' poor service I have a log of phone calls, e-mails, ship times, promises, etc. I know running a business is tough and I have zero problem when mistakes are made - we are just human. But it does get old after a while, and on the last mis-shipment I called a number of times leaving messages and when I finally got through I was promised a call back and have yet to receive it.
As a customer, I feel that I have done more than my part in this matter. I also feel that as an experienced customer I have a full right to let others know about my experiences.
Like I stated as well, I have no problems with the product at all. I think it is one of the best on the market and I know it has saved me a TON of money using it. I would just like to have one that is for my year and make of my bike - not a over indulgent request.

I also will not get into an internet I say this, you say that battle. I dont have time nor do I care that much. Worst case at this point is I buy something new for next season. But with that said, people looking at this product also need to know about the whole package - the product and customer service (I can only state what I have experienced.) Others can state whatever they like - one of the great things about the internet. I for one want to read all the reviews on a product and the customer service people have experienced positive and negative - the better informed the better the decision.

40oz said:

Here, here......I hear what you're saying 40oz. In this day & age where the market is very competitive & everyone is vying for your business, there IS NO excuse whatsoever for poor customer service. Selling something immediately puts you in the service industry, so the first thing should be excellent customer service....no rocket science there. I too, like you know first hand know how utterly frustrating sucky customer service can be.

So there is my little vent & 2 cents worth....lol.

Back to the issue, having said what I said, I will more than likely give the Hyde bashplate/exhaust guard a try, just because loads of fellow riders swear by the product.....& hope like hell I get the correct product first time round....I'll keep you posted on my Hyde experience....lol

Rob

I got the KTM hardparts carbon fiber skid plate. It fit up perfect, looks good, and is durable. It's been on the bike for 8 months and 700+ miles of rocky single track and has held up well. I think I pain around $150 for it.