Pages

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro T-Rex skid plate and crash bars install


After searching the internet for the options on skid plate and crash bars for my 2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro I decided to go with the T-Rex kit (Part Number: N167-16EG + N167-16SP). This kit did not claim to fit my bike exactly but rather KTM 690 Enduro/Supermoto and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto of years prior to mine.  I contacted the company and asked about it fitting my bike.  I worked out a deal to try it out.  


Before installing it I weighed the components so I could later compare to what I removed.
  • Skid plate - 53.5oz
  • Left crash bar - 32.5oz
  • Right crash bar - 34.7oz
  • Attaching hardware - 22.2oz
142.9oz or 8.93lbs.  I also weighed the factory plastic skid plate assembly and it came in at 25.4oz and 8.7oz of removed mounting hardware for a net weight gain of 6.8lbs.  The added weight is fairly low on the bike, the skid plate being the heaviest single component and also the lowest. 

The install was very easy and straightforward.  It took less than 20 minutes I would guess.  Here is a video of the install.

It fit the bike well and offers the protection I was looking for. The crash bars are simple and don't go as high as others but will likely take most of the hit if I drop the bike on either side, protecting the radiators. 
The skid plate has extensions on both sides that help protect the side cases from objects from the front.  They even offer some protection from dropping the bike on the side depending on the surface.



While it would have been convenient to use the original sockets to catch the back of the skid plate, the T-Rex design is much more robust.
Between the skip plate and crash bars, the water pump looks well protected now.

I like the lower position of the crash bars, both to keep the weight down low, and since this is a much stronger design than other bars.
I like the design of these crash bars compared to many others I have seen.  The cross bar is positioned well to prevent branches and other things from getting captured by the bars when riding.  It will tend to deflect them away.