One of the most-important aftermarket parts you can buy for your motorcycle is a skid plate. Walk through the pits at any supercross or National and you'll notice every single bike on the starting line is wearing a skid plate. A skid plate serves a couple of purposes: It protects your engine cases from rocks and the wear and tear your bike endures every time it sees a track, plus it reduces mud packing.
We have a Universal carbon-fiber skid plate saving our CRF. It came with all the necessary hardware and bolted on in a matter of minutes. Although we haven't needed it yet, it also comes with a sponge block that sits between the engine cases and the skid plate to help prevent mud from building up. There is no mud in Cali. Changing oil was a no-brainer thanks to a small cutaway that allows the used black gold to pour out. The Universal unit is also available for most current motocross models in 6061-T6 aluminum (the Titan, $59.95) or carbon fiber ($109.95-$124.95).
--Corey Neuer