Michael Boyd
Richardson, TX
I'm a reader from back in the early '80s and really love the mag. We mostly ride in Bulcher (home of the Last Man Standing), Texas, so there are always plenty of big rocks on the trail. One unfortunate day I smashed the header pipe on my WR. The factory guard did nothing to protect the pipe. After replacing the pipe, I wanted a better protector. The available aftermarket guards did not inspire my confidence, even the $100 carbon-fiber guards. The only option was to make my own.
I have a YZ250 that I play ride on, too, and it has one of the aluminum pipe protectors on it. Even riding it regularly at Bulcher, the pipe has never been damaged. These protectors obviously work. I had a leftover piece that was cut off from my YZ pipe. I bent it to fit the WR header and just drilled holes in it to line up with the header pipe heat shield mounting holes. Now I have a beefy guard that was essentially free. If you went in with a few buddies, you could do two to three bikes with one two-stroke pipe guard. They go for around $35, and that would be split three ways.