I've got the Ricochet (4.75mm alum) skid plate on my bike. Its shape is nice and flat under the engine. I've read some of you guys use your motorcycle lifts to raise the bike by jacking it up directly in this area. It is certainly convenient, but I'm wondering whether it's safe to do? Is the alu skid plate designed to withstand such forces? FYI, the lift has two arms - one goes near the front of the engine, and the other near the back, so there are two contact points between the lift and the skid plate.
I would say if my skid plate couldn't handle that I would look for a better one since almost everyone lifts their bikes with that type of lift oh and if it's mounted properly I wouldn't hesitate to try it myself it shouldn't have an issue IMHO
You will be fine. Remember the motor is a structural member on the 8GS. If you took it out, and were able to ride the bike, the frame would collapse. Some bash guards are better than others holding up trail side, but all will handle a lift.
After looking at the interference issues with the Craftsman MC jack, Why not just remove the skid plate and attach 2 Aluminum 1" x 1" bars to the existing skid plate studs and use them as an adapter. The weight would be evenly distributed across the bars and they would provide a solid foundation for jacking. It's a minor hassle but dealing with damaged cases and toppled bikes is even more of hassle. Please let me know if this is a bad idea and if I would be setting myself up for disaster.
The skid plate studs are not positioned in the same places where my jack's lift pads are, so they wouldn't line up. I have now lifted it using the skid pad a number of times. It seems to work rather well. I guess it work better or worse, depending on which particular skid plate you have and how it's shaped.
