You may have thought it was a fluke. You went out for a trail ride, came back, and the small rear skid plate of your YXZ1000R is missing. No, you’re not going crazy, they do get ripped off from time to time when the rear of your YXZ bottoms out. It even happens in the sand where you don’t even feel the bottoming sensation.
The stock replacement plate you should look for is the High Molecular Weight Polyethylene guard found on the SE versions of the 2017 or 2018 YXZ1000R and YXZ1000R SS. This material is way more durable, rip and chip resistant and only a little more expensive than the stock part. Furthermore, since it’s made with the exact same molds as Yamaha’s stock guards, it fits perfect.
Retail on the SE guard is $108 while the standard guard is $45. However, through the TMS PARTS OEM Parts Finder you can also find on our website, the stronger guard is only $70.15. We have been told by Yamaha test engineers, that the SE guard is nearly indestructible and you will not see it hanging off your machine unless you forget to tighten a bolt.
The Yamaha part number for the HMWPE Rear Guard is 2HC-F2863-00-00. Again you can buy it through www.tmsparts.com by clicking HERE.