Thanks to Robert in CA, USA, here is a super solution for those of you out there who desire more protection for your engine cases, especially the water pump, if you encounter rocks out on the trail or just lay the bike down. He adapted a Kawasaki KLX 250/300 skid plate to fit his KLR250! If you prefer to just bolt-on and go, skid plates made for the KLR250 are now available; see the "LINKS" page for the manufacturer.
"...I trimmed the rear into a U shape so that I could still get to the oil drain. On the front I cut the supplied bracket in half and inverted both to give me a LL shape so that I could get the positioning that I wanted. It connects to the lower bolt of the motor mount, I picked up a 1/2 Inch longer grade 8 bolt with a nylock nut to secure it."
At the rear he shortened the bottom of the plate to the length he wanted, leaving two longer tabs under
the frame rails to secure the rear of the plate with worm drive hose clamps. You might also try
half-round electrical conduit hangers (they are shaped like a question mark), using button head or pan
head screws underneath that are less likely to hang up on anything as you slide over.
Be sure to get a skid plate that has "ears" to provide some much needed protection
for the water pump; not all skid plates have them (the plate pictured was made in Europe by CRD). If you ride in mud often
you might want to put a piece of open cell foam between the plate and engine
to prevent mud buildup.
A KLX250/300 skid plate fitted to the KLR250.
Notice how the "ears" stick out and (hopefully) prevent the water pump from taking a hit and leaving you stranded.
The two white arrows point out the "U" shaped bracket he cut in to two "L's". The red arrow points out the new, longer bolt. Be sure to use grade eight hardware and a locking nut.