COX Rad Guard

[juniorfjr]

I put a radiator guard on my 05 soon after I bought it. When I bought my 13 from Mcrider007 he had fashioned a guard from a laundry basket or something. Looks good and should work, I hope. Maybe he will chime in.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I put a radiator guard on my 05 soon after I bought it. When I bought my 13 from Mcrider007 he had fashioned a guard from a laundry basket or something. Looks good and should work, I hope. Maybe he will chime in.

That radiator guard was made from a $10 round waste basket from Office Depot. I was initially concerned that the tight mesh might restrict airflow to the radiator but it didn’t seem to make any difference even in 100 degree temps at slow speeds.

 

[Fred W]

The first gen bikes came naked. Second gen and later all have a plastic guard that would provide some amount of protection. How much additional protection does a metal screen add over the plastic one really? Seems like anything small enough to fit inside the plastic screen grid would be too small to do much damage. And anything big enough to break the plastic is going to dent the screen. Also deer whistles definitely do work. Just ask anyone you see running them.

Just my observations.

 

[MCRIDER007]

The first gen bikes came naked. Second gen and later all have a plastic guard that would provide some amount of protection. How much additional protection does a metal screen add over the plastic one really? Seems like anything small enough to fit inside the plastic screen grid would be too small to do much damage. And anything big enough to break the plastic is going to dent the screen.

I think you need to take a closer look at the gaps in the plastic screen. I just measured mine at .38 inches, a little larger than buckshot. The mesh screen that I made does not go over the plastic screen, it fits between the plastic screen and the radiator so any protection that the plastic screen provides is still in place. Is the additional mesh screen really necessary? Probably no more than an extended warranty, just a lot less expensive.

 

[art miller]

The first gen bikes came naked. Second gen and later all have a plastic guard that would provide some amount of protection. How much additional protection does a metal screen add over the plastic one really? Seems like anything small enough to fit inside the plastic screen grid would be too small to do much damage. And anything big enough to break the plastic is going to dent the screen.

I think you need to take a closer look at the gaps in the plastic screen. I just measured mine at .38 inches, a little larger than buckshot. The mesh screen that I made does not go over the plastic screen, it fits between the plastic screen and the radiator so any protection that the plastic screen provides is still in place. Is the additional mesh screen really necessary? Probably no more than an extended warranty, just a lot less expensive.

^^^^ I agree. That is exactly how I mounted my mesh self made guard. Not only does it protect against debris damaging the rad. it keeps bugs from clogging up the rad. fins.

Off topic, deer whistles must work as I have never hit a deer but have seen them high tailing it away from the road as I approach!!!

 

[FJR30FAN]

Seems strange to add cost and weight to solve a non-existent problem. I'm sure there's someone out there who got a fluke hole in a radiator, but based on that fact that you almost never hear about it and I've never had one in hundreds of thousands of miles of street riding it seems silly. Even if you managed to find one person on this forum who got a hole in a radiator, if you combine all the miles of all the other forum members you'd have many millions of miles of hole-free riding.

"... you'd have many millions of miles of hole-free riding." Now if someone paraphrased that out of context...

 

[art miller]

Seems strange to add cost and weight to solve a non-existent problem. I'm sure there's someone out there who got a fluke hole in a radiator, but based on that fact that you almost never hear about it and I've never had one in hundreds of thousands of miles of street riding it seems silly. Even if you managed to find one person on this forum who got a hole in a radiator, if you combine all the miles of all the other forum members you'd have many millions of miles of hole-free riding.

"... you'd have many millions of miles of hole-free riding." Now if someone paraphrased that out of context...

Perhaps he should have added a prefix to "hole-free"???

 

[roadscum]

Just like insurance policies, rad guards aren't for everyone. Me, I don't worry about such things, I'd rather put the money into gasoline and tires, and ride on. If a puncture does occur I'll deal with it then.

Paul

 

[Brodie]

Just a word...

If you find yourself on a freshly chip sealed roadbed, when you leave it pull over to the side and spend a few minutes on your hands and knees picking the stones out of the guard. Given a bit of time the stones held in place between the guard and radiator may abrade a hole in the thin copper tubing.

Brodie

 

[Hemicuda]

Interesting thread guys.... Have clocked up close to 80,000klms on my 2 FJR's ( 07 and current '10 ) on 3 continents... Europe , USA and Australia and never had

a problem with holed rad. Many dirt and unsealed roads included as my wife and I like to get off the beaten track a bit. Never thought about an extra rad guard

but one of the first farkles on both bikes was a FendaExtenda on the front fender. Worth its weight in gold for keeping mud ,dirt , and stones out of the

engine and radiator. personally think this is more useful....YMMV.

 

[art miller]

Interesting thread guys.... Have clocked up close to 80,000klms on my 2 FJR's ( 07 and current '10 ) on 3 continents... Europe , USA and Australia and never had
a problem with holed rad. Many dirt and unsealed roads included as my wife and I like to get off the beaten track a bit. Never thought about an extra rad guard

but one of the first farkles on both bikes was a FendaExtenda on the front fender. Worth its weight in gold for keeping mud ,dirt , and stones out of the

engine and radiator. personally think this is more useful....YMMV.

Envious of your extensive touring experience. I too have a fender extender and have always had them on my FJR's.. I consider the rad guard supplemental insurance against damage. Keep in mind, not all debris is from the front tire! Objects from vehicles being followed and on-coming vehicles are sources of flying objects.