Gen 2 Radiator Guard Upgrade

[SoCalFJR1300]

How many GenII owners have ever had a punctured radiator? For that matter, how many GenI owners have had that problem?
Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

I've never had a headlight crack or break either, but guys buy that plastic headlight protector with the Velcro (ugh) attachment.

 

[bwv]

I mean no offense to anyone selling them,or anyone who bought one...it looks like a very nicely finished product, and the fit looks great. And.. if you buy it all done..saves you a lot of effort. It just doesn't look like it should cost quite that much unless it is hand made or something.

Is is stainless steel? Heavy duty stuff.. or more like wire lath that one the would be used for stucco?

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I mean no offense to anyone selling them,or anyone who bought one...it looks like a very nicely finished product, and the fit looks great. And.. if you buy it all done..saves you a lot of effort. It just doesn't look like it should cost quite that much unless it is hand made or something.
Is is stainless steel? Heavy duty stuff.. or more like wire lath that one the would be used for stucco?

I had one on my Bandit1250...... it's not real thick actually pretty thin but stronger than the plastic I'm sure.

I wonder though in hot climates if all those small holes would difuse the wind too much and not cool as well as the stock rad guard since the stock one is more wide open? May not matter??

 

[Bike Effects]

I mean no offense to anyone selling them,or anyone who bought one...it looks like a very nicely finished product, and the fit looks great. And.. if you buy it all done..saves you a lot of effort. It just doesn't look like it should cost quite that much unless it is hand made or something.
Is is stainless steel? Heavy duty stuff.. or more like wire lath that one the would be used for stucco?

It is aluminum as described on my site. Stainless would be pretty heavy and this is rugged enough for years of use. Been there, done that. I have to guess that if you were in business and manufacturing an item for a niche market and doing the R&D, the price would not seem so bad to you.

https://www.bikeeffects.com/proddetail.asp?prod=113-13064

At least I offer a forum discount. See the link in my signature for details.

 

[art miller]

I made a guard out of some of this stuff...and it's already black...fastened it onto the backside of the stock guard with black zip ties meebee the link will workhttps://www.staples.com/Desk+Organizer+Collections+Wire+Mesh+and+Metal/directory_Desk+Organizer+Collections%2C+Wire+Mesh+and+Metal?rpp=24&pn=2&sr=true

I too used the black mesh screen from Staples. I cut the screen to the size of the radiator face and simply slide it in behind the plastic original guard. It sets on the channel at the bottom of the radiator, no need to use any fasteners. The mesh is strong, not aluminum, works great and cost less than $10.

 

[bwv]

At least I offer a forum discount. See the link in my signature for details.

It is very kind of you to do that for all of us. Thank you

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I made a guard out of some of this stuff...and it's already black...fastened it onto the backside of the stock guard with black zip ties meebee the link will workhttps://www.staples.com/Desk+Organizer+Collections+Wire+Mesh+and+Metal/directory_Desk+Organizer+Collections%2C+Wire+Mesh+and+Metal?rpp=24&pn=2&sr=true

I too used the black mesh screen from Staples. I cut the screen to the size of the radiator face and simply slide it in behind the plastic original guard. It sets on the channel at the bottom of the radiator, no need to use any fasteners. The mesh is strong, not aluminum, works great and cost less than $10.

Which item from Staples did you use??

 

[bwv]

^^ What he said ^^

 

[flagstaff]

SoCalFJR1300,

This one will work.

https://www.fototime.com/37453EED71BBD0C/orig.jpg

It is 9" wide and 24" long when straighten out. It was $12.00 with tax.

 

[Chuck35]

It can be had for $4.99 on Amazon. Ships free with another $30 of qualifying crap. I have next years toothpaste and deodorant covered.

 

[bwv]

It can be had for $4.99...

I guess this ^^^ is why i question the $90

 

[PhilJet09]

I have to wonder if the cheap ones are made of cheap steel and a thin coat of paint that will rust in no time when exposed to the "real world". The $90 painted aluminum one well...won't.

 

[Chuck35]

If I replaced a $5.00 guard every year, in just under 20 years I would loose money.

 

[flagstaff]

I've had this modification on my to-do list since reading about it on one of the forums. I was waiting until I had a reason to remove some of the body panels, but when I saw this thread I took a closer look and decided I could get the job done with a minimum of dis-assembly. It would also give me something to do while waiting for my new rear tire. My link a few posts back shows which product I picked up to use for the screen:



The width is 9” which is a little small but it will cover the most exposed areas. I straightened the two long sides and cut the length to 13”. I pried open the edging from a piece of the left-over screen cut to size. I slipped the edging over the cut edge and hammered it closed. I bent the screen to match the curvature of the radiator and painted the whole screen with an extra coat to the areas where I had straighten or cut.





The hardest part of this job is getting to the two bolts that hold the stock screen to the bike. The 10mm hex bolts were behind my stock horns. I was able to loosen the horn mounts, but it was a bit tight. One thing that may complicate your situation is that the mounting bolts on mine were 4mm allen head. That made it much easier for me to get the bolts loose. Where you might have a problem is that I’m unsure if those allen head bolts were stock. My bike came with after-market horns which removed and replaced with the stock ones. The stock bolts might have been hex which would make it a bit harder to get to the horn mount bolts.

Here you can see the stock guard and horns hanging loose.



And here you can see that there is plenty of room to slide the second screen behind the stock one. Having a little extra bend on your screen is OK. It will flatten out when you re-install everything.



The 9” piece will not cover the whole radiator so I cut a 1.5” strip to fill in the unprotected area. The big piece was located to the top and the small strip covered the area at the bottom.



Here is the final product:

 

[Chuck35]

I was thinking of putting mine in front of the oem guard for strength and ease of cleaning, but your installation looks great!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[infrared]

deleted.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Just curious, has anyone tried to reinforce the plastic rad guards somehow??

I think it would be a waste of time. A radiator guard is metal and stops objects from reaching your radiator (within reason)

The stock is flimsy plastic which bends and will break upon impact. $90 or so total cost.

Not disagreeing on the wisdom of one of these. I had one on my Daytona 675, entirely as a precaution. But that was used for track duty, not travel.

My question is this: Where did you find it for $90? Everywhere I look (including the Cox Racing site) says $99.95.

 

[bwv]

Our very own Bike Effects gives us a discount at his store and has this item...

see here for the guard

https://www.bikeeffects.com/proddetail.asp?prod=113-13064

and here for the discount

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=23

A direct bolt on, and well worth it if you dont feel like messin around with the spray paint and tin snips.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Thx!

 

[lnewlf]

this is large enough to cover the whole area twice

https://www.zerbee.com/Products/Lorell-Black-Mesh-Rectangular-Waste-Bin__LLR52771.aspx