Radiator Guard Recommendations

[oxygenrace]

So I had a battle with a tree on the larose BMA ride on saturday and cracked my radiator. I think i fixed the radiator with some liquid weld but i am now in the market for some radiator guards. Any suggestions on brand and where to buy? Brace vs guard?

 

[KevinV]

Check out Flatland Racing. I have their skidplate and rad-guard on my WRR... fortunately, I haven't needed to test out the durability of the rad guard yet, but I'm pretty happy with its construction.

 

[ktmkevin]

Check out the rad guards from Enduro Engineering and Moose (made in the same place I presume). These are a "wrap around" design that protect the rads very well from impacts (especially from the side) via a fairly rigid mounting system vs. the Flatland style which isn't as strong but provides better protection from sticking stuff into the rad from the front. BUT be warned that the front protection can cause decreased airflow that can be a factor depending on your riding style; to be avoided if you prefer tough low speed terrain. I have, unfortunately, tested the EE guards many times and can attest to their protection. I suppose that it's still possible to harm a rad with the EE guards but the impact would be so severe that a busted rad would be the least of your problems. BTW I came VERY close to sticking a branch through a rad once so the Flatland style (available from many sources) has it's merits; depends on what you want. I have seen "rad braces" on other bikes and I consider them to be mostly useless; too flimsy to do any good most of the time. I have no idea why to moto guys use these; a waste of money IMHO.

 

[Ronzo]

I've used flatland rad guards on 3 bikes now..... they essentialy place a complete "shark cage" around the rads, they protect from sticks spearing through the front, and are braced (triangulated) at the back as a one piece unit. They are very strong 8) I've managed to trim and replace the plastic louvres on all three bikes, (DRZ, CRF, WRR) and never had overheating issues. The EE units are a completely different design, but not braced to the rear, so IMHO the flatland is stronger (Kevin, we can argue this over a beer ). The EE don't provide any frontal protection. Both will do the job, but I've had sticks wedged between the shrouds many times, so it's nice to know the front is protected.

http://crfsonly.com/reviews/flatland-ra ... guards.php

 

[weekender]

I recommend the Scorpion Racing rad guards. A great Canadian company who make awesome rad guards, and great customer support too.

What I like about these guards is that they come with a tab to attach the rad shrouds. With Flatland, etc you have to trim the shrouds to make them fit with the original tab on the rad.. what a pain !! With Scorpion guards, you don't have to modify the shroud at all.

And to top it off, the company has great customer support. I had a brutal crash last year (which destroyed by header pipe) and also bent the shroud tab on the brace (without the rad guard, by rad would have been completely destroyed). I emailed Scorpion Racing to see if I could just get a new tab.. for $12 they sent me four replacement tabs !!

Highly recommended for KTMs... I'm sure they work great on other brands too.

Here is the guard for the WR250: http://scorpionracing.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=28&Itemid=26

You can also get their products from your local dealer (via the Motovan catalog).

BTW, like Ronzo, I haven't noticed any ill effects regarding cooling when using the full guards.

 

[oxygenrace]

I ordered the scorpion guards. free shipping in canada - you almost never see that! They were a bit more expensive but I am hopeful that they will do the trick. Thanks to all those that provided advice.