Oil Grills. Do you clean them out?

[Taff]

I've noticed that some serious amout of crap gets chucked into the oil grill ie countless flies, twigs, feathers etc etc. I'd never given this much thought till recently, but doesn't this eventually reduce the effectiveness of the grill?

I assume that the grill is designed to allow air to flow through, but there's so much crud stuck in there that there can't be much air going anywhere at the moment. Brushing just pushes the debris even further in, so can I go nuts and use an air-hose from the back and blow the feckin lot out ???

 

[Tarka]

Yes...the oil cooler needs cleaning out.


I soak the dead insects,etc for a while then use a nylon bristled dish type brush which won`t damage the oil cooler vanes....finishing off with a hose.

Mind you,I clean my bikes whenever they`ve got dirty,so there`s never too much to have to clear out.....

 

[Mouse]

If you are careful you can use a pressure washer, but only point it directly into the grille (not at an angle) or you'll bend the little fins. This is probably only justified if the grille is badly blocked, I just clean mine from time to time with a regular hosepipe which seems sufficient.