radiator and headlight guards...worthwhile or unnecessary?

malcopopolo said:
cymarc do a good headlight guard at a reasonable price which is easy to fit. have a look at pyramid as well

you ride your bike faster than riding a car so maybe worth fitting a headlight guard. I am also of the opinion that rad guards are not needed as they are angled hence reduce the risk

.....riding a car?:confused::augie
Click to expand...
 
Russ1 said:
One of the guys I know holed his rad within 300 miles and needed to be replaced at a crazy price, is it worth the risk not having guards?
Click to expand...
It's simple statistics, 10 of thousands of bikes sold and just a few radiator holes reported, no different to many other things that could go wrong but almost never do, if you are a worrier then the FUD sales technique will always work with you - personally I'd be more bothered by restricting the airflow - last summer in Lake Garda temperatures were around 35/36 and the fan was kicking in all the time in slow traffic, a couple of percent less airflow would have bothered me a lot more than the minuscule chance of an errant stone. We all assess risk differently due to our characters and experiences so there is no right answer :)
 
SKIPSTER said:
malcopopolo said:
cymarc do a good headlight guard at a reasonable price which is easy to fit. have a look at pyramid as well

you ride your bike faster than riding a car so maybe worth fitting a headlight guard. I am also of the opinion that rad guards are not needed as they are angled hence reduce the risk

.....riding a car?:confused::augie
Click to expand...

to many vodkas lol but you get the gist :D
Click to expand...
 
Had a stone chip my headlamp while I waited for a headlight guard to arrive in the post - :blast
 
PDiddy said:
Had a stone chip my headlamp while I waited for a headlight guard to arrive in the post - :blast
Click to expand...

..awwww fuming :mad:

For me the out lay is justified on the sale of the bike at a later date. When you take the guards off and your rads and head light look spot on with no stone damage or bumble bee carnage.
Peace of mind during ownership and higher residual value .........WIN - WIN.
 
SKIPSTER said:
malcopopolo said:
cymarc do a good headlight guard at a reasonable price which is easy to fit. have a look at pyramid as well

you ride your bike faster than riding a car so maybe worth fitting a headlight guard. I am also of the opinion that rad guards are not needed as they are angled hence reduce the risk

.....riding a car?:confused::augie
Click to expand...
b086ae833d45d53a1314fecadcfc5cd6.jpg


Why so surprised!!

Sent using a Jedi mind trick!
Click to expand...
 
Engineer said:
It's simple statistics, 10 of thousands of bikes sold and just a few radiator holes reported, no different to many other things that could go wrong but almost never do, if you are a worrier then the FUD sales technique will always work with you - personally I'd be more bothered by restricting the airflow - last summer in Lake Garda temperatures were around 35/36 and the fan was kicking in all the time in slow traffic, a couple of percent less airflow would have bothered me a lot more than the minuscule chance of an errant stone. We all assess risk differently due to our characters and experiences so there is no right answer :)
Click to expand...

As you rightly say there is no right answer, hence my request for help from the forum to see if there is genuine risk or not. I've ordered the Wunderlict one from NN as it looks decent quality and one of the riders who's left feedback recons it makes no different to engine temperature.

Many cars now have the air con condenser in front of the radiator so that gets holed instead which although annoying doesn't have any safety implications if it leaks as it's filled with gas rather than coolant and won't leave you stranded....just a bit hotter than usual as the air con packs up.
 
"Many cars now have the air con condenser in front of the radiator so that gets holed instead which although annoying doesn't have any safety implications if it leaks as it's filled with gas rather than coolant and won't leave you stranded....just a bit hotter than usual as the air con packs up."

the ac condenser needs to be in front of the radiator so that it has uninterrupted airflow and nothing to do with protecting the cooling radiator
 
Quote from 1200 section below, (poor bloke, well slightly poorer, they cost how much?! :eek: )


Lc headlight


''Bloody pheasant smashed my headlight lens today. Has anyone replaced the assembly? -or can I get a replacement lens. It's quite a big unit and I'm sure it won't be cheap. Drat!! ''



.............Maybe the pheasant had survived a 12 bore attack and carried the lead? :D Who said head light guards are pointless?:nono
 
SKIPSTER said:
Quote from 1200 section below, (poor bloke, well slightly poorer, they cost how much?! :eek: )


Lc headlight


''Bloody pheasant smashed my headlight lens today. Has anyone replaced the assembly? -or can I get a replacement lens. It's quite a big unit and I'm sure it won't be cheap. Drat!! ''



.............Maybe the pheasant had survived a 12 bore attack and carried the lead? :D Who said head light guards are pointless?:nono
Click to expand...

I am sure that some people have crashed their bikes and broken the headlight too.
 
Get the radiator guards!

My 10p worth...
I had never had a holed radiator in 38 years of riding...
Until I bought a New -'un-stoppable' 14 plate GS and had the same debate...
My rad was holed on Motorway in France......passing a large lorry, small stone..... Holiday ruined....
I then fitted guards and rued my decision not to fit the buggers in the first place.
What price 'peace of mind'?
 
vsimes said:
My 10p worth...
I had never had a holed radiator in 38 years of riding...
Until I bought a New -'un-stoppable' 14 plate GS and had the same debate...
My rad was holed on Motorway in France......passing a large lorry, small stone..... Holiday ruined....
I then fitted guards and rued my decision not to fit the buggers in the first place.
What price 'peace of mind'?
Click to expand...

You had 38 years peace of mind until that unlucky occurrence, accidents happen :)
 
Right I've read through this......

What's a good headlight guard then? The metal mesh or grid type, which looks a bit mean. Or the plastic type?
 
Take a look at Mark Hooton's stuff at Cymarc - rad guards are great and easy to fit - very little interference with the airflow so far as I can tell despite high temps in Spain last year. The headlamp guard is also very good but may be overkill - your headlamp would survive a head-on with a Lambretta never mind a stone - but it works v birds as well!

Buy direct from Mark - email him as you may get a deal if you are happy to collect in person.

Pete
 
I fitted the Wunderlich rad guards yesterday. They look good quality and came with pictures on how to fit them too which helped. Still undecided on the headlight guard.....
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom