Wednesday, Oct 16 2013 [4149 miles]
I was going to skip adding radiator guards. The radiators do pick up a lot of crap—mainly bugs, but some leaves and twigs, too. No biggie, I thought. Then I read of a rider on the MOA forum who had his radiator punctured. OK, maybe guards aren’t a bad idea after all.
Radiator protection
These are the Hornig guards. An open mesh that I don’t think will effect air flow in any meaningful way. When installed the guards are 10-12 mm from the radiator fins. I like that. It gives plenty of room for the guard to deform, disappating the energy of anything large heading toward the radiator fins.
Stock right radiator
Three T-25 screws
Radiator shroud
Not shown was the radiator before washing away as much of the bug remains that I could. Soap, water, a soft brush, and more water from the opposite side of the radiator got it to this point.
The inner shround comes off with the removal of three screws. A Torx-T-25 is the only tool needed although a flashlight might be helpful depending upon your lighting situation.
1st foam damper
Right side, installed
Two of the skinny foam dampers are stuck to the top of the radiator. This was the hardest part of the job. Not sticking the pads, but removing the backing from the stickum! The tabs on the top of the shroud are inserted into matching slots (that is where the flashlight might help) and then the guard is placed. A little care is needed to make sure the foam dampers aren’t displaced. Everything is held in place by the three screws.
Left side w/foam dampers
Final installation
The left side is a repeat of the right. For some reason it took me longer to get the guard positioned correctly under the shroud. At one point I noticed that I’d knocked one of the foam dampers askew and had to start over. Even with the extra hassle the job was done in a few minutes.