Kawasaki Vulcan Forum banner

Radiator Guard?

24K views 74 replies 28 participants last post by  TOMB 
#1 ·
Looking over my bike the other day, I began to notice some tiny dents in my radiator. Thought they were dirt/bugs at first, but it is actually getting a little damaged. This is annoying since I only ride fairly clean roads in good weather. Being my first liquid-cooled bike, I never gave a second thought to this. Kawasaki wouldn't hang a radiator out there if it couldn't take a few shots, right? After doing a little research, I found out that radiator damage from road debris is a thing, and can be expensive to fix and even cause a crash (if it gets punctured and spews coolant, sending you down). Rather than risk one or both of those things, I bit the bullet and got a radiator guard. R&G has a couple styles for our bike. I went with the black aluminum mesh style, rather than the shiny brushed aluminum, slotted version. Didn't really want to accentuate the radiator. If I rode on dirtier roads, I would've opted for the other version, as it should offer a bit more protection.

It weighs next to nothing, the install was super easy, and I think it looks awesome on the bike! Looks like a factory piece. Now I'm annoyed that Kawasaki doesn't provide something like this standard, since this radiator is pretty exposed, low and vulnerable. It's a bit pricey for what it is, but I figured it beats the alternative.

Pics:
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#2 ·
I put the R&G Racing guard on...it is fairly easy to install. I am also putting a "Fenda Extenda" on my front fender to eliminate the mud, dirt and debris being thrown up on the radiator by the front tire. It is a "Stick On" extender....will have to see...might put a couple of fender screws in it to just make sure.

Kawasaki Vulcan S650 15 Stick Fit Extenda Fenda SF 053446 | eBay
 
#3 ·
I put the R&G Racing guard on...it is fairly easy to install. I am also putting a "Fenda Extenda" on my front fender to eliminate the mud, dirt and debris being thrown up on the radiator by the front tire. It is a "Stick On" extender....will have to see...might put a couple of fender screws in it to just make sure.
IMO, the radiator guard is a must-have. It really should have come from the factory this way. I'm thinking about a fender extender also, mostly to keep the crud off my chain. I understand your reservations about a stick-on. I'd probably want at least 1 bolt on there. R&G has an extender coming out, but it's not available yet. No idea as to cost or how it attaches.

Looks nice:
 

Attachments

#7 ·
I got my Fenda Extenda in today and tried to take off my front fender....not happening! There is no way to get the front fender off and out from between the front struts. It is mounted on a brace which I started to loosen but after close inspection determined it still would not allow me to get the fender off. So next I will try to install it on the bike.

So far I am satisfied with what I got...a little pricey but as it is contoured to the fender to almost blend in smooth I will hold my final judgement until it is installed. I can already see that I will need to get a couple of Wide Mouth Clamps to hold it on the 24 hours they want for the glue pads to cure.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-4-in-Plus-Stop-Lock-Hand-Clamp-with-Durable-Grip-48-22-3004/205017713
 
#11 ·
I got my Fenda Extenda in today and tried to take off my front fender....not happening! There is no way to get the front fender off and out from between the front struts. It is mounted on a brace which I started to loosen but after close inspection determined it still would not allow me to get the fender off. So next I will try to install it on the bike.
what is stopping you from pulling the fender after the brace is loosened?
 
#14 ·
Cpt.Evil is right. There is no way to get the fender off without removing the tire. Once I had the four little screws out that hold the fender to the bracket I looked at taking out that bracket but the fender is contoured so even with that out it might not come out. And that bracket looks to also "Brace" the forks and I thought twice about taking it out and possibly have the fork twist or get out of "True" with the alignment.

It was not too bad putting it on the fender while still on the bike. You just have to work on you knees and tough it out.
 
#15 ·
It was finally warm enough here to go outside and ticker with the bike. I added the R&G radiator guard. Install was easy. Its a bit of a tight area to work in. I had slight trouble getting the zip ties around, but managed. Looks good, seems like it'll hold up, I'm impressed with it so far.
 
#17 ·
Update......Finally got some great riding weather today and put about 100 miles on my Vulcan S. The Fenda Extenda works really well...grill and exhaust pipes looked good...nothing kicked up like before....worth the money.....
 
#19 ·
Hi all.
There's another Uk company called Evotech Performance which does a radiator guard for about the same price as R&G. I got one because I felt the fixings were slightly more solid. Also easy to fit. They also do mirror extenders, paddock stand bobbins and handlebar end weights for the S. I assume they'd ship to the US or wherever.

Cheers
Mike
 
#21 ·
Just a note to everyone still going to install a radiator guard: If you undo the allen bolt on the 'passenger's' side of the bike, it'll let the radiator slip out of the rubber grommet on the other side and make installation a lot easier. Or something like that. I tried to fabricate one and failed when I realized I could undo the radiator and let it sag somewhat safely to install the one I ended up ordering. I'm not in front of the bike right now, but I remember undoing the radiator was not a problem and allowed much easier access to the bolts on top and bottom inside the radiator.
 
#23 ·
I purchased this item from ebay. Chinese made, good enough for its purpose. After seeing the R&G quality, I couldn't justify it.

Radiator Grill Grille Guard Cover FOR Kawasaki Vulcan S 2015 | eBay


The quality is actually not bad. When I got it, i just had to reshape it flat, which was not hard as its mostly bendable.
Installation is a bit difficult if you cant get at the back bolts. I decided not to mount it yet as the shiny frame does not match the matte orange finish that my bike has.

I am planning on painting the frame to matte black using some bbq paint or the truck bed paint.
 
#30 ·
I'm glad someone finally posted up about the ebay version. I'd already taken a punt and bought one before you posted. Just waiting the mandatory 4 week shipping from China.

Black high temp exhaust paint is a very good idea. Bake it in the oven before installing for best results as it creates a more durable paint finish.
 
#32 ·
Shipping was actually okay to Canada. It was about 2.5 weeks?

As for the paint, exactly what I did.

+2 coats of primer
+3 coats of flat black (BBQ paint)
+Oven at 100F for a half hour
+Sand Paper
+1 coat of Flat black (BBQ paint)
+1 dispersed light coat of BBQ Paint glossy black (gave it a nice texture and that flat black sparkle that our bikes have.
+1 Light coating of satin clearcoat
+Oven at 100F for a half hour

I dunno whether my method works, but it has in the past.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top