Out with my wife today, her brand new 650s cafe took a fatal hit to the rad.
The new one is getting a protector.
Anyone have to replace a rad yet / any idea how much?
Bike was roadside assisted back to the dealer after hours, so I have no clue. Only know that i'm really angry right now. My Voyager has a protector, I can't believe they skimped on the S. Never noticed until today and it's a hard lesson to learn.
Sorry to hear. On my way to a group ride I've had on the calendar for 2 months, I was fueling up and realised my rear tire was going flat. Punctured it with a screw... refilled it, rode 20 minutes to my dealer, and 90 minutes and $200 later, I'm on a new tire.
wife''s ok, just royally ticked off. At least roadside took care of most of the tow.
We figure the front tire kicked up a stone.
The rad is 634 CAD. The dealer offered to contact kaw on Monday to ask for goodwill/help with the bill considering the bike is so new. There's always the option of welding it but the wife rightly said that it's a new bike, she doesn't want a welded rad.
So we'll see what the dealer can come up with.
I'm angry with kaw right now because they put a short fender on the bike AND have the radiator as very vulnerable AND chose not to have a protector on it. My voyager has mesh protecting the rad, it can't cost the factory that much. We never thought of it when she bought the bike, but it's not hitting the road again without a protector installed.
The Pyramid model(s) goes on with sticky-tape; some of their models (like for my BMW ) also include very small screws.
The R&G version has the same double-sided tape, but also has four each 4mm push-rivets so you can drill holes and pop them in... This is the one I used, but I de-badged it primarily because whoever the cross-eyed Englishman was that put it together placed their little 3D logo on crooked.[emoji849]
UPDATE: after reviewing it in greater detail it appears that Pyramid also uses 4 mm push-rivets now. It wouldn't surprise me if Pyramid is making these for R&G [emoji848]
MSRP on the Pyramid about £16.90; the R&G £23.33 and up, excluding VAT.
So sorry to hear....my past experience on Radiators mandated I install a Guard and ordered one before I even picked up the bike and the dealer installed it for me while installing the options.....after a couple of rides I notice the Rad Guard was covered in mud and sand...so I also put on a Fenda Extenda.....now nothing but bugs hit my Radiator....
All it takes is a small drill bit...if you have a drill bit set (called a drill index) you can match the size pretty easily. It's a metric-sized hole but I used a close SAE size bit w/no problem...just select one that matches the diameter of the rivet barrel without the center pin inserted, as it expands when you push the pin in and you want a tight fit.
Do your layout on the fender, mark, drill, seat the plastic rivet barrel with your fingers and insert the center piece. Done.
I used blue painter's tape on the fender...that way I can make my layout marks to locate the holes and protect the fender if the drill chuck bottoms out by accident.
BTW...the same type (different size) of plastic pop rivet is used on the Vulcan S side cover...if you lose the center piece like I did one day when working on the bike the rivets are available online or at Home Depot/Lowes [emoji106]
Same can be said for the small black Allen head machine screws Kaw uses to hold most of the plastic panels on...Home Depot or Lowes.
A happy ending: the dealer stepped up and was able to get Kawasaki to pay for most of the repair as a one off goodwill one time no liability gimme. Cost us less than 300 for a 650 rad plus labour. Not bad. And she's wearing a new rad guard.
The Fenda Extenda that I installed only had the Adhesive tape....cleaned it really good with cleaner then alcohol and clamped it on overnight and so far not even trying to loosen up...made a BIG difference on my radiator and exhaust piple headers...
I have a story for you guys. I'm still a NOOB to motorcycles, but last year the Vulcan S had a lot of mud on it. I decided to use a power washer on it. Bent the fins on the Radiator. My heart fell down to stomach. Took it to the dealership and they said, they've seen worse. Tried to bend the fins back, but it was making it look worse. I got the R&G radiator guard and you couldn't tell. I live in southern New Mexico, so it gets hot and I never had a problem with it overheating. Just a story to remind people not to use a power washer lol.
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