a wise man once said... : Kawasaki ZX Forums: Kawasaki Ninja Forum

gbctrdrman · 07-26-2009, 03:50 PM

"u should get a rock guard for you radiator"(cant remember who it was from this site), did i listen, no. well mid way in to our morning ride after discovering the best twisites on the planet, it happened. we stopped at a stop sign and i said " i smell antifreeze" checked everybodies bike, it was mine....:( a rock hit my fork(made a small dent) and the proceeded to enter my radiator and the antifeeze began to exit.. we were about 1.5 hrs from the house , my buddies went and picked up my truck and trailer and came to rescue me. not sure how much the radiator is but i am sure its not cheap......on a higher note, if anybody here near east texas about 1 hr east of dallas wants miles and miles of hills and twistie come on out and ride with us, these roads were great. thank you for the rock guard tip, should have taken your advice.

lyodbraun · 07-26-2009, 08:01 PM

ha ha I think that was me ??? LOL here is the thread that I wrote about it ..

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyodbraun

if your gonna change your chain might as well go down a tooth up front that will help out alot, also get a speedohealer. new grips also make a huge difference in comfort, oh and a wise investment is a Cox Radiator Guard.. keep any debri from putting a hole in the Radiator.. and any other go fast parts LOL

http://www.zxforums.com/forums/zx-10...sprockets.html

**Shifty1** · 07-26-2009, 08:30 PM

Is this a common problem with the new 10's?

lyodbraun · 07-26-2009, 08:40 PM

No its really just a matter of luck really if ya dont have a Radiator guard, i had all sorts of things get kicked up in front of me on the bike and im just so glad that the Radiator is protected from any flying debris, its well worth the money vs having to get another Radiator for big bucks...

JBearSVT · 07-27-2009, 02:53 AM

I've been thinking about this ever since I found out my town's idea of repaving roads is to spray a little black stuff down and dump a million tons of gravel on it and let the cars work it in. Not because I'm worried about the radiator, but just because I'm sick of removing all the gravel from my bellypan that the front tire keeps throwing in there.

lyodbraun · 07-27-2009, 06:05 AM

yeah and those tiny rocks get thrown into the radiator as well.. but the Cox Radiator guard wont stop the tiny tiny ones but the big ones it will I read someplace that a guy put some screen material behind his guard and it worked fine no problems with the temp or anything getting higher than normal..

gbctrdrman · 07-27-2009, 02:07 PM

UPDATE..... i pulled the radiator and took it to the local radiator shop and he fixed it for $20.00 ooooo yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it will NOT be reinstalled without a guard.... i dodged a expensive bullet this time...

clarkmanning · 07-27-2009, 02:54 PM

It's possible to pick up a rock at any time. I think it has a little to do with following distance. Also following a rock truck is very bad. i want a radiator guard. It just never reaches the top of the mod list. 80 bucks including shipping is cheap insurance against being stranded in BFE.

gbctrdrman · 07-27-2009, 09:23 PM

i went to lowes today and bought some metal mesh material and made my own guard. it looks great and took about an hour to make. it looks very similar to the $80.00 variety but only cost me 13.00 for a huge roll, i could do several with all of the material i have. i will post some pics when i get the radiator installed back on the bike. i am not sure how the finish will hold up, but i can remove it easliy and get it power coated.

lyodbraun · 07-28-2009, 12:15 PM

this is what those Radiator guards protect ya from had this happen to me today, had i not had the guard id prob been pushing my bike home,...

gnaime · 07-28-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyodbraun

this is what those Radiator guards protect ya from had this happen to me today, had i not had the guard id prob been pushing my bike home,...

is that a f'in bird?

lyodbraun · 07-28-2009, 05:18 PM

^^^ yup a damn bird little slow on moving out the way LOL.. then later in the day almost had a run in with 3 deer, big ole Doe and her 2 Fawns... I swear ive had prob had more close calls with animals than cagers so far in the last few weeks...

**Shifty1** · 07-28-2009, 08:07 PM

Hmmm, me thinks I could fab something like that up. Might give me something to do while it's raining for the next few days.

lyodbraun · 07-28-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shifty1

Hmmm, me thinks I could fab something like that up. Might give me something to do while it's raining for the next few days.

yeah id just make sure that what ever you fab up that it leaves a gap between the guard and the radiator that way theres some flex before anything touches the fins on the radiator.. but yeah ive seen people make them from things from places like lowes and home depot..