Another R&G rad guard story

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Gulf Coast

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May 8, 2012
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Just thought that I'd share that two of us - iiiofiv and me - started the R&G install at 10am today and finished the last bolt about 4.30 pm with maybe an hour and a half off for lunch and talking to neighbors!! Yes they look good and will never come out but was it worth it? I really can't see how anyone could do this install alone? We both lost skin off knuckles, cut ourselves on the rad hose clips (man those clips are sharp) but injury of the day went to iiiofiv when he tried to take out his eyeball with the clutch lever!!! :eek: and the instructions are real poor as well. 30 mins or so to install the Evotech might be a better choice.
Also want to say huge thanks to iiiofiv for helping me out pretty much all day.
 
Have used R&G guards before, was a complete pain in the ****.

Both Evotech guards took 5 mins, I did stop for a cuppa though after the upper one! They look great too.
 
I had my R&G installed by my dealer at delivery. No charge other than the base cost of the part. And no sore knuckles or missing skin for me! They look great too.
 
I think the R&g looks better. why is it such a pain in the ...?
 
MUNDMAN said:
I think the R&g looks better. why is it such a pain in the ...?
Click to expand...

You have to remove upper and lower fairings on both sides. You have to remove the battery and its mounting bracket, you have to remove the carbon canister plus it's mounting bracket. Using a long stem Allen key through the air vent flapper valves remove a couple more bolts plus the cover between the radiators. Then you have to remove the plastic housing immediately behind the lower rad. Only then can you get to the bolts that hold the radiators in place - 3 on the lower, 2 on the upper. You need the right sized Allen keys and can only turn a couple of the bolts about 60 degrees at a time!? So now you've got all the bolts off you've got to pull the rads off and slide in the guards, not disturb the rubber grommets and the get rads back on their mounting points. This took two of us a good 30-40 mins then one of you has to compress the whole joint to get the rad bolts to mate up. Harder than it all sounds. Then it's simple case of putting everything back together, snapping the two upper fairing tabs off in the process. Total PITA and although they look good I'd go for evotechs every tie unless someone did the install!!
 
Fitted the r&g, glad I did cos the end result look great. But Christ, what a nightmare to fit on your own and I couldn't get one of the rad mount grommets back in...worth doing though, a mate got his blade rad holed with a stone, £700 fitted incl. vat
 
R&G pics

I haven't seen any pics of the R&G guards fitted on the bike with fairings (there are plenty of close-ups posted), so here are mine. I took a pic of the whole bike so you can see the full effect. I definately like the look of these guards better than the "bolt-on" look of the Evotech and they fit very secure. The temps rise a little quicker, but I haven't noticed any sustained temps above normal.

Yes, they are a PITA and took me most of the day to fit with no help. Luckily I didn't bust any of my knuckles or poke my eye out, but I did spent 1/2 hr looking for one of the rad mounting washers that fell inside my bike. I just wanted to throw out a little positive energy about these guards since I like them, but they are not for people wanting a 10min bolt-on part.
 

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Just came from Dealer where I paid 185 for the R&G rad guards and Puig windscreen install. It took two hours for the tech to do the rad guards.
The rad guards are cool but the PUIG windscreen is sensational.$100 for the Puig
 
Installed the upper and lower R&G radiator guards yesterday, took me 2 hrs+ including help from the Mrs. First time taking the fairing off my bike so I was taking my sweet time. Fits perfect, looks great, and for $94, zero complaints from me.

A few thing the instructions forget to mention,
1. Removed the carb cannister on the right, remove the battery housing on the left
2. Remove all underside fairing bolts and pins below the front cowling. This is the key, skip this step, or the radiator won't budge
3. The bottom screw on the lower radiator, impossible to get to with a hex key, use fliers.

Just a little patience, it's worthwhile.
 
Gulf Coast said:
Just thought that I'd share that two of us - iiiofiv and me - started the R&G install at 10am today and finished the last bolt about 4.30 pm with maybe an hour and a half off for lunch and talking to neighbors!! Yes they look good and will never come out but was it worth it? I really can't see how anyone could do this install alone? We both lost skin off knuckles, cut ourselves on the rad hose clips (man those clips are sharp) but injury of the day went to iiiofiv when he tried to take out his eyeball with the clutch lever!!! :eek: and the instructions are real poor as well. 30 mins or so to install the Evotech might be a better choice.
Also want to say huge thanks to iiiofiv for helping me out pretty much all day.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you had a lot of fun, although I trust iiiofiv is safe and sound. I imagine the finished result is quite stunning.

I just picked up a 1098 S Tricolore (barely run in) and it looks like my modifications are going the same way as the Panigale (DP & Rizoma). I believe the modifications will be greater and cost more than the 1199.

I have EvoTech on the Panigale, unsure what to put on the 1098 S ?
 
CaliDuc said:
Sounds like you had a lot of fun, although I trust iiiofiv is safe and sound. I imagine the finished result is quite stunning.
Click to expand...

Male bonding at it's best on a garage floor underneath a Ducati!!!!!!!

The end result is great but I'm not sure it's worth the effort required over the Evotech?
 
jyli19 said:
Installed the upper and lower R&G radiator guards yesterday, took me 2 hrs+ including help from the Mrs. First time taking the fairing off my bike so I was taking my sweet time. Fits perfect, looks great, and for $94, zero complaints from me.

A few thing the instructions forget to mention,
1. Removed the carb cannister on the right, remove the battery housing on the left
2. Remove all underside fairing bolts and pins below the front cowling. This is the key, skip this step, or the radiator won't budge
3. The bottom screw on the lower radiator, impossible to get to with a hex key, use fliers.

Just a little patience, it's worthwhile.
Click to expand...

I sawed off an Allen key to make stubby that could get in there...
Just for the tight turns the rest with fingers or pliers.
 
I can't for the life of me get the lower rad tab anywhere near it's slot now it's occupied by the guard. The guard has displaced the radiator by 5-8 mm from where it wants to be...

Any cleverness to this step ?

4hrs and counting....

P
 
double check everything, the guard fits pretty well, i had no problem getting everything back to their original spots.
 
i had it installed by the dealer at my first service, only charged 1 hour labor.
 

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