Radiator and oil cooler guards worth it?

flobrandx said:

If your trading bikes that quick and not really riding and putting miles them then sure it may make sense. Added weight...that’s a good one. I’ll have to weigh my next set to see how many oz they are costing me. If your that good to notice the weight then you should be riding MotoGP. I’ll just take a good bathroom stop and it should cover more than the weight of the guards. To each their own, good luck and ride safe.

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If your changing bikes over that fast the depreciation on the bikes will make the cost of a radiator guard bugger all . Poor argument
Ride safe

wilkson said:

If your changing bikes over that fast the depreciation on the bikes will make the cost of a radiator guard bugger all . Poor argument
Ride safe

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That's a good point as well. The depreciation would be massive compared to guard costs.

wilkson said:

If your changing bikes over that fast the depreciation on the bikes will make the cost of a radiator guard bugger all . Poor argument

Ride safe

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Doesn't really pertain to the original post... But there were so many comments about it that I'm going to rant a little bit.

It's not supposed to make economic sense. I've probably bought and sold over 20 bikes in the past 8 years. Losing considerable amount of money in the process. But that's not the point when I enjoy riding the best and the newest that the brand has to offer. Some I kept for less than 2 weeks (Desert Sled and Monster 1200S for example). They weren't the bikes I thought they would be.

I usually end up buying the very first one that comes to Chile. Cost me a ton but I get to try the launch models before anybody else does. Why not demo first you ask? Demos are unheard of unless it's a model like Multistrada that sell a lot. Besides if I had to demo before buying I wouldn't be the first one to own would I? [emoji16]

The only accessory that is a must for me are the full race exhaust for the bikes. Which added even more to the cost of owning the bikes for such a short time. And Akrapovic or Termignoni aren't cheap for Ducati as you all know. Whoever ended up buying my bikes are usually very happy.

You have to take consideration where I live. Parts for Ducati are rarely available. Every part that I install is brought by myself from a trip to the US or imported directly. So... The process of getting some accessory to install is a pain in the ass and time consuming. Those of you that live in the US or EU usually take it for granted that you have so many parts readily available.

So hopefully you can now understand my "don't add unless it's going to make it fast" philosophy. Unless the accessory's got a special purpose or wow factor, it's not going on the bike. I just don't get to own them long enough to pour even more money, time, and effort. I learned this lesson after fully loading with accessories on my early bikes, only to sell them within a year.

ddd269 said:

So hopefully you can now understand

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Nope!

If you get stranded with a rock through your radiator it is an amazingly difficult waste of time. Who gives a .... about how many bikes you've wasted good money on because of bad decisions.

The question was are radiator guards worth it?
Yes they are unless you don't understand they stop you from wasting valuable time siting by the side of the road, got nothing to do about resale you nong.

Other being stranded it stops the possibility of coolant pissing out under your back wheel .

Hey guys, dont know why folk are getting so fired up over something so simple.
The op asked if they were worth it. In your experience, they are.
In mine, they aren't. We all have opinions based on our experiences, some
of us more fortunate than others it appears.

For them to be worth it, things have to align so that you find your bit of debris, ride
over it at the right speed and angle that it is thrown up (or from vehicle in front) and
your rad gets hit, and if its hit with the right for force in the right place
then you are out of luck that day. Its all ifs. In industry, this would be classed as risk assessment.

"If my grannie had wheels, she'd be a wagon" as the North of England saying goes.

Opinions. That's what the op asked for, and what folk have given. No more, no less.
No need for ridicule or name calling. It doesnt make opinions any more valid.

990Glen said:

Hey guys, dont know why folk are getting so fired up over something so simple.
The op asked if they were worth it. In your experience, they are.
In mine, they aren't. We all have opinions based on our experiences, some
of us more fortunate than others it appears.

For them to be worth it, things have to align so that you find your bit of debris, ride
over it at the right speed and angle that it is thrown up (or from vehicle in front) and
your rad gets hit, and if its hit with the right for force in the right place
then you are out of luck that day. Its all ifs. In industry, this would be classed as risk assessment.

"If my grannie had wheels, she'd be a wagon" as the North of England saying goes.

Opinions. That's what the op asked for, and what folk have given. No more, no less.
No need for ridicule or name calling. It doesnt make opinions any more valid.

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It's a forum that how it goes . Let's hug it out instead

Bottom line... I did get the radiator protection because I thought it was worth it this time and I'm the first one that posted pictures of the install.

All I did was agree with one of the posts above where he spent about $3000 over time on radiator guards and didn't think the cost outweigh the benefit (obviously he has changed motorcycles often too).

No need to get fired up my friend.

My only doubt is on the temperature. I'm afraid it let less air flow by the radiators. Any experience about it?

Sergiomala said:

My only doubt is on the temperature. I'm afraid it let less air flow by the radiators. Any experience about it?

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I haven't had chance to ride much with the Evotech radiator protection yet. I'll post again with my experience. Keep in mind that it's winter here so can't comment on summer riding conditions.

Thank you to all who posted in the thread. I can see both sides of the coin and it certainly raised some thoughts that I wouldn’t have had, had you all not provided input from your own experiences.

This is a great forum guys, obviously with a wealth of knowledge and personal experience.

It's not a matter of running over .... to then fly into your radiator, .... gets picked up from other vehicles and gets flung at you.

If they make the bike run hotter, I'll pass.

Blackbrush said:

If they make the bike run hotter, I'll pass.

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Never experienced any of my bikes running hotter .

If they make the bike hotter you bought the wrong brand.

flobrandx said:

If they make the bike hotter you bought the wrong brand.

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Not a concern in the PNW I imagine. At the racetrack in Texas in the summer, it's a big concern.

Pfft come to Australia an experience summer heat.....

Halo2 said:

Pfft come to Australia an experience summer heat.....

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There's always going to be a contest when an Aussie and a Texan lay things out for measurement!

Blackbrush said:

Not a concern in the PNW I imagine. At the racetrack in Texas in the summer, it's a big concern.

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I live in the hottest place on earth in summer radiator guards are fine .

It does get a bit warm out west, or east for you Wilkson, Marble Bar has the record for the longest heatwave, 160 days of over 100° with some getting to 115°, not looking to start a competition, just an interesting fact.