Bikes: Kawasaki ZX10r D6f, Dawes XC2.4, Planet X Superlight Pro Carbon
Posts: 1,428
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire.
Mood: aving a laff
B+Q
B+Q sell some nice gold mesh for covering vent grilles. Cut it to shape and tie in with wire loops in corners and you have a good looking stone protector that does not stop air flow but takes the hits before the rad gets punctured. Have some pics at work and will post tomoz
As Old Yella says, B&Q do a wide range of different sized mesh in different colours (plain stainless would be best for yours rather than gold though!) which you can buy in various size sheets.
A radiator sized sheet (about the same size as an A4 piece of paper) is about a fiver - I bought one to make up a mesh for a carbon v-piece.
You only need to make a slight curve in it to follow the line of the radiator. You can then bend the edges around (use a thick pair of gloves to save your fingers) to hold it all in place. Wind pressure will stop it falling off and hold it in place anyway.
As long as you make sure you keep the wheel/mudguard clearance it will be fine.
Don't worry about the odd stonechip though. We all get them and it will take a major dent in the rad to make any difference in efficiency.
This is an easy do-it-yourself project for a superbike. First straighten any bent radiator fins. Then cut a piece of aluminum window screening to fit leaving 4-5 inches on top to make some tabs to bend over the top and back of the radiator. It conforms easily to the curved radiator shape and the wind pressure holds it firmly against the radiator.
Remove the V-shaped lower cowl and attach another piece of screen to protect the oil cooler. Fasten it to the back of the panel with small self-tapping screws and washers at the four molded holes.*Silicone adhesive or double-sided tape also works.
Any screening will reduce airflow somewhat, of course. The smaller the mesh, the more protection against smaller debris. I can only offer that common aluminum window screen works fine in desert temperatures with no noticeable effect on 916 coolant temperatures.
I wish I thought of it right away before fin damage occurred. After 20,000 miles, I still haven't had to replace it. I used window screening simply because it's cheap to replace and has a fine-enough mesh to spread out the impact load (and keep bugs out), but if you prefer something different, check out the McMaster-Carr web site. When they sell mesh screening, they define the percent open area that tells you its ability to flow air.
28-Sep-2003, 20:24 
:P
antonye
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