Radiator Guards and Winter Protection

[Beech]

Hi Guys,

Looking to get some stash for my xj6 diversion f 2011. Considering a radiator guard as I'll be riding through winter and want to do as best I can to protect it from the elements.

Any ideas if Rad Guards are a) any good or, b) any recommendations on supplier/brand/manufacturer? Amazon have the R&G grill for £65 ish however the Romatech guard is £45!

I'm also considering a front Fenda Extenda. However I'm really not keen on drilling holes through my front fender! Any recommendations on where to go for one of those? I've seen a couple on Amazon for about £20 that are just stick on, however I wanted some advice!

Cheers all,
Tom

PS: Any other recommendations on how to best protect the bike through winter I'm all ears!

[spike240]

Hi there Tom.
Can't help with the radiator guard, but it can't do any harm. As far as the front mudguard goes, I have recently fitted a Fendaextenda from Pyramid on a TDM. It sticks *on with double sided tape. It was a perfect fit and works well (not fallen off yet).
The advice you will probably get is wash the bike often, particularly if riding on salted roads, and don't use hot water.
You can use various sprays, but I have had little success with them. Better than nothing though.
Hope you enjoy your bike.
Atb

[bobh]

I'd say a mesh rad guard is better than one stamped out of sheet ally, as it doesn't restrict the airflow as much - though that's not really an issue in winter. Also the stamped ones can rattle.

As to make, I have an S-Moto mesh guard on the MT-09, which looks like a copy of the R&G one but cost a lot less. They have one for the XJ6 on ebay - item 162149849712. It's just held on with zip ties, which seems crude but has worked fine so far.

I put fender-extenders on most of my bikes. They do help to keep the corrosive crud off the exposed stuff on the front of the engine. Personally I prefer the added security of screws or rivets as well as tape, bearing in mind the consequences if it came loose. The newer Pyramid ones use flat-headed plastic rivets, which look a lot neater than the old self-tapping screws.