Radiator fan protection?

[Grape_salad]

On a recent ride I dropped the bike on the left side onto uneven ground, and through the crash bars, the plastics pushed the radiator fan into the radiator, causing a puncture.

The pressure applied seems to have been very minimal - it was on uneven, hard rocky ground (baked clay with rocks embedded in it), yet there aren't any visible marks on the side cover.

Has anyone done anything to help protect against this?

One thought I had was to put some washers between the fan frame and the radiator - as it is the frame is directly touching the radiator, so washers would give it a bit of space.

 

[Cycledude]

Would be interesting to see A picture of your crashbars

 

[Sierra1]

Looks like rotating blade contact.

 

[~TABASCO~]

I had something somewhat similar years ago... I fell in the mud with a slow tip over. Mud was all jammed between the crash bars and radiator.... Long story short - the mud shoved the radiator approximately 1" inboard... Once I cleaned it all out and took a look, it had bent the radiator mounting nipple almost completely horizontal... bent it almost 90*... The radiator aluminum stretched like CRAZY and I was very lucky it didnt crack or split right where the tip over happened.... (way out in the sticks).......
When I returned back to the shop, I got that nipple back straight and fixed it all up properly......... Then I built this to prevent any little tip over from destroying the radiator in the future.

Im really glad that more people have not crushed there radiators with a little tip over..... Over all these years it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. In my case it was just the mud that went past the bars and crushed it.

 

[bimota]

I had something somewhat similar years ago... I fell in the mud with a slow tip over. Mud was all jammed between the crash bars and radiator.... Long story short - the mud shoved the radiator approximately 1" inboard... Once I cleaned it all out and took a look, it had bent the radiator mounting nipple almost completely horizontal... bent it almost 90*... The radiator aluminum stretched like CRAZY and I was very lucky it didnt crack or split right where the tip over happened.... (way out in the sticks).......
When I returned back to the shop, I got that nipple back straight and fixed it all up properly......... Then I built this to prevent any little tip over from destroying the radiator in the future.

Im really glad that more people have not crushed there radiators with a little tip over..... Over all these years it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. In my case it was just the mud that went past the bars and crushed it.



View attachment 110160

View attachment 110161

in the bottom picture, it looks like you,ve welded another curved bar to the altrider crash bar to support that plate am i seeing that right

rob

 

[~TABASCO~]

in the bottom picture, it looks like you,ve welded another curved bar to the altrider crash bar to support that plate am i seeing that right

rob

YES.... I think I had one side of some damaged Altrider crash bars at the shop.... I cut them up and mitered the tubes, then welded them in... that little plate with the three holes is supported by all Altrider stainless tubing.......... It has worked flawless !

 

[Grape_salad]

Would be interesting to see A picture of your crashbars

I don't have a good picture handy, but they're a fairly standard set that is very sturdy. Alt-rider I think? The bike has been down plenty of times on its side on flat surfaces and the bars worked fine and didn't flex or move, so it's not the crash bars pushing into the radiator.

 

[LostDonkey]

Same thing happened to me after dropping the bike in really thick sand. I did what you are thinking of doing, adding washes, which had no effect on the cooling performance of the fan and stopped it from happening again (I ride hard, so drop it often).

 

[Saint rob]

Alt-rider I think? The bike has been down plenty of times on its side on flat surfaces and the bars worked fine and didn't flex or move, so it's not the crash bars pushing into the radiator.

That’s good, SWMotech and Heed bars are shite - please don’t ask how I know that!