smoothrideronli

I have a hole in the radiator of my brand new 08 CBR 1000RR...dropping it off at the dealer today...

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HondaGalToo

Crap, how'd that happen? Get yourself one of those Cox radiator guards!

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“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

phobe

You have a brand new 08 CBR? Did I miss a thread?

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Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

smoothrideronli

Oh sorry...I picked it up on Thursday and have been so busy I forgot to post it. I have pics at home that I will post later.

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smoothrideronli

Not sure. Just pulled into the gas station and antifreeze was smoking up. Closer look and there was a hole right in the middle. Hmmm...have to look into that...will it impede airflow?

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phobe

Good thing you caught it before it was all over your back tire.

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Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

luvtolean

Sweet! What color did you get?

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Someone needs to present the facts and the physics rather than just the rhetoric. Poor old Carmelo doesn't understand the physics of a motorcycle. - Jerry Burgess, on spec tires and changing engine rules

HondaGalToo

Nope, not at all. Very easy to install and will prevent rocks from bending the fins or worse...

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“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

smoothrideronli

It was fine until I stopped...and then it went from a small drip to a fast squirt and then I hopped on and rode about 10 mins back to my house. I cleaned the antrifreeze off the fairing and havent moved it since.

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smoothrideronli

Black and silver.

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luvtolean

Sweet, was looking at them over the weekend and I really like the silver.

I can't believe how light and compact that bike is.

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Someone needs to present the facts and the physics rather than just the rhetoric. Poor old Carmelo doesn't understand the physics of a motorcycle. - Jerry Burgess, on spec tires and changing engine rules

phobe

To sit on it feels like a 954, but narrower.

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Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

JH41

Smooth,
Congrats on the bike! Do you still have the (relatively) old one? Did the dealer (CF) know you were coming or were you anonymous?

-jh

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- I told my wife: 4 bikes or 4 girlfriends.... she's letting me keep the bikes

- Cars lean the wrong way in turns.

gt702

Yes. Anything in front of the radiator will imped airflow. Compare open space to closed space (where the metal is) to get an idea of restriction. The question is whether it impedes it substantially more than the other things (forks, fenders, horns, etc.) that are already out front. If you are in an area where kicked up rocks and debris are an issue, then it might be worth a little airflow loss. Be sure to monitor the temperature guage.


Cool on the bike and finding the issue before it got nasty. Have fun.

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Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein

smoothrideronli

Yeah the bike really feels like a 600 in every way. The motor even seems deceptively weak until you realize everyone else is behind you. A friend of mine with the 08 ZX10 was upset because I kept pulling away from him. The bike actually reminds me of the 600s that we rode at Suzuki School. Thats the best comparison I can make.

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smoothrideronli

Yes I still have the 04. I got on the 04 right after I put up the 08 and I felt like I was riding a GoldWing. Even though my 04 has a wet weight of 440lbs it doesnt compare to the 08.

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HondaGalToo

True, but these radiator guards are made for racing. I've had them on my last two bikes and it had absolutely no imact on the temperature.

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“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

gt702

I guess I've seen too many CFD models showing the effect of minor changes to a vehicle grill affecting the airflow distribution and thermal mapping at the back of a radiator ... after going through the condenser and radiator. There is an affect, you might not see it, if your radiator system is sufficiently oversize ... but you will if you are on the edge.

What these people do to their trailer towing capability when they put those fancy grills on their trucks is absolutely scary. But that is another topic.

For radiator protection, that looks like a great product ... just be mindful of the risk to radiator performance.

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Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein

HondaGalToo

Yeah, I hear ya, but on the street and track, my radiator's fins were getting mangled. One trackday on the gix and the radiator had several bent fins, so I put on the guard. Since I see no change in operating temp, it sure beats the fins all bent over and/or a rock going through the thing!

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“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

gt702

With the weight reduction trend I expect this to get worse. The gauge of the fin and tube material is getting really thin these days. Used to be that you could stand on a radiator (almost) without hurting it, now don't breath too hard. On a few car models with open lower grills we've had to add stone gaurds on the lower portion of the condensers to prevent tubes from getting punctured by stones.

If it isn't hurting your lap times (weight) and your temps are good, then I'm for extra protection.

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Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein

luvtolean

Yeah, the aluminum core/plastic tank stuff we get is not strong at all anymore...

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Someone needs to present the facts and the physics rather than just the rhetoric. Poor old Carmelo doesn't understand the physics of a motorcycle. - Jerry Burgess, on spec tires and changing engine rules

Hammer

Yea, on FBO.




Congrats on the new ride, sucks about the radiator though.

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SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

HondaGalToo

Yeah, the new radiators suck. I was surprised how much the gixxer radiator got dinged up from one trackday, with just some gravel around. It's much more fragile than my 929. The Cox guards are aluminum, weighing next to nothing. And the way I ride, a bit of weight is going to make no difference! LOL!

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“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

phobe

I've always liked the idea of a "total loss" cooling system... the best technology imitates nature, right?

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Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

SomeStrangeGuy

I dealt with the frailty issue on my 4 stroke dirtbikes, and an item like this quickly became my friend:

Toolmonger » Blog Archive » Straighten Up With A Radiator Comb

EDIT: or if you're not doing anything for the next 50 years:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...tor_Fin_Pliers

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smoothrideronli

Yeah thanks guys. I dropped it off at the dealer today and I think they will take good care of me. If they have one in a local warehouse I will be back on the road by weekend.

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gt702

Harbor Freight had them on sale this last week for $3, so I finally picked one up. Hopefully I won't need to use it.

Good luck on getting things replaced, hopefully under warranty.

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Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein