FURTHER TIPS: One viewer suggeted annealing aluminium before bending it so it's less likely to tear or break. Mark the area with a black marker pen and heat it up until the mark disappears. That's about the right temperature to anneal. SHOULD I BUY RADIATOR GUARDS? Possibly not, especially if you rarely crash. You usually aren't far from your home base and can tow a bike back. And some bikes have more protected radiators like the KTMs. The Shercos would be next. But Beta radiators are very easy to bend. We suggest you carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld to fix any radiator leaks. And possibly put better plastic radiator guards at the front to prevent sticks jabbing into your radiator fins. CHEAP NO-NAME RADIATORS? Don't fully trust your repaired radiators? Keep them as spares. There are generic cheap radiators on Ebay that apparently work quite well. Let me know if you've experienced otherwise. There are oversized ones that might need a bit of modifying to fit but can be handy if your bike overheats. TRAIL SIDE REPAIRS? Carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld. If you get a leak, just slap this on and keep riding (but keep checking for leaks). You can top up your radiator with tap water from your bladder for the one ride, but just remember the minerals in tap water can slowly affect aluminium.
Funny timing as I was fixing a couple of bent radiators last weekend. I use Force Accessories radiator guards. I've found they fit really well (when the radiator is not bent) and never had any issues with bent radiators after installing them. Made in Aussie as well so not too far to ship to NZ.
I've straightened a few OEM radiators out, however the last set developed a leak afterwards. Ended up getting a set of aftermarket radiators from Euro Enduro at around a third of the price of genuine Beta radiators. So far they have held up really well.
@@crosstrainingenduro Just a cheap set from China. The only issue I had was that due to them being a bit more bulky that the Beta rads, I had to notch out a small part of my radiator guards (Force rubbish) to fit over them. These radiators have coped a fair bit of abuse and are now also twisted up and bent, but haven't cracked any welds or leaked.
After getting the wrong ones shipped through Ebay I actually went off Cameron's vid and managed to save one rad. The other one ended up getting a leak after getting it partially bent back, it was pretty bad!
Yep, probably the best solution if you crash a lot or do a lot of gnarly terrain. I usually put them on every bike but as per the vid this was an experiment for a video topic.
I bought my 2022 se300 with 2hours and a little bent radiator. I straightened it and fitted the Ptech guards too. I like them because they are a complete cage arround the radiator which gives very good protection for side impact. I had one crash where radiator and guard both were twisted a little. Without the guard the ride would definitely have been ended there. Demounted and straightened radiator and guard back at home. Works fine until today with 55hours and some riding fails. But the sherco radiators (I guess on all modern bikes) are very thin walled and bend easy when falling to the side. I dropped my old Husabergs on the side lots of times. Never had any small dent in the radiator (no guards used). Only thing that is not that good is that when you mount the ptech guards the coolant hose is squeezed flat between left guard and frame. I added washers between guard and frame to give the hose a little more space. Cheers from germany!
Generally KTM seem to be the strongest radiators, then Sherco, then Beta. It might just be because the KTM ones are tucked away better? Of course it doesn't really matter once you fit guards!
My left radiator has a bend in it, fitted a guard to the right radiator but I don't want to bend the left one back straight as it could make it leak. My bike doesn't overheat so I don't need to worry about it.
Replaced my radiators with cheap shitty oversize ones off e bay. The works connection radiator braces fit them with a little modifying. Never had a problem!
Trail Tech had the best support. Sent me a full set twice, after I broke one then the replacement. Enduro Engineering are the weakest ones I've tried. They sell you replacement pieces - no warranty. Bullet Proof guards have been the most durable. But I've bent one and the company wouldn't replace it, so no warranty there either.
Bought my YZ250X with jbweld from the previous owner bending it then fixing it. I smashed the other side and nothing two screws plus a 2x4 and hammer couldnt fix in a few hefty taps.
Why wait so long and risking to get stranded just to end up putting radiator guards in the end? Bulletproof design guards are very good brand at least for KTM (they also protect the bottom part as well of the radiator) and never bend or leaking issues. Don't forget that once you bend your radiators it will be very tough to fit some guards since they so out of shape the guard won't fit anymore.
I Have guards on my ktm 200 and they protect the radiators well. BUT the radiators started to show very small cracks on some of the joints. I suspect, that happened because the guards weren't as good protected from the vibrations. Actually happened with two sets of radiators. I was lucky to spot the leaks before my last trip to romania. Straight but leaky
No they where cracking where the thin pipes meet the base and the top of the radiator. I did not trust them any more. Because the leaks where so small it blew off quite slowly which I didn't notice while riding . I nearly killed the engine because it lost a lot of water but over several rides. So always check your fluid level :)
i had a pinhole leak in one of my radiators. being too cheap to buy a new one I attempted a repair. bought an aluminium brazing rod and a map gas torch. 10 minutes later there was no leak. still using the same radiator 6 years later.
My advice: On those dirt bike destination trips- bring extra radiators. You or your mates might use it. I went to Moab Utah for 6 days and crashed at the end of day one. Luckily we next day aired from Rocky Mountain to our cabin. Since then I’ve kept spares with me. We can substitute or band-aide many parts. Radiators you can’t. I bent the lower neck so the hose couldn’t secure all the way. I’m very surprised no one carries spares.
Did that happen despite having radiator guards? A high quality set like the P-tech guards in this vid go right around the radiator and would need a seriously bit hit to wreck things completely. Also A tube of metal epoxy like JB Weld can go a long way to plugging up quite big holes and get you home again. But I agree that if you are a long trip that's cost you a lot of money it could be a good safeguard to carry spares.
@@crosstrainingenduro sorry I forgot to mention the brand I was running. I have the Bullet Proof Designs. I’ve been impressed with a couple big hits they’ve taken on both sides, cracking the plastic shrouds. They held well. But the Moab hit was a frontal impact on a rock, causing the mount bolts to pull through. I put it back on with a washer and she still holds today. Only reason I’ve not gone with another version is 1-These are paid for. 2-they are extremely light. And you never pick up your bike from flat ground. It’s always …in a gully, upside down, gassed out, dehydrated, bike needs turned around, log/tree blocking the recovery and so on. So weight has become a small focus of mine. By the way- 21 TE300i
have to ask yourself if the guards price is dobble the price of 2 new radiators, if so - I would go with new radiators because I did not kill one so far. I myself just bought some more stiff plastic parts from husqvarna, which came 50 euros - substituting the original fly screens - and not weighting to much. It's a trade off.
It's a good point. Don't crash often? Are you usually not far from base if you break down? Then it could be worth just not fitting radiator guards... especially if you carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld to fix any radiator leaks.
Ooooooohh - you really should anneal aluminium before bending it, especially if it was recently bent. Mark the area with a Texta or Sharpie and heat it up until the mark disappears. That's about the right temperature to anneal. If you don't anneal aluminium, it may have reached a point where it is brittle and will tear or break off if attempting to bend it.
Good point. I asked John about this and he was leaving the heat gun as a last resort. But I kinda figured it would be good to use straight away? If you look at all the radiator repair vids no one seems to be heating them up first... for better or worse. But I'll put your advice in the pinned first comment.
@@crosstrainingenduro That's basic metallurgy - however, if the last treatment to the radiator during manufacturing was welding the seams, it may still be in a malleable state. I would doubt it though, especially if it has been bent or formed in an accident. Another consideration is confidence. Heating a complex aluminium radiator to 320+ degrees C is not for the feint hearted!
I just fully destroyed my radiator with gaurds which says how rough i am on my drz. Mine have been bent for 2 years my opinion if it doesn't leak or compromise something else why fix it. Unless are ther benefits to straight rads? I can't think of any.
Mine have been bent like this for about a year as part of my experiment to see how far I could get with minimal protective parts. I'd say the main issue would be it could be easier for the next impact to cause leaks as the radiator is already bent?
Very similar to the powder form of stopleak, use maybe a half teaspoon to a full teaspoon. Works on smaller leaks, I never tested its limits, but I know it's effective on anything a regular stopleak will handle.
Aw, c'mon, Barry. Your rads weren't bent. They were simply twisted as hell, just like the rider. ;) I think you were lucky as hell the things took the twist in the first place without leaking, and especially lucky when they didn't start after straightening.
I thought they were definitely gone. But it seems you can often fix really bad cases without springing a leak. I figure it's worth a try unless you have plenty of money to throw at new ones. 😊
I hate shercos radiators i allways bend them. I have a 2022 sherco 125 with 60 hours and i have bent them 4 times. Before i hade the sherco 125 i hade a ktm 2018 125 xcw with over 220 hours and never bent them. I feel like shercos radiators are super soft🙄
I asked John what was his experience and he said Beta radiators are the worst, they bend if you sneeze on them lol. Sherco next. And then stock KTM radiators are probably the least likely to bend. But of course if you crash regularly or ride gnarly terrain a lot you'll simply want radiator guards on any bike.
FURTHER TIPS: One viewer suggeted annealing aluminium before bending it so it's less likely to tear or break. Mark the area with a black marker pen and heat it up until the mark disappears. That's about the right temperature to anneal.
SHOULD I BUY RADIATOR GUARDS? Possibly not, especially if you rarely crash. You usually aren't far from your home base and can tow a bike back. And some bikes have more protected radiators like the KTMs. The Shercos would be next. But Beta radiators are very easy to bend. We suggest you carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld to fix any radiator leaks. And possibly put better plastic radiator guards at the front to prevent sticks jabbing into your radiator fins.
CHEAP NO-NAME RADIATORS? Don't fully trust your repaired radiators? Keep them as spares. There are generic cheap radiators on Ebay that apparently work quite well. Let me know if you've experienced otherwise. There are oversized ones that might need a bit of modifying to fit but can be handy if your bike overheats.
TRAIL SIDE REPAIRS? Carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld. If you get a leak, just slap this on and keep riding (but keep checking for leaks). You can top up your radiator with tap water from your bladder for the one ride, but just remember the minerals in tap water can slowly affect aluminium.
Funny timing as I was fixing a couple of bent radiators last weekend. I use Force Accessories radiator guards. I've found they fit really well (when the radiator is not bent) and never had any issues with bent radiators after installing them. Made in Aussie as well so not too far to ship to NZ.
I've straightened a few OEM radiators out, however the last set developed a leak afterwards. Ended up getting a set of aftermarket radiators from Euro Enduro at around a third of the price of genuine Beta radiators. So far they have held up really well.
Good to hear Coxy. Just a set of generic unbranded ones? I've been hearing most guys are worried about the quality but hit zero issues.
@@crosstrainingenduro Just a cheap set from China. The only issue I had was that due to them being a bit more bulky that the Beta rads, I had to notch out a small part of my radiator guards (Force rubbish) to fit over them. These radiators have coped a fair bit of abuse and are now also twisted up and bent, but haven't cracked any welds or leaked.
I figure the previous owner of your RR300 did all the bending? I hear he can barely ride a dirt bike? 🤔😂
@@crosstrainingenduro For someone that rides a BMW, he doesn't do too bad for himself!
🤔😎👍
After getting the wrong ones shipped through Ebay I actually went off Cameron's vid and managed to save one rad. The other one ended up getting a leak after getting it partially bent back, it was pretty bad!
Stopped using rad and pope guards 10 years ago.
It's actually easy to straighten a rad and it's nice seeing the result 😅
Buy radiator guards before bending them. If you can afford a new bike, you can afford the radiator guards.
Yep, probably the best solution if you crash a lot or do a lot of gnarly terrain. I usually put them on every bike but as per the vid this was an experiment for a video topic.
I bought my 2022 se300 with 2hours and a little bent radiator. I straightened it and fitted the Ptech guards too. I like them because they are a complete cage arround the radiator which gives very good protection for side impact. I had one crash where radiator and guard both were twisted a little. Without the guard the ride would definitely have been ended there. Demounted and straightened radiator and guard back at home. Works fine until today with 55hours and some riding fails.
But the sherco radiators (I guess on all modern bikes) are very thin walled and bend easy when falling to the side. I dropped my old Husabergs on the side lots of times. Never had any small dent in the radiator (no guards used).
Only thing that is not that good is that when you mount the ptech guards the coolant hose is squeezed flat between left guard and frame. I added washers between guard and frame to give the hose a little more space.
Cheers from germany!
Generally KTM seem to be the strongest radiators, then Sherco, then Beta. It might just be because the KTM ones are tucked away better? Of course it doesn't really matter once you fit guards!
I dont use any guards . I just dont drop the bike . If it drops anyway I put my body under the bike as a cushion.
😂 Great strategy! A bit of excess body weight helps too, you can even bounce back up off the ground sometimes if you are shaped like Homer Simpson.
My left radiator has a bend in it, fitted a guard to the right radiator but I don't want to bend the left one back straight as it could make it leak. My bike doesn't overheat so I don't need to worry about it.
A very educational video as always Barry!
Thanks! I wanted to keep it short but the link at the end goes to a vid where a guy has more tips.
Replaced my radiators with cheap shitty oversize ones off e bay. The works connection radiator braces fit them with a little modifying. Never had a problem!
Trail Tech had the best support. Sent me a full set twice, after I broke one then the replacement. Enduro Engineering are the weakest ones I've tried. They sell you replacement pieces - no warranty. Bullet Proof guards have been the most durable. But I've bent one and the company wouldn't replace it, so no warranty there either.
Bought my YZ250X with jbweld from the previous owner bending it then fixing it. I smashed the other side and nothing two screws plus a 2x4 and hammer couldnt fix in a few hefty taps.
Why wait so long and risking to get stranded just to end up putting radiator guards in the end?
Bulletproof design guards are very good brand at least for KTM (they also protect the bottom part as well of the radiator) and never bend or leaking issues. Don't forget that once you bend your radiators it will be very tough to fit some guards since they so out of shape the guard won't fit anymore.
I explained why in the vid... this was a deliberate exercise to see how long I could run the bike for without the usual protective gear.
I Have guards on my ktm 200 and they protect the radiators well. BUT the radiators started to show very small cracks on some of the joints. I suspect, that happened because the guards weren't as good protected from the vibrations. Actually happened with two sets of radiators. I was lucky to spot the leaks before my last trip to romania. Straight but leaky
Bummer. I guess you could use JB Weld to fix the leaks and just keep them as a backup set?
No they where cracking where the thin pipes meet the base and the top of the radiator. I did not trust them any more. Because the leaks where so small it blew off quite slowly which I didn't notice while riding . I nearly killed the engine because it lost a lot of water but over several rides.
So always check your fluid level :)
i had a pinhole leak in one of my radiators. being too cheap to buy a new one I attempted a repair. bought an aluminium brazing rod and a map gas torch. 10 minutes later there was no leak. still using the same radiator 6 years later.
Sweet!
My advice: On those dirt bike destination trips- bring extra radiators. You or your mates might use it. I went to Moab Utah for 6 days and crashed at the end of day one. Luckily we next day aired from Rocky Mountain to our cabin. Since then I’ve kept spares with me. We can substitute or band-aide many parts. Radiators you can’t. I bent the lower neck so the hose couldn’t secure all the way. I’m very surprised no one carries spares.
Did that happen despite having radiator guards? A high quality set like the P-tech guards in this vid go right around the radiator and would need a seriously bit hit to wreck things completely. Also A tube of metal epoxy like JB Weld can go a long way to plugging up quite big holes and get you home again. But I agree that if you are a long trip that's cost you a lot of money it could be a good safeguard to carry spares.
@@crosstrainingenduro sorry I forgot to mention the brand I was running. I have the Bullet Proof Designs. I’ve been impressed with a couple big hits they’ve taken on both sides, cracking the plastic shrouds. They held well. But the Moab hit was a frontal impact on a rock, causing the mount bolts to pull through. I put it back on with a washer and she still holds today. Only reason I’ve not gone with another version is 1-These are paid for. 2-they are extremely light. And you never pick up your bike from flat ground. It’s always …in a gully, upside down, gassed out, dehydrated, bike needs turned around, log/tree blocking the recovery and so on. So weight has become a small focus of mine. By the way- 21 TE300i
I tried the fare cheaper radiator from the mxstore for my husky. $170 for 1 side compared to $450 genuine. If you got replace them.
have to ask yourself if the guards price is dobble the price of 2 new radiators, if so - I would go with new radiators because I did not kill one so far. I myself just bought some more stiff plastic parts from husqvarna, which came 50 euros - substituting the original fly screens - and not weighting to much. It's a trade off.
It's a good point. Don't crash often? Are you usually not far from base if you break down? Then it could be worth just not fitting radiator guards... especially if you carry a metal epoxy like JB Weld to fix any radiator leaks.
Good advice, kinky radiators can really put you off your game 😁
What happens in the bush, stays in the bush. 😗
@@crosstrainingenduro
Always! 🤣
Ooooooohh - you really should anneal aluminium before bending it, especially if it was recently bent.
Mark the area with a Texta or Sharpie and heat it up until the mark disappears. That's about the right temperature to anneal.
If you don't anneal aluminium, it may have reached a point where it is brittle and will tear or break off if attempting to bend it.
Good point. I asked John about this and he was leaving the heat gun as a last resort. But I kinda figured it would be good to use straight away? If you look at all the radiator repair vids no one seems to be heating them up first... for better or worse. But I'll put your advice in the pinned first comment.
@@crosstrainingenduro That's basic metallurgy - however, if the last treatment to the radiator during manufacturing was welding the seams, it may still be in a malleable state. I would doubt it though, especially if it has been bent or formed in an accident.
Another consideration is confidence. Heating a complex aluminium radiator to 320+ degrees C is not for the feint hearted!
300 hours on my last bike never bent a rad. 10 hours on the new one got it done.
practice makes perfect, or something? haha
@@brapamaldi hahaha yes
@@mikeking7388 you kept trying and got there in the end. see, persistence does pay off :D
very clever mate
I reckon he did a great job for his first ever attempt! John's very handy with sort of caper... especially compared to me lol.
@@crosstrainingenduro absolutely mate I’d use the ten pound hammer then go buy new ones hehe
I just fully destroyed my radiator with gaurds which says how rough i am on my drz. Mine have been bent for 2 years my opinion if it doesn't leak or compromise something else why fix it. Unless are ther benefits to straight rads? I can't think of any.
Mine have been bent like this for about a year as part of my experiment to see how far I could get with minimal protective parts. I'd say the main issue would be it could be easier for the next impact to cause leaks as the radiator is already bent?
I suggest ditching the rad and go air-cooled
Probably two kg less weight? Woohoo!
I cracked my rad at a mount. I chose to have it welded and reinforced.
Black pepper for stopleak works
Interesting... how does that work?
Very similar to the powder form of stopleak, use maybe a half teaspoon to a full teaspoon.
Works on smaller leaks, I never tested its limits, but I know it's effective on anything a regular stopleak will handle.
Best radiator protection = DR650
Every time!
I ride an xr400, don’t have to worry bout bending radiators 🤣🤣
Same with my DR650, no school like the old school!
Aw, c'mon, Barry. Your rads weren't bent. They were simply twisted as hell, just like the rider. ;)
I think you were lucky as hell the things took the twist in the first place without leaking, and especially lucky when they didn't start after straightening.
I thought they were definitely gone. But it seems you can often fix really bad cases without springing a leak. I figure it's worth a try unless you have plenty of money to throw at new ones. 😊
I hate shercos radiators i allways bend them. I have a 2022 sherco 125 with 60 hours and i have bent them 4 times. Before i hade the sherco 125 i hade a ktm 2018 125 xcw with over 220 hours and never bent them. I feel like shercos radiators are super soft🙄
Ktm just does a better job tucking them away, I know a lot of hard enduro guys that don’t bother running braces on their ktms
I asked John what was his experience and he said Beta radiators are the worst, they bend if you sneeze on them lol. Sherco next. And then stock KTM radiators are probably the least likely to bend. But of course if you crash regularly or ride gnarly terrain a lot you'll simply want radiator guards on any bike.
@@crosstrainingenduro KTM has the strongest, stock louvers. They've actually designed them to brace the rads, no just redirect the airflow.
Our local radiator shop is very good at motorcycle radiators
And doesn’t rape you for the privilege
I’m a great fan of Force guards 👍👍
I've been amazed at how some guys can get badly mauled radiators looking new again. They even straighten all those little fins.
So yeah, Solution;
Ride my bike, it's an
air-cooled snail, no radiator.
Yep, just one reason I love the DR650 for dual sport riding
Gday is there anywhere to contact you direct cheers Facebook etc
That depends. If it's about affiliate marketing or promoting dodgy products... absolutely not.