Radiator grill all bunged up

I like those, I've seen 'em here before.
Personally I'd prefer to do that on my GSA... proper tool for the proper job.
We're not in West Africa, y'know.
These videos are a good reminder of one of my favorite mantras:
It's not the bike -- is the rider.
(And yes, I like this crowd quite a lot, and I hang on your each and every word.)
 
SMSW said:
Second...did not someone buy a Chinese radiator and have problems with it fitting? I don't remember the outcome, but I think another poster also used a Chinese replacement and it worked ok. @Sadlsor, do you remember these posts?
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ST1300 - Chinese radiator? anyone tried one? | ST1300 Related

Hi guys Been looking at used radiators, as mine is significantly corroded (fan mount tabs dissolved and side tanks heavily oxidised) New OEM is very spendy, used are rare and often accident damaged . I found this online, looks OK , but anyone seen one in the flesh? Golpher Aluminium...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 
Sadlsor said:
I've not seen any type of grill or guard for our radiators, ......
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ST1300 - Radiator change | ST1300 Related

Hello All, Was about to swap the coolant for some Evans Powersport when I noticed the radiator fins are crumbling away to the touch. Any after market replacement for the radiator or will i need to make Mr Honda happy once again? While I'm there, are there any components that must be replaced...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
And then there are these;
The prototype for this one was designed using the ST1300 of member of this forum as a sample bike.

Radiator guard? | Vendor Feedback

Hi guys, I have been searching around, and can't find that link to the mesh radiator guard for the ST13. Can anyone help? :)
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 
Sadlsor said:
.....Seriously, there were some Asian knockoffs that seemed to have more plastic bits than what we would prefer. Plastic comes down to being VERY careful with your connections and your clamps, as well as reduced longevity.....
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This is my main concern. Buying it, waiting 4-5 weeks for delivery from China then it doesn't fit correctly.
Money down the drain.

Interestingly the first link that was shown (German ebay) is from a seller based in Wolverhgampton, UK which is where I am based.
Could it be that Fate is nudging me in that direction ......

Life eh !!
You never quite figure it out.

 
Andrew Shadow said:

ST1300 - Radiator change | ST1300 Related

Hello All, Was about to swap the coolant for some Evans Powersport when I noticed the radiator fins are crumbling away to the touch. Any after market replacement for the radiator or will i need to make Mr Honda happy once again? While I'm there, are there any components that must be replaced...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
....
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Excellent links. Thanks for that info.
One of the links mentioned is only a couple of miles from me so I may pop in and check out the comparative costs (rebuild Vs replace).

What a fine source of information this forum is.
Thank you Gentlemen (and any Gentleladies).
 
soforene said:
Interestingly the first link that was shown (German ebay) is from a seller based in Wolverhgampton, UK which is where I am based.
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Yep, posted it just because the GBP price tag... ;)
And the forum thread mentioned earlier ended with a successful fitment, tabs required a little bending, but the rad is in and holding up.

No so sure about a rad guard (other then OEM) though...
- reduced air flow
- might clog up faster then the rad fins if not observed frequently
- risk of damage by the guard vibrating while it's (or a pebble caught in between) rubbing on the tubes or end-plates...
- might even actually collect and hold humid road grime in place, leading to corrosion (like behind a car's wheel arch liner...)
 
The ST1300 radiator is mounted facing fairly perpendicular to the incoming air so the below is less of an issue, but it is something to consider when contemplating placing anything in front of a radiator for its protection.

It is important to consider how the air flows to and through that radiator. On a previous motorcycle that I had the radiator was mounted at a fairly steep angle relative to the incoming air flow. I removed the plastic radiator shroud and installed window bug screen behind it to keep bugs out of the radiator. This placed the bug screen about 1/2" away from the radiator, which was perfect, but this type of screen is woven to tightly for this purpose. The result was that the incoming air would hit the bug screen and much of it would be redirected downward towards the ground reducing the flow of air through the radiator. The result was that the engine ran hotter. Without the screen this was not a problem because the air hits the radiator fins and as much air flow as the radiator can handle is directed through it.

Most commercially available radiator grills have fairly large openings, relative to the size of most bugs, presumably to allow as much air flow as possible to avoid this issue. These grills will certainly help to prevent damage from rocks and other larger items. This certainly has value for dual-sport bikes that ride gravel roads often, but because of the size of their openings I have always thought that they were of limited use in preventing the biggest issue that most radiators of most street bikes face, which is clogged fins due to bugs.
 
As to adding a grill for protection, when I bought my '95 ST1100, one of the first things I did was to install a piece of plastic window screen over the front of the rad, fastening it in four corners to zip tie points.

Now, I'm not sure how much that may have reduced air flow through the rad, but I never had an overheating problem in the almost 20 years I had that bike, even travelling through the heat of southern US states on numerous occasions.

I also had a near pristine rad over all those years, as bug guts are easy to pick off of the screen and a light washing with a brush kept it clean.
 
soforene said:
This is my main concern. Buying it, waiting 4-5 weeks for delivery from China then it doesn't fit correctly.
Money down the drain.
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And then you'll have to worry about how long it will last. The radiator is essential for a running machine, so I would personally stick to OEM.
 
soforene said:
Hi Guys,
I'm looking for some advice re: the Radiator on my 2005 ST1300.
On a recent run I checked the coolant level before and after and all was fine but at the end of the run I noticed some rusty water marks on the R/H fairing louvres that weren't there pre-ride.
A peek at the radiator showed that it was all bunged up with (presumably) years of detritus, so much so that I doubt any air was making it through to the fans.
I have noticed that the fans kick in a lot recently but the temp guage never rises above 3 bars.
I tried blasting the gunge clear with a pressure washer (on low level) but that didn't make any difference.
I then scraped away at the dirt and cleared about 5 of the horizontal lines of a fine dusty material.
However, I'm aware that there are many very fine vertical (aluminium?) "fins" within each of the horizontal slats.
Cleaning these out individually was a no-go due to the extremely small size so i just scraped them clear but thought I'd get some advice before going further.
  1. Could the bike have got "over temp" briefly and blew a bit of steam etc. out near the radiator cap resulting in the rusty water marks on the louvres but no significant reduction in the overall coolant level?
  2. Are the verticle fine fins necessary for the cooling effect of the radiator (i.e. am I "safe to continue scraping away all the crud)?
  3. Does anyone else suffer from "Dirty Radiator Syndrome" and if so, how did you clear it?
I'd welcome any suggestions/advice before I do any more tinkering.
Cheers.
Rad1.jpgRad2.jpgRad3.jpgRad4.jpg
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I have a radiator from my 2003 ST 1300, repaired by Mylers. $100 plus shipping, this is VERY cheap., Lower 48 only, PayPal only. viffer1300@gmail.com
 
oude geit said:
Foaming condenser cleaners. Aluminum safe, no brushes needed, no high pressure washers.
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+1...
Or Insect Remover from the automotive section... also creating a sticky foam, softening up those dead bodies...
Some products, depending on ingredients, might however bleach plastic parts...
Rinse with lots of clean water with low pressure...
 
soforene said:
......One of the links mentioned is only a couple of miles from me so I may pop in and check out the comparative costs (rebuild Vs replace).....
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Just a quick update. I popped into the local Radiator place mentioned previously (West Mercia Radiators) and spoke to a knowledgable chap there.
They can replace the core for only £300 ($380). o_O
The search continues .......
 
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