Bottom line, great guard!…mounted easy and fast (20 minutes max!) and fit like C’Dale made it! You need some longer bolts for the top mounts, but they are included with the guard. Install was pretty easy….here goes the Lab Rat…

1. I already had the tank off as I was replacing my stepper valve that came in…so either way you are going to want the wings off the bike…just easiest to just remove the whole tank (IMO). OH when you are at it, take a good look at your o-rings on the fuel quick disconnects…if they are notched or grooved at all, replace em…don’t mess with these little orings and…I always use assembly lube each time I take mine out of the tank.

2. Remove the front fender, its just easier, especially with the fins on the radiator bending so easy, if you don’t pull the fender, you will fold and crush some of the fins taking other things off.

3. Pull the existing vent panel off the radiator.

4. Remove the bolts holding the bottom of the radiator and the fuel pump, the bottom of the guard bolts in down at those points (beyond solid!)

5. Rock the guard in, starting with the bottom tabs first and then just tip in the top. Everything lined up like a dream, no pushing or tugging to get her to fit (I can be meat handed so its nice when I don’t force things! )

6. Bolt the bottom mounts, not all the way tight, then start the top ones in.

7. Tighten top and bottom mount bolts…you are set with the guard…done!

8. I had just a bit of rub with the factory plastic vent panel on my front fender (tight clearance!) so I wanted to have the vent panel as well as the guard (keep the mud from packing up) so I put two washers between the fender and the lower triple clamp on the rear bolts to make sure I cleared everything…worked great..bolted everything back up and nothing rubs now!…so I have my guard on and the plastic vent panel on there as well!

9. Dropped the tank back on and bolted the wings back to the radiator, guard and the vent panel. The wings will require longer bolts as well, but I used the bolts from the fuel pump that were long enough for this, but not long enough for the fuel pump, guard and radiator….so no big…had everything I needed.

Went riding today, slow stuff, mostly first and second gear all day…and no issues with over heating, nothing came loose, everything was lined up perfect. GregM and I had to do a bit of “discovery” today as they were logging where we rode and blocked some of the trails. Another place a huge tree had just fallen (C’dale thunder scared it down!) and blocked the trail in another location, which we managed to get around with some serious trail blazing and stomping…only to find the ONLY way out was blocked by more logging trucks loading!…so we had to go around it again!…each time I played bulldozer and had junk all crammed in next to the guard and the wings…nothing made it to the radiator!….sweeeeet!

No crash test…sorry, but I will tell you that I would offer that with these bolted on to the radiator, if I crash hard enough now to seriously damage the radiator, the bike will be the LEAST of my concerns…this thing is solid…!

Awesome guard, fits great, works as its supposed to (at least I haven’t crashed it yet), no over heating in some slow slow stuff today….so…I am keeping it and you cant have it!… Go here if you want your own!…

www.ss-llc.com

Scott Lind (HR) (email)