Cannondaleriders

Wondering what i could use to protect the radiator from xc racing? I see um makes a gaurd but looks like it could get cloked up with mud easy, do they make louvers like on dirt bikes? And will a tank of gas last a 2 hour race, if so about how much gas do you ussually have left?

hey, i have a RIS radiator guard on mine, it does a good job, but yeah t has a tendancy of collecting mud and weeds. I have rana cople of gncc's and local harescrambles and had plenty of gas, usually about 1/2 to 1 1/2 gallons remain, depending on how fast the track is

I use the ones off of a dirtbike, takes a little notching at the top, but very easy to figure out, and only cost $10
I'm sure ATK has some more, but not 100%
I can post some pictures if you need.

Yeah can you post some pics please,thanx

I don't run a louver, in muddy races i tape up the front. At the Penton i was 12th overall and had the bottom square section of the tank left 2hours 40 minutes, Ironman i was 21st overall had about the same 2hrs 11mins, usually about the same at all the races, but i'm not a big rever.

I use OMF, but like Rowlrag said I also tape the front spars so no mud gets in and it works well.

The only people I know of that ran out on a Dale in GNCC's was Keith Brown at the Florida race. He is a 4-stroke A racer and ran out 100 yards from the finish. Rick Cecco also ran out in FL in 02.

Hey Ragweed and Jeff.....aren't you guys still running the GCD scoops and guard?


ben

I took a couple engineering classes at a junior college so I feel completely qualified to comment on this matter.

I too battled with the same exact problem. I think the solution I came up with is superior to what I have seen on the market. It cost less than 20 bucks to make. I have some pictures of it but they are on a different computer. I'll try to get them posted tonight.

The bad thing about louvers and most other radiator guards is that they sit flush against the radiator and their primary purpose it to protect the radiator not ensure airflow. So they get packed with mud and while radiator is still in good shape and protected it is not getting proper airflow to ensure cooling.

So this is what i did.

I went to the hardware store and bought a sheet of 1/4" expanded steel, they didnt have aluminum.

I then cut and bent it to shape. I basically made it into a box that stood off the radiator, at the top it 7" in front and at the bottom was about an inch. The screen was vertical and the radiator obviously slants back. |/ Something like that.

What that allows for is an air gap behind the mud deflector that will always permit adequate airflow through the radiator.

I raced it at Washougal and had minimal debris behind the screen.

It looks pretty cool, not like something COB'd together. As I said, I post pics tomorrow. It took less than 30 minutes to make, and required no welding.

I also got a sheet of red corrugated plastic and cut it out in the shape of my bumper. It is super durable and you just zip tie it in place if there is a lot of mud. Coupled with a front number plate you will never a cooling related issue from mud getting into your radiator.

I have been scheming up some ideas for that same setup Laptraffic. The idea was to leave a gap between the screen and the radiator to allow air flow. I was also trying to make the mudscreen removable so to change it out during a really muddy race. The screen would slide in and out of the mounting brackets.