Foolish or Reasonable: R&G Oil Cooler Guard

[rdprdp01]

I think there will be about a 25% reduction in airflow...??, there is no thermostat.

PB, you raise a very interesting question! The mesh covers only the front of the oil cooler. Hence the two “sides,” bottom, and rear of the oil cooler remain exposed to air currents. However, there is the top which has a solid plate about 1/2” wide that covers the “top” of the oil cooler. I believe that air can still flow from the front and over but heat can no longer rise “up” from the top. I am not a thermodynamic engineer so I cannot quantify the impact even though my gut tells me the momentum of the bike moving draws the heat backward toward the rear wheel.In my research, no one brought up this point nor did the manufacturer. However, you may just be smarter than the rest of us!

Aesthetically, I have always found the OEM oil cooler to be less refined than the rest of the bike. It may have been that way to vent heat up. As of this post, I like the appearance of the guard better than stock but not so much to place engine life at risk. I will do some more research.