Ducati Sport Classic Oil Cooler Radiator Guard

Paul Smith Ducati Sport Classic Oil Cooler Radiator Guard

Paul Smith is at it again!  His Ducati SportClassic fork protectors (review) have become so popular that he’s started producing and selling them with a new company, CustomDucati, to handle the orders.

Here’s his latest creation, and this one is just as useful: the CustomDucati SportClassic Radiator Guard.

I’ve been scratching my head ever since the GT1000 entered the garage, trying to figure out a way to protect those super-thin oil cooler radiator fins from getting bent, knocked, bunged, bugged, crusted and generally abused.

The radiator sticks right out there, like the proverbial glass chin on a wannabe boxer, just waiting to get slammed.  And nothing looks worse than bent and buggy radiator fins!

They’re a pain to clean, and I have to grab the needle-nose pliers on a regular basis to straighten them out.  Kind of ridiculous, when you think about it.  After all these decades, we’re still using flimsy radiators with paper-thin cooling fins that can bend when hit by a little bug.

So I’ve been on the lookout for something I could drape over the front of the oil cooler to prevent damage, while still allowing the maximum amount of air flow, which is, of course, crucial.

I tried ginning up a piece of metal screen, using cable ties, but it looked like heck so that idea was scrapped.

And then along comes Mr. Smith, with this very nice-looking and also very useful Ducati SportClassic Radiator Guard.  Just the ticket, and the bonus is that it looks great!  I think it actually makes the somewhat ugly radiator look better, which is a real accomplishment.

Like the fork guards, this is easy as pie to install.  The radiator has two 5 mm hex-head cap screws holding it to the rubber dampers on the bottom.   The screws fit into what appears to be a titanium (can’t be, can it?) special washer.

Unscrew the bolts, slap on the radiator guard and tighten everything up.  I put a dab of blue Loctite on there just in case, figuring that with all the vibrations on the front of the Ducati V-twin that the threads might need a little persuasion to behave.

See for yourself; it’s amazing, because it gives the front of the bike a much more finished look.

This one is aluminum, and Paul says the radiator guard will also be available in black.  I’m sure Ducati owners will think of all sorts of colors (or is that colours?) to paint it.

We put the cool Ducati logo on the front, a nice finishing touch, as an example of what owners might want to do to dress it up a bit.