Hi there,
Setting up a 2013 model year KLX for the wifey....who falls down a LOT!

I'm wondering if rad guards are still necessary with the Acerbis 3.7 tank? Does the tank protect the rads in any meaningful way?
We don't need the Acerbis full 3.7 gal, but will need a larger-than-stock tank and I'm also looking at the IMS, which provides the off-road range required.

With the IMS I'll likely need rad guards and do you use the original rad 'wings'?

Helpful suggestions most appreciated!!
Thx,
Greg

 

Well, if I'm any example of flopping on the tank to confirm that it makes a good rad guard, I'd say the Acerbis tank does just fine. I've smacked this tank from side crashes numerous times where rad guards would have been a necessity with the stock tank to avoid damage or at least bending the mounts. Last year at the Westfest get-together in Buena Vista, CO, I was riding with our group on the rough singletrack area in the 4-Mile section just outside of Salida. I went up a turn that was more of an embankment and fell on the downhill side, striking the fuel tank and handlebar before the rest of the bike even touched the ground. It hit the tank so hard that it actually squeezed the tank fast and hard enough to pop the fuel cap off...I kid you not. I couldn't believe that could even happen, much less without damaging the tank or radiator on the right side. I lost half my gas before I could get cap located and screwed back on. If the bike hadn't been laying with the tank pointed in a downhill position so the fuel wasn't pouring on to the bike, I would have let it sit for a few minutes before even approaching what would probably have been a huge, flaming fireball.

Anyway, I got the bike up and did a lengthy inspection of the tank, cap, and radiator. I had a scuff on the tank, missing gas, and the cap screwed back on with no issue and didn't leak the rest of the trip. The radiator had no visible contact or evidence of even getting tweaked in this ridiculous crash. There are two metal struts at the bottom of those two wings that cover the radiators that bolt to the frame. While they don't look it, they must be amazingly strong, as I've never even bent those struts. I did replace the cap when I got back home, as it did have evidence of the threads being somewhat worn, even though it never leaked. When the new cap arrived I could how dull/rounded the old cap threads were. The tank threads look good and sharp. Apparently the cap is made softer than the tank threads which is, I guess, a good idea. The original cap was about 7 years old.

Now, another story on this tank. We put on a national enduro out at our local riding area. It's a bugger of a tough location to ride but fun...hence it's good enough to challenge pros for a national. The place is rocky and has tight cedar and mesquite trees all over the place. I've smacked a ton of those trees with the side of this tank as well as the rocky terrain in many a spill. Never had any radiator damage or bending, but what really amazes me is how the tank never looks that bad from all this abuse. I've had two other Acerbis tanks on KLR600/650's in the past with the same results. I'm not saying their plastic is any different from IMS or Clark, but I can't believe the plastic takes this abuse without looking like crap.

Do I like this tank?...Hell ya'.

 

I agree with TNC, the Acerbis tank provides great radiator protection. However, I also have uniguard rad guards and I believe they saved the right radiator from an errant branch that poked right up into the radiator. This is a very rare occurrence and if I had it to do all over again, I probably wouldn't get the radiator guards.

 

I have the Acerbis on my '12 and aside from the aesthetic difference of the seat gap it has been a great upgrade. I can attest to its durability when I managed to smack a tree trunk and did a nice endo-it tweeked the rear subframe but the tank and rads are fine...My collarbone is another story though.

 

Thanks for the very helpful responses.
Sounds like I don't really need rad guards(famous last words) if we go with the Acerbis 3.7G tank, making the Acerbis tank quite a bit cheaper overall....without the rad guards.

I haven't been able to find a picture of the gap between the seat and the tank, can anybody point me in the right direction?

Wife is starting to connect with her KLX!! Lots of bike adjustments made, no doubt a few more to come.
Thanks!

 

Search "Acerbis" on this page https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...q-links-30733/

May find something there.

 

Here is google image search, you can see the difference of fit on the 06-07 bike vs the newer gen: https://www.google.com/search?q=klx2...F%3B1024%3B768

 

So the unibiker rad guards do fit under the acerbis 3.7 tank? I kinda want both, I am coming from a DR 650 (air cooled) and have always been hesitant to ride a liquid cooled bike hard when far far away just because of the rad issue if you were to break something. I emailed the owner of unibike and they didnt know if they would fit under the bigger tank, so I'm glad to hear they do, the extra 90 bucks is worth it, double protection with the tank too, hopefully the rads never have an opportunity to break.

 

Just look at those rads funny and they bend. I put on my uni guards after the first little stick got hooked by the shrouds and not only busted a 70$ shroud but bend my right side radiator. Luckily no leaks even after bending it back but I learned my lesson.

I spend decades on air cooled four strokes and am still not convinced that water cooling is a smart move.

 

Water cooling not a smart move?...what?...you some kind of dinosaur?

But seriously, coming from many years of air cooled and water cooled dirt bike engines...and 15 years of seeing stuff go through a motorcycle shop repair section...pistons, rings, and cylinders live a lot longer with water cooling. Valve train components also last longer. Hb, I'm thinking you're going to throw out some mileages to me of bikes you've owned that were air cooled and went tons of miles, but I think most engineers...of which I am not one...will agree with me about overall engine life. Maintaining temperature consistency allows more power to be extracted by numerous methods by virtue of water cooling while yielding longer component life. More hassle but better performance overall. It's a good thing.