New 2015 NC700XD Radiator broke after 2 months - Denied by extended warrenty

[L.B.S.]

The only other place* to put radiators are on the sides of the bike, and doing that has it's own large share of problems, which no manufacturer has had perfect success with in the past. Honda is the most known company for doing that with their Interceptors, by the way. They don't use that design anymore.

Yamaha Super Tenere 1200's have a left side mount single radiator.


It's a sucky thing to have happen to you, but all things considered, it's kind of statistically rare I think, actually. I've never had a damaged or leaking radiator in my entire biking career, and most of that has been spent with no rad guards, and on gravel roads with logging trucks flying past doing 100 kph.







* realistically, other than under the seat, above the rear tire, but I've only seen this in extremely rare race bikes and one or two one-off custom bikes.

 

[670cc]

Not to get off track here (but I am), the GL1800 has the radiators mounted on the sides out of harm's way. With that huge engine I don't see where else they would fit anyway.

 

[L.B.S.]

Not to get off track here (but I am), the GL1800 has the radiators mounted on the sides out of harm's way. With that huge engine I don't see where else they would fit anyway.

View attachment 29418

ooh, I didn't know that! Fascinating

I'll retract my "no great success" thing then, as they are pretty well perfected, lol

 

[dduelin]

This forum's search engine isn't easy to use. I know there are threads here on making your own stone guard for $10 or $15.

 

[mreric]

the dealer quoted me $1000 but i bought a new radiator online for 500 and they charged me 100 for the install and coolant

i'm just disappointed that the bike has such a vulnerable spot , if it's a known problem which it is Honda should issue a recall to install protection and not have their customers find out the hard way by replacing their radiator 2 months in

other than the radiator guard my NC is 100% stock so i'm hoping i dont need any other modifications to enjoy my bike

did you have a guard on the radiator and still got that damages?

 

[Beemerphile]

Not to get off track here (but I am), the GL1800 has the radiators mounted on the sides out of harm's way. With that huge engine I don't see where else they would fit anyway.

View attachment 29418

Is that an exhaust pipe extending out the rear or a chromed cannon barrel?

 

[davidc83]

To me that wasn't a small rock, the size of that dent looks like a >quarter size rock (big rock for road). Warranties are not going to cover road damage, which this was. I have 3 different bikes, all 3 different manufacturers (Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki), all 3 are water cooled, all three have the radiator out front with no protection from oncoming debris. The Suzuki (C50) does have the big cruiser style fenders though. The Kawasaki has a smaller front fender than the Honda. I don't have any rad guards on any of them; however, after reading this thread, probably going to get a guard for the NC700x though. Even $100 labor cost the dealer charged was too much. It showed have been a 30 minute job, not an hour job for labor (going fee around here is $90 per hour for labor)-heck, it is 3 bolts, 2 screws and one fan electrical connector.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

Regrettably all bikes with frontally mounted radiators have the same vulnerability, not just the NC. A rad guard is the only preventative.

 

[670cc]

Is that an exhaust pipe extending out the rear or a chromed cannon barrel?

Both. But once you get all the plastic on the bike you don't even notice the pipes.

 

[Joecamel]

did you have a guard on the radiator and still got that damages?

no didnt have a guard on it when damage occurred

 

[Ricochet]

That sucks and sorry.
Being a new NC owner myself I would be just as upset that it happened , would have asked the shop if they could help out with the cost of repair and understood if they said no . Never hurts to ask.
Unfortunately, as stated by others, it's an inherent flaw of most mc designs BUT the OEM has to put it in a place that will get sufficient airflow to keep engine temps within designed range which unfortunately for us is in the front, otherwise we would all risk replacing entire engines as they would keep seizing up.

Here is your moment of Zen that you can at least feel good about: Think of all the karma points that you are earning with the mc gods by highlighting that all your fellow NC compadres should and are installing rad guards.

 

[KMGuy]

As a long-time Service Advisor and Manager (not MC's, Autos and Heavy-Duty Trucks), I will give some input. The damage due to outside influence would deem the repair "Customer Pay" and not Warranty (Honda would laugh when the radiator was inspected after returned for Warranty credit). Now, can the dealer help out on their own with some Goodwill Policy or discounting - perhaps, and not necessarily a bad idea, especially to a customer that may have recently purchased from them. Did they buy the motorcycle from our Dealership? Where will they service it? Do they buy parts/accessories from us? Are they true to our store? These are things I take in to the equation when considering opening my Dealer's wallet to keep a customer happy and help cover the cost of a repair that the factory will not.

As for as radiator repair shops- there are many. Not so sure on motorcycle radiator repairs, but I can tell you that in automotive and heavy duty trucks, the side tanks can often be replaced. A re-core is possible at times as well, but whether there are cores for a NC radiator - plus the additional cost in labor to do it - might kick the cost up close to installing a new or used replacement.

The best answer here is to install a guard. I am guilty myself and will put that on my "to do" list. An ounce of prevention...

Best of luck, ride safe.

Years ago I was service supervisor for a power tool company. We used to give "Low charge and no charge" labor on a regular basis. The profit on components was pretty nice and the guy with a tool that was a month or so out of warranty was sure a happy camper when we offered him something. The margins are probably a lot thinner for MC's but just that effort can sure make a difference with a solid customer.

 

[bvogel7475]

One of the first things I did was purchase a radiator guard for my 2015 NC 700X. A warranty will never cover rock/roadhazard damage to a radiator. I also purchased an extension for the front fender. Radiator fins are very brittle and can be easily damaged. Purchased mine off Revzilla. Worth every penny. I have already seen a spot where a rock hit the radiator guard. I ride from Yorba Linda to Irvine a couple of days a week. Even though the roads are very well maintained a small stone could easily punch a hole in the radiator. A radiator shop should be able to fix it. Unfortunately, the dealers operate under different rules. They are required to replace, not repair the radiator. Their labor rates are crazy high as well. I do all of my own work on the bike and a radiator replacement would be very easy.

I also recently installed an SW motech protector for the bottom of the bike. Even the bike is very high off the ground it doesn't take much to bash the bottom of the bike on a curb or something similar. I like that the bike has added clearance so I can go up curbs if I need to. That would be some severe engine damage if I didn't have protection.

 

[davidc83]

Here is your moment of Zen that you can at least feel good about: Think of all the karma points that you are earning with the mc gods by highlighting that all your fellow NC compadres should and are installing rad guards.

Yep, just ordered me a rad guard...

 

[Dave Modisette]

What would be consensus on the best radiator guard for the NC? There are fancy laser cut ones out there but I'm more concerned about protection than fancy graphic designs.

 

[Ricochet]

Anything is better than nothing. Buy the guard that will give you the best protection you can afford. There was a thread on a diy hacked guard if you want to go that route (sorry don't remember who posted, just remember seeing the Franken-guard). It also depends on your style of riding. Paved, maintained roads won't require a beefy guard, if you off-road you might consider something more substantial.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[670cc]

What would be consensus on the best radiator guard for the NC? There are fancy laser cut ones out there but I'm more concerned about protection than fancy graphic designs.

The R&G Racing guard is the most toned down in appearance and it works well. The R&G logo can be easily peeled off.

Having said that, however, it's way over priced for what it is. Some forum members have made their own guards that look great and cost almost nothing but the time.

 

[Dave Modisette]

My concern isn't price as much as how well does it protect, how long will it last, does it fit well and install easily.

 

[Grey1one]

A DIY thread.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-mods/6308-another-diy-radiator-screen.html

 

[chewybrian]

I want one that just bolts on simply and looks good and does the job. I wouldn't mind paying the price if it does what I want. The Evotech looks like the one, from what I have seen.

Honda NC700X NC700N NC750X NC750S Radiator Guard Cover Grill Evotech Performance | eBay

Does anyone have one? Is it easy mount; do you think it will do the job? Or, is there another brand that is better for some reason?