To avoid damage, I decided to add an oil cooler guard to the Himalayan
Damage to the oil cooler on a motorcycle can have an impact on overall performance. I don’t want to risk damaging the oil cooler, which could decrease cooling efficiency. If the oil isn’t cooled the way its meant to be, it could result in power failures. On the trail, that would be bad and potentially dangerous. Therefore, I decided to try one.
An oil cooler guard can help avoid damage to the oil cooler. The Himalayan oil cooler guard I purchased from Happy Trails is a solid metal bracket that goes over the oil cooler and keeps it safe. Definitely worth trying it if you ride your bike on trails, tough terrain, or in tight areas.
The Specifications
These specifications are taken straight from the Happy Trails website for this oil cooler guard:
A quality Oil Cooler Guard to protect the engine oil cooler is a must
Color: Bare Aluminum
You will receive: 1 Oil Cooler Guard and instructions.
The Install
The install was super easy. Removed the two bolts on the oil cooler. Then added the bracket and replaced the bolts. The oil cooler guard went onto the bracket with just two more bolts with washers.
An easy install is always nice, so I’m really happy that installing the Happy Trails Himalayan oil cooler guard was quick to do. I think start to finish, it took maybe 10 minutes. And that time includes taking pictures, haha.
The Review
Finally, the fun part – the review. The oil cooler guard install is super simple.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t awesome on the trail. The front fender hit the guard on bigger bumps. As a result, it was noisy and pretty annoying. I have spacers that raise the front fender some, which could be why the fender was hitting the guard. However, the spacers are necessary to stop rocks from getting lodged between my front tire and the fender.
Maybe, if the oil cooler guard was modified to be flush, this wouldn’t be an issue. I might see if I can mod it myself to make it work.
In the end, I’m not overly impressed with this. But if the fender doesn’t hit, I would say it’s worth a try for others. Especially if riding in dirt and mud and muck!
