Fitting a rear disc guard

[blanc]

Hi All

I purchased a hardparts rear disc guard for my 200. Has anyone fitted same? I am a little concerned about having to drill my new swingarm / caliper bracket.

Steve

[blanc]

i think they are also called a sharkfin. Any ideas?

[bukwheat]

Yeah, I know what your dealing with. I had a really nice shark fin on my 250 and before I sold it, I took the shark fin off to install on my new 300. I looked under the swing arm and there were no tabs there to attach it to. I just figured I wouldn't run one since I didn't have any real "dings" in the shark fin.
Sorry I can't help you any more than that....

[jeffs2200]

I would not waste your time. They are just an extra part that serves little purpose. Of course that is just my opinion based on my experiences.

Good luck.

[REVERUP]

The problem with the style you have is, in the event of a real impact the tabs just break off and you loose the fin and tabs.

If you plan to run one I would get one complete with carrier like a Scotts, Enduro Engineering, or Bullet proof designs.

I ran the same Scotts on 3 of my Gas Gas 300's.Its pretty banged up and slightly bent. So for the new bike I went with the EE which you can replace the fin off the carrier when damaged.

My feeling is they do serve a purpose. Bend your rotor bad and your done in a race, or just out riding having to pull your wheel and removing said rotor and riding without rear brakes back and spending $100 on new rotor.

I however do not run a front disk guard as you tend to get the front up out of harms way.

Roscoe

[urnuts]

It really depends on where you ride.
They really aren't an option in New England- Most every bike has them
and they are usually scraped and pretty heavily damaged.
The one on my 450 looks like it was intentionally mutilated- some pretty large chunks missing, gashes, etc

[jeffs2200]

The gaurd will get all banged up when the disk would have not been hit at all. The gaurd sticks out so far that it takes lots of abuse that the rotor would never see. Just because the gaurd is gouged does not mean the rotor would have taken a hit.

No reason to say more because this is kind of like which oil is best, everyone has their own opinion.

[Cruiser]

Jeff,, I take it you dont ride rocks,, or have had a rear rotor bent like a potato chip before? I have destroyed several guards and have bent a few rear rotors before.. but as I get better I damage less,, but there are still those days where rocks come from nowhere and grab parts off the bike.. I have lost foot pegs, brake pedals, shifters and even bent the shift shaft, destroyed a brand new CF eline pipe guard the first day out in a rock formation we call the "v-grove" and the protection it gives is more than piece of mind.. unless you just ride in grasslands..

[urnuts]

The guard on my 450 is pretty much right in line with it- I almost wished it was bigger when I was installing it, if that makes any sense.
I've bent and broken discs- not fun.
I came down on some rocks a year or so back and shattered the rear brake switch and took a nice chunk out of my swingarm!
I just put KX forks on my KDX because I hated how the forks hung 4-5" below the axle- I was always smacking them on rocks.
They just seem like kind of a no-brainer to me, but where we all ride is certainly a factor.
I hit a rock hard last year and just turned my rear brake lever into a twisted mess- ride a hundred plus miles in varied trails with no rear brake and you'll certainly hone your front brake skills!
It was funny- we were flying down (fairly steep downhill) what must have been a river at some point- just a gulley of boulders and rocks and I felt the bike just take a "thump" and slow, then keep going- that lever just mushroomed.
I, too, shattered a brand new (that morning) e-line header guard. Did it's job- though.
Went back to the dealer the next day.... "I'll need another one of those.... make it three, why don't you"

[Cruiser]

I went back to aluminum,, didnt want to breathe in the cloud of CF dust created when I grazed the granite boulder,, the cloud of dust was impressive.. a few people saw it.. the matting under was just like loose cloth again.. I broke the alum ones too,, but not as fast,, nor as impressive..