Evotech Radiator Guard for 2021 Svartpilen 401

C

Cirrusly

contributing rider
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
12
Location
Hendersonville, NC US
I have read varying reports regarding putting radiator guards on the 401. I've read that the guard made for the Duke 390 has to be modified, longer screws are required, etc. That very well may be (probably is) true for other year models, but for the 2021 the guard listed below fits with no modifications whatsoever.

I just installed the "Evotech Performance Radiator Guard KTM 125 / 250 / 390 Duke 2017" that I purchased from MotoMachines.com. Their price including shipping was the best that I've found, and delivery was quick. The guard is very well made and looks great on the bike. There are absolutely no instructions shipped with the guard, and the online instructions from Evotech are of little help as they show a radiator shroud and extra bolts and other parts that the 401 doesn't have. I'll outline the installation procedures below. It really couldn't be easier!

  1. Install the 4 small plugs that came with the guard into the 4 ROUND holes in the 4 corners. Look hard.... they're there but they're hard to see at first. You will not need the two rubber washers. You can actually see the back side (that faces forward) of the 4 small plugs in the picture below if you look hard.
  2. Snap off the 2 side radiator covers. They just snap off. They may require a little pressure but they will just pop right off.
  3. Remove the two bolts and washers from the top of the radiator using a 10mm socket.
  4. Install the guard by slipping the bottom groove under the radiator, then reinstall the two bolts and washers. Do NOT use the rubber washers unless you want to get longer bolts. The guard fits very snugly and does not move or rattle AT ALL without the washers.
  5. Snap the two radiator covers back on and you're finished! You may have to hold the top corner of the radiator guard in just a little to snap the cover on at the top, but it will snap back on securely without any modification to the guard or cover.
That's it. It fits perfectly and looks great!

IMG_6182.JPG
 
Hello!
Do I understand correctly that it does not have a rigid mount at the bottom? I remember from my experience with the Duke that any loose metal parts tend to ring at certain RPMs. By chance, did you weigh it? I understand that it will weigh more than aluminum, I wonder how much.
 
It is aluminum, and it is very light. Check out the specs here from Evotech's website. There are a couple of tabs at the bottom of the guard that wrap around a lip at the bottom of the radiator. The 4 small rubber spacers shown in my picture are mounted to the back of the guard and they keep it from touching the radiator completely except where it's bolted at the top and the lip at the bottom. It's a very tight fit, and I really doubt that it will move or make any type of noise due to vibration.
 
Thanks for the information, it looks like I confused it with some other manufacturer (it was written about a very strong steel construction). I think now it will be my top 1 candidate.
 
You're very welcome. As I said it's a very high quality product, and the installation is extremely simple if you follow the instructions I gave above and ignore the downloadable instructions for the KTM installation that are available for download.
 
Last edited:
For a conversation with Evotech about the cheap knockoffs. It's a long video but it held my interest for the whole way through.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
I'll be curious to see my Aliexpress version...
Cirrusly, where there any stamps or stickers on your guard indicated the country of manufacture? I know EP claims generally claims all their stuff is made in the UK... do they actually mark it that way? I admit to assuming EP was just labeling a Chinese part because I've seen so much of that. But it does look like they make their own stuff, or at least claim that really strongly. Hence I'm really interested in the markings on the actual guard.
I'll post pictures and details of what I get... it was only 20 bucks, so not much to lose!
 
Last edited:
Vintage Veloce said:
For those looking to save some money, There are lots similar to this on AliExpress...
www.aliexpress.com

17.87US $ 25% OFF|Radiator Grille Cooler Protective Guard Cover For Ktm 390 Duke Black 2017 2018 Motorcycle Aluminium Steel - Radiator Caps - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com
Click to expand...
I prefer not to order parts from Aliexpress, sometimes I have to, as there are no alternatives, but the final experience is often negative. Everyone knows that most goods are made in China and very often enterprising Chinese produce and sell copies of goods that they also make as OEM for other manufacturers, but what they sell without a brand is almost always a cheaper version - worse paint quality, cheaper materials, poor processing quality (almost like a 2020 Svart compared to the 2018 version).
 
I have had good luck with them in the past:
Many of the parts do need a bit of fuddling, but I have found the same often applies with name brand. And I enjoy the customizing work.
hqvadventure.com

aliexpress farkles: levers , oil cap, filter cover

I've noticed that many seemingly expensive parts are just private labels of stuff made in china, and so I decided to try a couple farkles from aliexpress. It took a couple weeks for them to arrive... Levers: Well, these didn't fit as well as I hoped. The brake lever was fine. But the clutch was...
hqvadventure.com hqvadventure.com
hqvadventure.com

Akrapovic and LeoVince Replica / Fake Muffler Exhaust Options

I bought two muffler options to compare. (Thanks to BISavage for inspiration!) These seem to only fit 2019 and earlier exhaust systems. The akrapovic replica has a cool shape, and is stainless steel. They also sell this with various carbon look hydro dip films coatings. Beware that those are...
hqvadventure.com hqvadventure.com
Lots of other threads with Aliexpress stuff, just search the forum if you are curious.
I will report back on how the radiator guard works when I get it.
 
Last edited:
I received my knockoff guard today!
- It does seem to be a little different in design from the evotech one. I can see some very subtle differences in the arrangements of the top and bottom row of holes.
- The construction of the thing seems fine to me. Its a stamped aluminum radiator guard.
- Weighs 124g / 4.4 oz.
It goes on fine BUT... the plastic radiator trim on the ends will not fit over the guard properly. The guard has notches in the corners, but the end caps need bigger and deeper notches. Or, it looks like the plastic guards could easily be trimmed to make them fit over the radiator guard. The guard holds the corners of the end caps further forward than they need to fit. It does look to me to me like the Evotech has the same problem... In Cirrusly's picture at the top of this thread, it does look the same to me.
For the moment I am going to leave it off... I may be motivated to trim the guards later.
Pics of the Aliexpress part:
PXL_20220219_210904731.jpg
PXL_20220219_210744491.jpg
PXL_20220219_210833834.jpgPXL_20220219_210751436.jpg
PXL_20220219_211156140.jpg
Personally, if I really wanted one of these, I would buy the evotech one if it does fit properly with the plastic radiator end caps. For the high price, it should fit perfectly. For the Aliexpress version, the savings may be worth trimming the end caps a bit.
 
Picture of the Evotech where I have marked the area where it appears the guard holds the end cap farther away (forward) from the radiator than designed.
Cirrusly, is that really happening or does it just look that way in the picture? I should have taken a picture with the aliexpress part, but I forgot...
IMG_6182.jpg
 
OK, I put the aliexpress guard back on and took a few pictures.
You can see that the radiator end cap clips on, but needs a bit of trimming to fit properly over the guard.
PXL_20220220_010733756.jpgPXL_20220220_010703696.jpg
PXL_20220220_010703696.jpg

Also, the aliexpress guard does not have any rubber standoffs to prevent vibration noise. I don't know if that would be an actual problem because I didn't ride the bike. Frankly, I took the guard off. Here in Southern California summers get pretty warm and I'm not sure I want to impede the airflow at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom