pipe guard for 610?

[bensl]

has anyone fitted an aftermarket pipe guard to their 610? i have removed that ugly piece of aluminium (and ground off the attachment points) and tried running exhaust wrap but it doesnt last. so i have been looking at the drc & zeta universal guards. has anyone fitted one and can comment? interested to know before i order.
http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/drc-exhaust-exhaust-guard-heat-shield-protector-p-4822.html
http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/zeta-racing-carbon-exhaust-guard-universal-p-9713.html

 

[EricV]

I think it depends on the type of riding you do. You see, I have a similar guard on my TE 630 (a shorty guard, as opposed to the long type that comes stock) and what I've found is that while the shorties will keep your pants from melting onto the pipe (so proper placement is key) they're not going to do much in terms of keeping the intense heat off of your leg. Though I may get blasted for saying it's not uncommon for me to grab the bike for quick/slow around town errands, with shorts on, and in no time my leg is literally red from the heat. Never had that when the long shield was on (still hot, but it didn't literally cook my leg.)

 

[bensl]

Thanks Eric. I was planning on using it in conjunction with the heat wrap by placing the smaller guard over the spot where my leg keeps rubbing through.

Which guard do you have?

 

[southy]

I have a DRC Edge guard (similar to Zeta) on my mid pipe. It stuck out a bit much for my liking so I took to it with a hammer to flatten it out a bit. I don't have problems with intense heat, yes you can feel heat coming from the pipe but no different to any other bike ridden. I use over boot pants and haven't yet melted a pair but the potential is there.

 

[EricV]

Thanks Eric. I was planning on using it in conjunction with the heat wrap by placing the smaller guard over the spot where my leg keeps rubbing through.

Which guard do you have?

I should have mentioned mine's a DIY job- I have the FMF which has the long silver shield, so I cut it down and painted it black.

Thinking about it and time with it tells me that the shield, on this bikes set-up (and using Southy's pic as the example), probably needs to cover the area from the rear most point of Southy's first shield to the rear of his DRC shield. That's the area where the leg will be in both seated and standing positions (though the rearward one/placement is the priority as pant/pipe contact is more likely to occur when standing or in the far back scoot position.) Here's a pic of mine:

Edit: Sorry- can't seem to readily figure out how to do a larger pic. I'll work on that.