Ebay foam inserts for 2008 - 2009 review

[LandRocket]

So an eBay seller has the foams back up for sale. I have an 08 and decided to give them a try since Florida has heat issues in the summer for some reason.

I have pictures of the unboxing and installing if interested but to keep it simple, i figured i would leave them out as this is really a simple subject.

install is easy, but since the foam is puffy, you do have to do a bit of pushing to get the fairing on the left side back on.
fit is overall good, does what it needs to in terms of fit.
now for the real part, does it work?

before the foam inserts: hot feet, stop light cooling fan kick on the heat will engulf you up around your body and trapped by windshield on the worst days. Highway use, engine runs cool almost cold, feel just a bit of heat at feet but can be hot depending on wind screen.

after install: cooler feet, less up leg heat. Fan kicks on soon in city and hot tanks and legs + nuggets. Highway, engine runs hotter then normal but have not had it above 60 yet. seams to work but still not 100% sure its a real fix. Still trying to determine the affects of higher engine temps and the leg/nuggets issues.

feedback anyone?

[VirginiaJim]

I didn't think that they were being sold anymore.  Can you provide the ebay link?

I have them installed but I also have blocked some of the heat within the fairings based on Fred Harmon's DVDs.  You aren't reducing the heat, you're just redirecting it.  If it can't get out where you've blocked then it will take another outlet.  If that outlet is vertical and then out by the tank, then yes you will feel it in other places.

[LandRocket]

Here is the link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-08-09-Concours-14-GTR-1400-Heat-Shields-/282033554032?hash=item41aa828270:m:mhTmBkH9Pi6AbTYB5swOSbw&vxp=mtr

at the moment it looks like there is only one left. Any ideal to cool off the fairing? maybe some sort of heat shielding on the inside?

[MAN OF BLUES]

the heat produced has to go somewhere... it does not change. blocking off the exits so to speak may provide some comfort for you, but at a point of what does it do to the components inside the barier that you have made?
meaning, you are containing and attempting, to redirect air, in a manner that was contrary to the original design. all well and good for your shins, but in reality, if the originator, or anyone else creating barriers for flow of hot air, has the credentials, time spent on temp rise, life cycle heat cool statistics, and longevity of components in "the oven", might wanna let it be as is.

do you know just how hard it is to make a "BETTER" mousetrap?.... define better....

[lather]

I just bought and installed a pair of the foam heat shields on my 09 from Zsteve, who is a member of this forum. They certainly look exactly like the ones on Ebay and are priced the same. My guess is the Ebay seller is Zsteve. I bought a set for my 08 from Zsteve probably in the summer of 2008, back about 140,000 miles ago. As far as I can tell the bike runs a great as it always did. The heat shields were the first thing I bought for the 09 as soon as I got it. I contacted Steve here via PM. He responded the next day and asked didn't he make me as set a while back?

The heat shields work for me. Maybe some of the redirected heat heats up the tank and the seat. But Seth Laam fixed that.

[Diablo6v]

I have a set that came with my '09 I will sell. I have a header with out cats. I am in Florida and even in August this bike is cooler that the C-10 ever was...

[LandRocket]

what is the header outcasts?

oh you mean removed the catalytic converter. how hard is that job? any mods to the sensors or anything?

[VirginiaJim]

There aren't any O2 sensors on the gen1 08/09 bikes.  I don't think they started putting them in until about 2015.