MotorcycleJazz - Fluidyne

Fluidyne Powersports Radiator

by Martin Hackworth

Photo: Martin Hackworth

Fluidyne Powersports Radiator

Price Paid: $219 - Pocatello Power Sports

The Good: Greater cooling capacity, built like an anvil.
The Rad: Looks incredibly trick.
The Gnarly: Heavy as an anvil too.

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After tweaking the left radiator on our CRF450X in a training mishap we decided to repair the OEM unit and keep it for a spare while looking around the aftermarket for a front line replacement. OEM radiators tend to be very expensive and not particularly distinguished in terms of either robustness or capacity. After wandering right past all of the cheap Chinese knockoffs on eBay, all roads, it turns out, lead directly to Fluidyne Powersports.

Fluidyne radiators are slightly bigger than OEM, have a 30% plus greater coolant capacity, keep your engine running 30% cooler and are built like a tank.The difference in heft is discernible (the Fluidyne is a little less than a pound heavier than the 450X OEM) but the additional quality of the Fluidyne is completely obvious. Cores are aircraft quality brazed aluminum with CNC-milled filler necks and mandrel-bent, flanged hose connectors. Beautiful TIG welds are on display throughout. Gearheads may well regard these as art.

In spite of the slightly greater size, the Fluidyne is, as advertised, a direct bolt-on replacement for the OEM radiator (at least our 450X). We had no trouble with clearances in spite of the fact that we run a T4 header (they make a short version for the right side that solves clearance issues), oversized tanks and an external oil cooler. The stock plastic shroud fits better on the Fluidyne than it did on the OEM unit and the beefier radiator sure looks trick peeking out from behind the louvers. Proven success with scores of teams in Baja and BITD racing make any decision to replace a stock radiator easy. It's Fluidyne.