The Score
The two foam pieces are held together by a color-coordinated carabiner. The nylon straps and key ring attachments make both halves easy to pull out of the airbox once you are done cleaning.
Everybody knows that you shouldn't spray water directly into the airbox vents no matter what kind of bike you ride. However, everyone seems to have their own opinion about just how much is
really acceptable. Some people think you can spray the side panels but not the vents, and others swear you can spray the vents but only at an acute angle from front of the bike, etc, etc. As a general rule of thumb, our personal practice allows for power-washing galore as long as we aren't going to ride the next day or two, or if we plan on washing the filter. Mile High Designs settles the dispute with a simple piece of hardware.
The Scoop
Motor Guard MX is basically a pair of foam blocks that are cut to the same shape as your bike's sidepanel vents and prevent water from getting in while you wash up. Why would anyone waste time or money by keeping a couple foam chunks floating around their toolbox when they could simply slap on a strip of duct tape and be just as efficient? They went the extra step and added a couple features that turn a laughable idea into a marketable product. The foam pieces are each connected to a carabiner via a key ring and nylon straps.
The included carabiner makes it easy to keep track of both pieces in your cluttered toolbox, and the color-coordinated metal makes for a nice package. Our Motor Guard MX hasn't worn out, chunked or gotten sloppy yet so we're basically happy with the longevity. We figure that it'll get lost or plucked before it actually wears out.
Our test unit was for a CRF450R and the foam inserts fit snugly without any gaps. We also used it on a modified CRF450X airbox and it worked just fine. It also crammed into an older CR250R fairly well so a single unit might work for every bike in your garage if they have similar vents.
Most people just use a strip of tape or even a rag, but Motor Guard MX took the initiative to actually cut chunks of foam and market them as airbox plugs.
The whole reason we cut the airbox in our
CRF450X project bike was to increase flow, so even though the website claims that the Motor Guard MX can be used during competitive racing in order to keep out dirt, mud and water, so we never bothered leaving them in. We tend to like feeding air into our motors, something we consider of mild importance to engine performance, so we followed the contrasting directions on the packaging which says to remove before riding. Choking our bikes was limited to the washing process.
The Sentence
Is this product really necessary? No, and since we carry duct tape at all times, we like to save the space in our jumbled toolbox by using the old method when it comes time for serious washing. However, the Motor Guard MX definitely does what it is supposed to. The carabiner and swiveling keychain mounts make aesthetic and functional upgrades to what is essentially the most simple of concepts.
For $15 we can get a couple rolls of top-notch duct tape and get more bang for the buck, but hey, we
are talking about 15 bucks here - hell they're only $6.95 plus shipping if you buy online. They'll make great stocking-suffers during the winter holiday season, but if you're one of those people who has to have every little trinket then hook it up, feel special every time you wash your bike and see how long it takes before your buddy snags them or you forget to take it out and they vanish on the trail.
Product: Motor Guard MX
Application: Most 2005-2007 Japanese 4-stroke MXers
Color Options: Matches bike
MSRP: $14.95
Find out More: Motor Guard MX
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