WTH does this thing do?

I'm talking about the "air guide" (it's what the Honda shop manual calls it, I swear). It's the black ABS thingamajig that's bolted to the swingarm and straddles the chain, just in in front of the rear sprocket on my '06.

Anyone know what it does?

Has anyone removed theirs and left it off the bike?

 

Maybe it guides air... :biggrin:

 

My suspicions lay with the OSH monster...
Exposed chain going into the sprocket provides a space for things to get caught.

Other than that - no idea!

 

I would make a WAG (wild-assed guess) that it helps prevent chain lube from flinging onto the disc brake rotor by "guiding the air flow" towards the rear of the bike. Strictly a WAG, though...

Amazing how many details a shop manual can have, but leave so much to the imagination.

 

Post a picture of this thingamajig! I'll tell you what it does!

 

hummmmmm air guide hummmmmm

 

I took mine off when I was replacing my chain and sprockets this season (along with the chain guard).

I just left them both off. I made an aluminum piece to hold the brake lines above the chain in place.

 

Here's the offending thingamajig . . .

 

It's there to make it a little more difficult to lube your chain. Honda must be in cahoots with the chain companies and is helping them sell more...

 

It's a heel guard. When you drive off from a complete stop, it's a natural tendency to let your feet move back & then up before pulling them forward & in to the pegs. That hoozawazit is there to keep your heel out of the moving chain.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Now that sounds reasonable!

 

Hmm, interesting. Honda shoulda called it a "heel entanglement avoidance device" instead of an "air guide." Oh well, I reckon I'll live with it as it is.

 

Would be a bold choice!

My bike doesn't have anything that imaginative. I'd burn my leg on the exhaust pipe long before I got anywhere close to the chain.

 

Then again, maybe Honda had a bunch of brackets that they just wanted to get rid of.

 

I would think that too. Working parts for them I have seen Honda do alot of messed up things.

 

I removed mine today to clean the chain really well. It looks like it is directing air flow to the brake caliper for cooling.