well my Vrod has been playing up of late with a dreaded CLICK when pushing the starter well whilst at the dealer looking at the new sporty and Softail i let the tech loose on the electrics - they found the problem the solenoid terminals were corroded together with a track of rust that looked like a lump of mud !!!! warranty dept has order the needed parts to replace these heavily corroded parts (6months old!!!!!) so if you have starting issues check the starter solenoid as water runs down the cable thru the insulation and causes accelerated corrosion and if you ride in salt conditions - your in real trouble
perhaps an o ring round the cable in the right place will cause the water to drip elsewhere just a thought as i seem to always be trying to fight falling water Brian
the protection - as is doesnt really provide protection per say it more a rubber cover to stop arcing to the frame
yes it had a new frame within 6weeks of ownership and then the dealer ruined the rear fender and few other parts so it had a load of other new bits as well