My radiator got dented this weekend but is not leaking at all. I did a search on radiator repair and found a good place but wanted to know how I could tell if I really need to have it fixed.
The dent is on the left side of the radiator and looks like the bike fell over on a baseball :( .
I was planning on jut keeping an eye on it and see if it starts leaking then get it fixed.
So long as it isn't leaking, you will be fine to run it so long as it doesn't overheat because of it. The dent may reduce the cooling capacity a bit if the tubes of the core have been blocked off, but if it doesn't leak or overheat, it is basically cosmetic.
check ****, I just got a like new radiator for 60 bucks. My rad on the 97 CR250R had a similar crush area as you described and it just started to leak.