Air cooled engine worries.

[Deleted member 939]

45+ degree temps in Arizona this last summer.No Issues with overheating.

In 2016 I put a fan kit on my HD.I won't mention the company name as they gave me a full refund.
The fans were placed in front of the cooler actually made the bike run quite a bit hotter.The fan was controlled by a thermostat yet the bike yet did not work.
A fan behind the cooler may work better.Get a lazer temp gun and check the bike yourself.Then you will have evidence.

 

[Ulrich]

Hi, I did have an overheating issue last summer, during a traffic jam on the London Hiways.
Did already write something about this, but the conditions where as follows:
35 deg C
30 miles traffic jam with stop and slow traffic.
First overtemp warning after 30 or so minutes
Second, more urgent, warning some 5 minutes later.

Did park the bike on the curb and let it cool down until the primairy alarm was cleared... took some 45 minutes
This did happen 3 or 4 times during that trip and then trafic jam speed increased to 5-10 mph... this being sufficient for the oil cooler to get everything under control

Did miss my ferry back to Holland by 3 hours; had to stay some extra 2 days in England.

Now I do have one of my winter/hibernation projects started and I would like to show you guys some pictures on my "cool the cooler" project.
2 8cm heavy duty fans, mounted on a Wunderlich like (but from Ali) oil cooler cover; stainless steel, chromed. The fans are mounted on this and these are then covered by another Ali simpler cover....
Did choose a black one on purpose, because I had to smack that one with a hammer to get the proper fitting.
The fans will be switched on and off manually for now, but in future this could be temp controlled.

All mech work is done today... and, surpise, it fits... and doesn't even look bad
Tomorrow electrical work and testing.
yes, I do have a diag tool to verify engine and oil cooler temperatures... I will take some screenshots during these tests

br
Ser

Great Project!!! good thinking!!! .. but I do agree with R18C about the placement of the fans .. pull instead of push .. in other words .. behind the heat exchanger not in front, think about it, all cars have the fans behind the radiator .. and millions of Lemmings can't be wrong

 

[sjeuf12]

Great Project!!! good thinking!!! .. but I do agree with R18C about the placement of the fans .. pull instead of push .. in other words .. behind the heat exchanger not in front, think about it, all cars have the fans behind the radiator .. and millions of Lemmings can't be wrong

was just a gut feeling to put them in front... I think they are more efficient in blowing vs pulling.... there is plentyspace available, but it is more work to construct a bracket..and the cooler has to be dismantled.

 

[sjeuf12]

45+ degree temps in Arizona this last summer.No Issues with overheating.

In 2016 I put a fan kit on my HD.I won't mention the company name as they gave me a full refund.
The fans were placed in front of the cooler actually made the bike run quite a bit hotter.The fan was controlled by a thermostat yet the bike yet did not work.
A fan behind the cooler may work better.Get a lazer temp gun and check the bike yourself.Then you will have evidence.

do have my ODB diag app to check temperatures....it runs also on the onboard phone

 

[sjeuf12]

some first results in my "cool the cooler" project.

Completed the wiring and switch installation.
Found out (the hard way) that the cooler is mounted in silent blocks... so you have to have a neutral/gnd wire pulled or a jumper between cooler housing and engine

Did a test run and have some pictures for you.....
For me, the conclusion is that the fan's I used have a to small air throughput (spec 44 m3/hr at 1900 rpm); this is roughly speaking a mild breeze...
not enough to make a major difference but it does lower the end-temp a bit....
Plan to replace them next week with hi throughput fans (spec 76 m3/hr at 3600 rpm); this is roughly speaking the winds of wodan....
and then repeat the test...
take a look at the pictures,

This R18 sure heats up very fast in idle and thus the over temp in enlonged idle is easily explained ..

in the diag window you can also see the flapper valve operation.
in neutral, flapper valves in start position (open is 45%).
with gear in 1st and low rpm, valves are closed (10%).
on my bike, the valve control servo's are removed; so the actual position is always open...

to be continued

br
Ser

 

[Juanmlondon]

It is 100+ here every day.No issues and I'm pulling a sidecar.Next Saturday it will be 108+ then the 1-teens will be starting soon.
That makes the old saying "Fun as Hell"to take on a whole new meaning.
My R18C runs cooler than my Indian 116BBK.Now you talk about having something hot between the crotch,WOW!
Actually thinking of going to a water cooled bike.Maybe a Challenger.The EPA has aircooled motorcycles running at the same 14.7:1 and shit gas.
Electric(maybe not here as the temps really kill a battery)or Water Buffalo.
Last thing,I also need to protect my body and try to make my trips when the weather is cooler because I ride everyday.
To suggest a Tuner may solve your issue.Good Luck and be safe out there.


Oh,I did get caught is a over 2 hour slow,stop & go traffic thru Sedona.I learned to not use to much throttle as the clutch will be affected and the clutch will over heat.
The trick is to slip/feather the clutch without using the throttle.The bike has more than enough torque with the BrenTune and DNA filter.

good thinking. I’ll try that

 

[aicpjim]

OK this is ridiculous. Was stuck in stop and go traffic for about a mile last night, on a relatively cool 73 degree night. One of those "move 20 feet, stand still for a minute, move 20 feet" lines... Got two engine overheat warnings. Had to shut off the bike a few times during the longer stops. What is the best, and easiest method to fix this issue? I'm less worried about cost than I am ease of install. I'm not much of a mechanic.

 

[moleculo]

OK this is ridiculous. Was stuck in stop and go traffic for about a mile last night, on a relatively cool 73 degree night. One of those "move 20 feet, stand still for a minute, move 20 feet" lines... Got two engine overheat warnings. Had to shut off the bike a few times during the longer stops. What is the best, and easiest method to fix this issue? I'm less worried about cost than I am ease of install. I'm not much of a mechanic.

Noone knows. I had this happen to me twice, but not since. You probably need to change the oil now if it got cooked.

 

[Keehn]

Hi, I did have an overheating issue last summer, during a traffic jam on the London Hiways.
Did already write something about this, but the conditions where as follows:
35 deg C
30 miles traffic jam with stop and slow traffic.
First overtemp warning after 30 or so minutes
Second, more urgent, warning some 5 minutes later.

Did park the bike on the curb and let it cool down until the primairy alarm was cleared... took some 45 minutes
This did happen 3 or 4 times during that trip and then trafic jam speed increased to 5-10 mph... this being sufficient for the oil cooler to get everything under control

Did miss my ferry back to Holland by 3 hours; had to stay some extra 2 days in England.

Now I do have one of my winter/hibernation projects started and I would like to show you guys some pictures on my "cool the cooler" project.
2 8cm heavy duty fans, mounted on a Wunderlich like (but from Ali) oil cooler cover; stainless steel, chromed. The fans are mounted on this and these are then covered by another Ali simpler cover....
Did choose a black one on purpose, because I had to smack that one with a hammer to get the proper fitting.
The fans will be switched on and off manually for now, but in future this could be temp controlled.

All mech work is done today... and, surpise, it fits... and doesn't even look bad
Tomorrow electrical work and testing.
yes, I do have a diag tool to verify engine and oil cooler temperatures... I will take some screenshots during these tests

br
Ser

Ser,

I can't really make out the manufacturer of the fans you used in your pics. Would you mind sharing?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Deleted member 1344]

Shutting off an air cooled bike during long stops is a no brainer.

 

[Poco23]

Feedback on riding the R18 in hot weather.
Earlier this year i spent over six hours in the saddle and the average temperature was over 40 C ( 104 F) mixed riding conditions.
With all the issues i have encountered with this bike to my surprise no failures.

 

[estoma]

I install Trial-Tech Fans on my V-twins whenever I can. This is the best universal kit out there, and it features a very reliable Spahl® fan;

Amazon.com

It is mounted at the rear of the Oil Cooler - more than enough space on the R18. Be sure to wire it unswitched.

 

[moleculo]

I install Trial-Tech Fans on my V-twins whenever I can. This is the best universal kit out there, and it features a very reliable Spahl® fan;

http://[URL]https://www.amazon.com/Trail-Tech-732-FNA1-Temperature-Switching/dp/B019HS6UI6

[/URL]It is mounted at the rear of the Oil Cooler - more than enough space on the R18. Be sure to wire it unswitched.

Did you install this on your R18? If so, can we get a pic?