| Author | Message | ||
     Notrailerdave |
Does that flaming fan have to run ALL the time?! I went out with about a 10 mile run down I-10 at 80 plus before getting off on more enjoyable roads. Once the fan came on, it never went off until I got home. Today it is overcast with scattered showers. I mean c'mon, what happens when its 90 plus out? I just switched the bike over to Amsoil 20W-50 (big difference in shifting) and I did notice when I got home that the oil level was about at the add mark. Surely a 1/2 quart of won't make that much difference would it? | ||
| Cash |
the more miles you get on it the less it will run. I have 6k on mine and my fan only comes on when I turn the bike off or on 85+ degree days after riding for awhile. I really noticed a difference after 3500 miles. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Cash- he's got an 06. From what I've seen (unlike your 08) the 06's and 07 fans will never get to that point. The fan will run less as the bike gets broken in, but it's always going to come on when it's over ~80 degrees and you're riding at speed. I noticed the biggest difference in my 07 after I passed about 7000 miles, so it takes a while to get completely broken in. At ~18,000 miles (and running Mobil-1 V-twin synth) I can ride in ~60-70 degree weather at speed for extended periods without the fan coming on, but if it gets much hotter than that the fan will come on and stay on. BTW- in general DON'T add more oil unless it gets below the add mark, and only check your oil when the engine is good and hot. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
I got mine at 6k in Feb. and it just rolled over 9k recently. Fan comes on in stop and go traffic and doesn't shut off till after the key is off. I completely understand what you're saying about later in the year..... I'm gonna have to get a heat shield or stop using it for commuting by the middle of next month | ||
| Ftd |
I also own a '06 and live in central FL. My fan rarely comes on while the engine is running. Why? 20W-50 Mobil V-Twin engine oil, American Sport Bike direct link tune and most important...right side scoop. Frank | ||
| Notrailerdave |
Yeah I saw some mention of the right side scoop in my searches. I haven't seen any hard figures to suggest it is any real solution though. Some guys were reporting less fan run time but were showing higher oil temps. I dunno. Anyway, the bike already has nearly 19k on it. It seems to be running fine. No indication or noises other than what an XL normally makes. No pinging or nuthin' like that. I'm just curious, does the fan really serve to keep the motor running just so-so, as in Buell designed it that way for emissions or performance or whatever? Or is it kinda of a band-aid to keep the head from cooking? I mean no offense to the grand old XL design but let's face it------that's a heck of a lump of motor to put into such a compact chassis. On another note, I'm very impressed with the handling----reminds me of the 700 Nighthawk I used to have with better suspension. There's a great deal of utility in these bikes with the underseat storage, bags, triple tail, etc.. Being able to change the belt without performing depot maintenance is just inspired and the belt itself I think is the future. Haven't had much chance to get far off road but the few dirt roads I've been on so far are about what I expected. Better than my old R100GS. I have to say though that when I got it, it had Harley oil in it and the shifting pretty much sucked. It is much better now with the Amsoil and a clutch cable adjustment but still not nearly as good as the Triumph Speed Triple I almost bought. That reminds me, do you guys set the adjustment in the primary closer to 1/4 turn or 1/2? Finding neutral is still only marginally more enjoyable than say ---- a filling? | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I set mine between 1/4 and 1/2. My primary chain is on the snug side. No problems with N or shifting. | ||
| Joenuclear |
Just unplug the fan if it bothers you. Those engineers were just looking for something to justify their jobs.  | ||
| Panhead_dan |
loud fans save lives | ||
| Froggy |
No, if your key is on the fan comes on at 428 F then turns off at 356 F. If your key is off the fan comes on at 338 F then turns off at 302 F. (06 and 07 models). | ||
| Tginnh |
When I'm stopped in traffic, I cut the ignition switch just so the fan comes on. Of ALL the noise made and heard on the highways and bi-ways, the Uly fan is hardly an irritant to me (anymore). Love your fan. It makes your bike unique. | ||
| Blk_uly |
I just tell everyone it's like a big ol dog! panting when it's hot | ||
| Crusty |
That noisy fan is making your engine live a long and productive life. LOUD FANS SAVE ENGINE LIVES! | ||
| Etennuly |
What fan?  The only time I notice it anymore is if it doesn't come on if I feel it should have. | ||
| Hooper |
It does suck in the summer in DC. I have an '06 with 13,000 miles and it runs all the time, pretty much. It only bothers me in the summer when I'm stuck in traffic. I love the bike SO much that I'm willing to deal with it. I actually relish the attention the fan garners, along with the gnarly looks and growly exhaust sound. I was riding my Harley tonight and felt a lot of heat too, but it wasn't being blown onto me by a fan. It was sort of wafting upwards... That's why I look forward to buying the 2013 Uly X model with an improved heat management system, a bit longer rake, a slightly narrower front tire, and a bigger fuel tank (and a re-geared Rotax?). Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone...find a way to remember and honor. | ||
| Tootal |
Screw that water cooled, high maintenance, gas guzzling rotax! I'll take the fan anyday!! Notrailerdave, the rule on the oil is to remember the mexican beer Dos XX. Don't fill your oil past the bottom two XX's. It seems to just go into the air box until it reaches the 2XX's. I checked mine yesterday after a ride and my dipstick was dry but it only took a 1/2 quart to get to the 2XX's. I think they should have made the dipstick longer! Have fun and try to ignore the fan. | ||
| Notrailerdave |
Got it on the oil. Kinda like my ATK 605 was. I've been digging in the searches and don't get me wrong, I understand the fan coming on when you shut the bike off or when you're creeping in traffic but when you're cruising at 70 in May and its less than 80 degrees out? Logic would suggest that if the fan runs constantly, then its trying to keep the rear cylinder from running too hot. But as I said, the bike runs fine so, I dunno. | ||
| Tootal |
There is a couple of things you can do to help. First is to check for a slight intake leak. These bikes run lean and any unmetered air will cause them to run hot. You can pull the scoop off the left side and the cover off the right and you'll have room to spray some WD 40 around your intake flanges. If you hear any change in rpm then your leaking. Any leak at all will affect your tune. If you have a leak replace the stock seals with these: http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Prod uct.jsp?skuId=&store=&catId=&productId=pH26258&lea fCatId=&mmyId= If your not leaking then another option is ECM SPY. There is information here but on Buelletinboard.com there is a lot more. You can tune a lot of the lean spots out and cool the engine off. You can even change the temps that the fan works. Doing your own TPS resets is real easy and may be part of your problem too. You can check codes and reset them. Great software for free! You will need a cable and that will cost a few bucks but well worth it. If nothing else you can arm yourself with knowledge so when you take your bike to the dealer you will know if they are telling you the truth. | ||
| Froggy |
So what if its 70 degrees out and in the month of May? Your rear cylinder is getting too hot, then the fan kicks on. In other news, water is wet. | ||
| Greenman44 |
I have a 06, and the only time my fan comes on is when I turn it off, and when I'm in stop and go traffic in the middle of summer. I have Right side scoop, and about 18000 miles. notrailerdave... little off topic but what year is your atk? I have a 2000 605...and I only live about 15 miles from the factory. | ||
| Notrailerdave |
Mine was a '99. Tootal, now that you mention it, the bike does seem to take a while to return to idle when revving or shifting. Hmmmmmm, might be a good place to start. Also, the injection can be a little off and stumbly until the motor gets hot. Not bad mind you, but noticeable. Anyone be able to help with this in the Pensacola area if I need it? I know that the bike has had the kickstand and BAS recalls. (Message edited by notrailerdave on May 25, 2009) | ||
| Alchemy |
I would pay considerable bucks to a better fan solution for the Uly. To Notrailerdave, it is stupid to have to do this but that stupidity lies with the design itself and I see no interest in improving it sadly. As other have noted, the fan turns on at one temperature (428) and off at another (72 degrees lower). When the fan comes on it does help reduce the temperature - a good thing. If the fan has been running for a bit then the temp in many cases is below the trip point. Unfortunately the design of the control doesn't care, it just runs and runs and runs and runs and runs and runs and runs and runs trying to lower the temp a whopping 72 degrees. Just kill the engine for a couple seconds and then restart. The fan will not come back on until the trip point is reached. This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid to have to do but it works because the SW design of the fan control seems to have been written by a 6 year old. Sorry for the insult but this design is SO out of character with the rest of the Uly design! They did not allow for 2 modes of operation - manual and an automatic over-ride. We only get the brain-dead automatic mode. I would LOVE to be able to manually engage the fan but it is not allowed in the design. Similarly I want to be able to manually disengage the fan but can't without a stupid workaround like the cycle-the-ignition trick. The screaming fan is a problem for the Buell product line and it needs attention. I like the fan idea but it needs to be ROBUST, QUIET and SMART. Right now it is just robust. | ||
| J0hn0tt0 |
Man, you guys are sensitive! Reminds me of Jason Alexander's character in Shallow Hal -- he broke up with a hot girl because her second toe was longer than the first. All things considered, my Uly can run it's fan all it wants (which is every ride, thus far), and I'll still LOVE this bike! | ||
| Thetable |
For those of you talking about the fan running, are you riding with earplugs? The only time I can hear it run is when coming to a stop, and then it is just barely. I know the 08+ fans don't run nearly as often, but still I have to really pay attention to hear it with earplugs in. | ||
| Prowler |
I've found that if the engine is hot and I'm cruising thru a town with a stop light, the fan will come on and then never go off (ever!!!) until I shut off the bike, so now if I have to ride thru a small town and then hit the freeway, I'll actually pull over, shut off the bike, let the fan run it's course and then re-start the bike and continue on my route (minus the fan blasting away......forever). Kinda sucks, but otherwise the fan will run for hours on the freeway and cook my butt even with the heat blanket under the seat. If the fan on/off switch had a narrower temp gap, there'd be no issue. Other than that pain in the butt (pun intended....), this bike is the best I've owned in many years....... | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I like the fan. Lets me know it's taking care of business and that I've ridden far enough to cook off combustion condensate. Every once in awhile the fan will come on and then cycle off at a stoplight. I guess that a person annoyed with the fan could carry a spray bottle of water and spritz the rear cylinder to cool things down real quick.  I've still got the original fan in my 06' and it sounds the same so it'll probably last awhile longer. Just something to think about: All other air cooled bikes just cook when they overheat but Buells are engineered to give long life and that fan comes on to regulate the heat on the rear cylinder so that your oil doesn't burn to carbon. Seems like a well thought-out and thoughtful setup to me.  I'd still like to know from Treadmarks how much good, oil temperature wise, those custom oil cooler mounted fans do. ???? | ||
| Froggy |
Prowler you can tweak the fan settings in ECMspy | ||
| Crusty |
The Fan on my '08 doesn't run as long as the fan on my '06 did. If I were going to tweek the settings, I'd try to revert to the '06 settings. The more the fan runs, the faster the head is going to cool down. That means less oil breakdown which translates to longer engine life. I want my engine to last a quarter of a million miles. | ||
| Crackhead |
why not install a larger oil cooler with a t-stat bypass? It would help keep the oil temps lower, thus reducing the rear cylinder temps. | ||
| Froggy |
Installing a larger oil cooler is not recommended because the stock oil pump would not be able to handle it. The 2008+ models have a larger oil cooler, but the rest of the oiling system was changed and upgraded too. |
