| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
You'd think I'd be used to it after 65,000 miles on my combined '06 Ulys. And I can't hear it when I'm riding (earplugs plus other noise). But after getting to work (which sucks as usual, esp. Mondays) this morning and hearing that stupid fan start screaming...I just lost it. The worst is when I ride to some scenic area (I usually ride solo), turn off the bike, and want some peace and quiet. Well, you guys know that it takes five minutes or so before that happens. By then I'm ticked off... And of course if there are others around trying to enjoy the peace and quiet, well...they certainly notice my arrival. Nothing new here; annoyance with the fan has been brought up quite frequently. Just not by me. So I guess it was my turn. I'm gonna test ride some other bikes over the next few weeks (can't afford anything so it's a moot point); hopefully they're not enjoyable so I'll come back to the Uly with a better attitude. Have to admit I AM looking forward to Fall riding (it's been over 100F the last two weeks in ABQ, NM). Hopefully my Fall riding won't be ruined by a spark plug blowout like it was last year  . --Doc | ||
| Froggy |
You can always do the toggle kill switch trick to stop the fan, but obviously don't abuse that feature. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Isn't fan activation temp. a feature of ECMspy II - I have the 1st version. . | ||
| Hughlysses |
Doc, sounds like an excellent senior project for a bunch of prospective ME's: design, build and test a quieter fan blade design.  I suspect you're not going to be able to do a whole lot better given the design constraints (~4" fan moving umpteen hundred CFM), but it'd be interesting to see if significant improvements are possible. We had a thread a while back on the subject, regarding the use of notches in the leading or trailing edges of propellers and fans to improve efficiency and reduce noise. I found some current computer cooling fans (similar size to XB cooling fan, but much lower RPM and flow) using scimitar blades with notches. | ||
| Ulynut |
I love my fan.  | ||
| Barker |
I thought we were the only ones who suffered. Until I rode with my brother on a FZ6 in the summer his fan was almost as loud and stayed on longer than my uly's. During and after we shut down. | ||
| Firstbatch |
Doc, fashion one of these and the high pitched fan sound will be much reduced.  | ||
| Osup |
Wow! You'd think after 65000 miles you wouldn't notice the fan anymore. The fan bothered me at first, but now I don't even hear it. And that's with only 8000 miles on mine. Maybe I'll start to notice it again with more miles? | ||
| Johnboy777 |
If it wasn't for the fan noise, we have nothing to bitch about. Okay, maybe the bearings, and oh yeah, the rusty muffler - and of course the heat issue....possibly.  . | ||
| Dentguy |
I still remember being down in the middle of the road after hitting the deer. Everything was really quiet and then the fan kicked on. I remember thinking "F#@#" that freakin fan. There were many times I didn't want to hear that fan. Most of the time actually. That moment does still make me laugh. (Message edited by dentguy on July 20, 2009) | ||
| Ourdee |
Okay, maybe the bearings, and oh yeah, the rusty muffler - and of course the heat issue Check, check, check, Fan don't bother me.  | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, you might be getting crotchety in your old age.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
He could always install one of these:  | ||
| Sprintex |
Loud fans save life's. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Might? MIGHT? MIGHT? I can't hear you! --Doc | ||
| Hughlysses |
I can't hear you! Ahh, he's already lowered the Cone of Silence. | ||
| Treadmarks |
Hey Doc, Get a decent fuel map and the fan will hardly ever run. It's not like you're stuck with an 08 or something. You have options on an 06-07 that can really help the performance and decrease the fan run time. | ||
| Geezer |
hey doc, by any chance would you be going to las vegas, nm this weekend? i hate to be the only uly there. by the way i like my fan noise. i like to look back when i park to see the people with that curious look on their faces. | ||
| Motorfish |
Some of my friends ask me,"Hey, when is the pizza in your microwave gonna be done?" Clowns. How does one go about getting a different fuel map, on an '06? | ||
| Bosh |
Just sell the damn thing.  Seriously though, what Froggy said. Just use the kill switch when you want to share those quiet intimate moments with nature. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
hey Doc, I'm a huge fan of the FAN! on my old M2 Cyclone, I had to replace the rocker box gaskets three times! It didn't do heat very well! My Ulysses has more trouble free miles and no problems what so-ever! I love my fan!  | ||
| Armymedic |
Oh man, Doc I hear you. Pull up next to an outdoor seating restaurant and kill the bike. WHINE!!!!!!!!!!! By the looks from everyone, I might as well have walked in to a quiet room and farted loud as I could. I felt the same way. (Message edited by armymedic on July 21, 2009) | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I might as well have walked in to a quiet room and farted loud as I could in that case the fan noise wouldn't be the problem, the smell would! Where is that dam fan when you need it?  | ||
| Hughlysses |
So Doc, what about it? The existing fan looks like a very low-tech solution. Do you see any chance of significantly reducing the noise with state-of-the-art fan blades? Seems like the ideal solution would be a bigger fan (bigger = slower turning for same air movement = quieter) but there's not much room to squeeze one. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
The fan is not the problem. I just wish the engineers would figure how to feed enough air or oil or both to make the fan unnecessary. Instead of 2.5 quarts, how about 3.5 quarts. Maybe cast in some cooling fins on the swing arm. I'm sure if they put their thinking caps on they could cool that rear cylinder much more efficiently than the current design does. I honestly kind of like the fact that Buell worries enough about oil life in our bikes that it adds that fan. Other bikes just cook that oil at shutdown but ours minimizes that by cooling down to some predetermined head temperature. I like that. That noise is music to my ears. Most bikers like to draw attention to their rides by spending a fortune on chrome, our fan accomplishes the same task without the added expense of chrome. Sure, a quieter and more efficient fan would be nice and maybe we shall get this by the end of this month when we hear from Buell about the 2010's. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
Before I bought my Uly I was concerned about fan noise because of al the posts I'd seen complaining about it. But after a few months of using my Uly as my daily driver I've grown accustomed to the fan. So much so that when turn my other bike off after a ride on it, the lack of a fan makes me do a double take. Now, I miss the fan noise when its not there. Somehow I've gotten to the point where it seems like the Uly's fan is the way all bikes should be and everything else is strange. There is a guy I work with that rides an 1150GS and we often show up at work at about the same time. He shows up and his bike is as quiet as a church mouse, running or not, and it just seems like something is missing. | ||
| Arcticktm |
Electra, Aren't you missing the official (Abe) explanation from Buell on the fan? It is supposed to cool the rear cylinder fuel rail and prevent vapor lock, and is not for rear cylinder oil temps (at least not primarily). Extra oil cooling won't help the fuel rail much. We have several very sharp CFD (computational fluid dynamics) guys here at work for designing turbocharger compressor and turbine wheels, and noise and vibration are always concerns on passenger car turbos. Those things go 80,000-150,000 RPM. I don't think I would have much success trying to sneak a plastic cooling fan into their engineering work orders, though. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Really? That does make some sense. I had forgotten about the kill switch trick, although I always stop the engine using the kill switch. Another sign of advancing senility, I guess...  --Doc | ||
| Supertoon |
Every time I cycle the kill switch I feel guilty afterwards. I cross the border alot and the officers on both sides are never impressed with howl emanating from under the seat. Here the kill switch gets the thumb every time (better than gettin'shot  ) | ||
| Dentguy |
"Aren't you missing the official (Abe) explanation from Buell on the fan? It is supposed to cool the rear cylinder fuel rail and prevent vapor lock, and is not for rear cylinder oil temps (at least not primarily)." "The intent of the right side air scoop is to get better airflow over the fuel rail when the fan is on (at low speed)". Per Abe. "The left side scoop was shaped to direct airflow to the rear cylinder and is very effective at doing that". Per Abe. He then goes on to talk about high speed testing and cylinder temps ( front vs. rear ) being the same due to the left side scoop. Extra oil cooling won't help the fuel rail much.". But, if extra oil cooling helps the engine run cooler it will help keep the rail cooler. The engine heat is heating up the rail. (Message edited by dentguy on July 21, 2009) |
