| Author | Message | ||
     Gschuette |
Ok I have had the bike for about 2 months now and I am already sick of the fan. A magazine recently called it an air raid siren/ cooling fan. I totally agree. I don't really care that it scares off punk kids because it scares pretty ladies as well. I find it to be obnoxious and unnecessary. Many cars and motorcycles have fans you can hear but they are not deafening like the XB fan. Seems like poor engineering to me. This fan is the quietest the smart engineers at Buell could give us? I would like to work on an alternative. The KV yielded nothing but maybe I was looking in the wrong place. Does the noise come from the air moving through the twisty confines of the bike or is the fans motor just truly loud? It seems a sponsor could make a killing selling quiet fan kits. I would sure as hell buy one. I am sure this has been addressed in some form or fashion before but I don' see it. Thanks for suggestions or thread links. I hate that fan! | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
The noise has more to do with the velocity with the small blades. You really can't have a small fan put out serious CFM's without sounding like a turbine (or in our case hair dryer) Since I wear good earplugs I barely hear my fan, and since switching to synthetic I find the fan only runs only sporadically. | ||
| Clot |
A RH side air scoop will reduce the running time significantly and eliminate it completely on cooler days. There are several options available (got mine from American Sport Bike) | ||
| Treadmarks |
You really can't have a small fan put out serious CFM's without sounding like a turbine (or in our case hair dryer) +1 A really big ass hair drier. I think maybe it has something to do with the speed of the blade tips approaching or passing the speed of sound. About 1128 ft/s. | ||
| Beachbuell |
Maybe Buell isn't for you. How about a nice, quiet Honduh? | ||
| Redponcho |
Put an exhaust system on it. Then you wont hear the fan! | ||
| Glitch |
So the After-Cooler is bugging you. All I can say is by the time you get your bike broke in, it won't bother you as much, and it won't run as long either. You can get the right side scoop if you want to pay that much, and take the chance that it may or may no help. I've heard it go both ways with regards to weather it helps or not. My After-Cooler comes on less and less with the more miles I put on the bike. | ||
| Swordsman |
LOL! I love my fan. Lets me know when the engine is good and warm, and gets lots of attention at gas pumps ("What the heck is that ?"). I think it draws more people than it scares away. "This fan is the quietest the smart engineers at Buell could give us? " I think it's more like "the least-expensive fan Buell could find that still gets the job done". ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on November 08, 2007) | ||
| Pso |
I have told folks, even people on other brands of motorcycles, that it is my Turbo charger spooling down. Like the late 80 early 90 Saab Trubos needed to cool down after a long hard run. A good number of those folks believed that hooey. I only find it offensive when I pull into the my garage after a long hard drive and I just want to sit quitly recenter myself and remember the ride. | ||
| Teeps |
My fan observations are the following: the fan IS too loud. the fan runs when (I) think it shouldn't; but what do I know... the fan does not run any more or less after the engine is broken in. the fan does not run any more or less when using synthetic oil. the fan will run more when the timing is retarded (to fix pinging.) the fan will run continuously on hot days. the fan will sometimes turn off by itself on cooler days when riding, at neutral or trailing throttle down hill for several miles. the fan is necessary, and as others' here and in other posts have said; the fan's noise is a byproduct of the work it's required to do. FINALLY: The only known countermeasure for excessive fan operation is the RSS (right side <big> scoop), but that set you back more than $200. And, does not make the fan quieter. | ||
| Gemini |
a little tid bit to add to the list. most people don't know the fan will spin in the opppisate direction depending on the speed of the bike. who da thunk? | ||
| Rubberdown |
The loud fan is a joke. It's a engineering band-aid for a design defect. The fan is completely without elegance and is an insult to the otherwise sublime engineering of the XB line. The design defect I refer to is the air cooled rear cylinder tucked behind the front cylinder, out of the air stream, and enclosed by the frame. This is simply my opinion. I loved my XB's but hated the fan. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
I like it. When I turn off my bike in a parking lot, it always makes people turn and stare. Its different, just like the rest of the bike. | ||
| Teeps |
Rubberdown Posted on Thursday, November 08, The loud fan is a joke. Unfortunately it is no joke... It's a engineering band-aid for a design defect. Not really, it's a design necessity. The fan is completely without elegance and is an insult to the otherwise sublime engineering of the XB line. I agree. The design defect I refer to is the air cooled rear cylinder tucked behind the front cylinder, out of the air stream, and enclosed by the frame. It's not a defect, it's a design necessity due to stuffing 10lbs in an 8lb container. | ||
| Cataract2 |
I only wish it wouldn't come on during interstate rides. I think it should stay off when you moving. Maybe Buell could put in a speed sensor for the ECM and set the temps higher for when it comes on while moving. | ||
| Rubberdown |
A necessity, yes. By virtue of the design I can see that some method of getting air to the rear cylinder is necessary. I've wondered if some sort of louvers in the frame (assuming no interference with the fuel containment) would help with the cooling. It would be great to see the XB line evolve to a point where the fan was no longer required. Maybe an air cooled 90 degree twin would work better in the XB frame without the need for fan cooling? | ||
| Rubberdown |
Would increasing the oil capacity and adding a pump to cycle oil during cool down negate the need for the air fan? | ||
| New12r |
While moving you are under load, especially at hwy speed so your rear cyl would overheat if the fan did not come on. If you dont like the fan, go buy something else. You want the rear cly in the air, buy a tuber. My Firebolt fan almost went nonexistent after 20k of abuse with synthetic oil and NO RSS. It really only came on after a HWY run/ track session/ or hard local ride with a bunch of wheelies. I love the XB, fan too. But then again I appreciate the bike for what it does while I am leaned over at 100mph dragging body parts, not for how it does it. (Message edited by new12r on November 08, 2007) | ||
| Rubberdown |
I agree New12. I tend to speak with my wallet in these matters. | ||
| Mjhzn6 |
I like my fan too. Im trying to come up with a good HVAC system for my fan to keep me warm during these cold days were about to encounter. I am thinking some kind of velcro attachments to close off the sides of the subframe right below the seat. Attach some flexible hose and run it up in my jacket. I was thinking in my helmet too but that might not be safe.  But then, wouldnt it be easier to just buy some heated gear. Definitely, but not as cool. | ||
| Ccryder |
Matthew, great idea but you're not trying to be cool ;+}. On my ST I have changed my "Heat management" to move the heated engine air on to my legs, instead of off during the summer. Works GREAT! The XB may be a little more challenging and, may mess with the cooling when it is needed. We need a thermostaticly controled damper and forced air to the appropriate chilled limb. Ahh, your probably right, easier to plug my Gerbing jacket in and feel the warmth! Later Neil S. | ||
| Hexangler |
I love my fan too. It lets me know my bike appreciates it when I ride her hard. I'll bet the 1125R has a couple of them or smaller tucked in its pods. I rode with a friend who had a R-6. We both turned off our bikes, and both our fans came on, I asked him why his water cooled bike had a fan, we both smiled as we walked away. If the fan is more bothersome that the pleasure of the ride, don't. Hex | ||
| Midknyte |
A necessity, yes. By virtue of the design I can see that some method of getting air to the rear cylinder is necessary. I've wondered if some sort of louvers in the frame (assuming no interference with the fuel containment) would help with the cooling It's called a right side scoop. Everyone who has one states that their fan comes on less. But, an annoni has recently, finally, commented that they have tested the RSS and our bikes would not pass EPA testing with them (I read that as bringing the temp of the rear down lower than designed for operating temps and not maintaining optimum fuel burn), as such, a RSS is off my to-do list... | ||
| Cereal |
When I was the only tuber in a gang of XBs, I had fan envy. So my fan doesn't bother me one bit. I wonder if an L-twin configuration would have worked better with the XB frame. Then neither cylinder would have been tucked so far into the frame. | ||
| Midknyte |
Here is a link to that scoop/EPA posting http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=290431&post=986290#POST986290 | ||
| Rubberdown |
I was under the impression that the effectiveness of the RSS was still being debated, but I'm a little out of the loop. | ||
| Hexangler |
Sounds like the BORG couldn't tune the ECM in all riding conditions to meet EPA with the RSS. Interesting. I still think XB's need a SECOND fan in a RSS or Right Side Cowl blowing cool air in while the rear fan is running and sucking hot air out. For use only when in stopped hot traffic, maybe with a manual switch engaged by "Rider's ECM". Hex | ||
| Skully |
I wonder if an L-twin configuration would have worked better with the XB frame. It is my understanding that the L configuration was considered but made the chassis longer so it was dropped. Keith | ||
| Loose1 |
The only time mine comes on is when the bike is turned off, or sitting in trafic on a 95+ deg day. I run royal purple an lantus exhaust, and custom air filter top . Work very well together. | ||
| Damnut |
I have over 21K miles on my bike and my fan hardly ever comes on and when it does it's only on for a minute. I also use synthetic oil. For those that claim that the fan does not come on less as more miles are put on, are full of shit. |
