| Author |
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New12r
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 09:20 pm: | 
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Wow, the fan a deal breaker....Now I have heard it all.
Really though, as the bike breaks in and as stated above learning to ride it the way it likes you will forget the fan.
I am on my second XB, the first one I killed at 35k, fan barely ever came on. Now my Uly is at 25k and the fan only runs when I am doing 90mph down the hwy for a period of time, or sitting in ATL traffic in the summer, or when I turn it off. |
Legobuff
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 10:48 pm: |
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It could be the bike. I'll just have to try out another one or is there anyone near Papillion, NE that would be willing to do a meet up?
I'm looking for a daily commuter, and a great weekend bike. But if i had to listen to that demo bikes fan every morning before I had my coffee on the way to work, then yes DEAL breaker. I'm an severely hoping it's just that bike. |
Legobuff
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 10:53 pm: |
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Retrittion, it's funny you mentioned the S3. But there are three bikes that I have been looking at. the 12Ss, the S3, and the S2R.
I've done my research, and the Ss was my number one, went to go ride one and that damn fan. I think the Ss is a beauty, but now i'm looking more at the S3 and S2R... again hoping it was the demo bike. I really like the Ss. Need to find another one to compare. |
Edgydrifter
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 11:00 pm: |
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The fan on my Uly is no louder than the fan on my 1125 or the fan on my Kawasaki, or my Jeep. They're all there to do a job, and it would bother me a lot more if I didn't hear that noise. |
Legobuff
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 11:09 pm: |
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Moosestang, lol, yes!
The fan that i heard was a high pitched whine that drowned out all other sounds. it came on while i was going ~35 through a business district. when i first heard it, i had a WTF moment.
All of you make it sound like it was the bike, because i seriously doubt that everyone would be copacetic with the fan that i heard. |
Rpm4x4
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 11:19 am: |
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I have loud exhaust but I'm pretty sure my fan never runs until I turn my bike off. I don't ride in stop and go traffic very often, that could have something to do with it. I really don't notice it at all unless someone points it out. I cant understand the fan being a deal breaker. I friggin love this bike.
(Message edited by rpm4x4 on September 10, 2008) |
Jake_blues
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 01:51 pm: |
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If you can hear the fan before the bike then there's probably just somethin wrong with the demo and maybe the dealer just doesn't want to put any money in it, I don't know. But on my 05 I don't notice it unless I've been in stop and go for a long time and when I turn it off. But I have a deafening exhaust so I have to wear earplugs anyway. But all sportbikes do that it seems. My cousin's gixxer and his r6's fans run 10 times more and louder than my 12r and they're liquid cooled |
Od54
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 01:55 pm: |
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I can hear the fan over my special ops when its on high speed as long as I'm not on the interstate. I can't imagine it drowning everything out tho even at a stop.
It's getting cold here now in the mornings so I doubt the fan hits high speed while riding for another 6-8 months. Just ride in the winter. |
Packrat
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 08:05 pm: |
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legobuff--maybe Buell isn't the right bike for you?? |
Hooper
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 10:59 pm: |
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Darthane and Retrittion are so right...
I usually hang out at the Big Bad and Dirty zone (where a number of people on this thread also converge), but the conversations over there pretty much echo Legobuff's concerns: the fan IS loud, it IS louder than the stock muffler at idle and low speeds, it IS annoying, and IS frustrating.
That said, my Uly (and the Ulys of most of the other BB&D posters that I've read) is the best friggin' bike I've ever ridden. I know why there's a fan, and I generally accept it as a quirk of the bike (and there are a few). In fact, when I roll up to my destination and people are around, the otherworldly sound of the fan mixed with the gnarly and original appearance of the bike elicits more stares and questions and compliments than any bike I've ever sat on. And then the ride: so much fun...so different...so unique. The fan keeps the engine hauling. It allows the bike to be so unique.
It's the BIKE not the fan. It's the BIKE not the fan...ride the bike! You WILL NOT be sorry. It's part of being original.
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Retrittion
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 01:22 am: |
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Well, I still think part of this issue is a someone new to Buells running it at to low an RPM (below 3K). It may be a demo bike with a bad fan OR it could be the fan on the "high" setting("high pitched" and "hear it coming down the road before the engine" lead me to this conclusion).
I spent about four hours on the road today -- a mix of back country roads (101), city (Seattle) and highway (I-5). In some of the nasty traffic on I-5 coming home I did get some fan, even a bit of high fan -- that was when the traffic was creeping forward and the bike was getting nothing but hot, bad air. Once I cleared that backup I only had some intermittent fan until I got home to Olympia (about an hour) and that was mostly because the bike got really hot and never had a chance to cool down from the heavy traffic getting out of Seattle. The bike also cooled noticeably when I was able to keep it in the 3.5-4.5K RPM range where the engine runs best, and became noticeably hotter when I was forced to run it at 2-3K RPM. However, I never got super heat from the rear header (aka "flaming leg syndrome") and I haven't had a problem with that all year because (in my opinion) I have learned how to operate the bike within it's designed operating range. Before I learned this I would get leg burn once a week or more.
Oh, and I like the fan personally -- it lets me know I am not operating the bike correctly. It also makes people steer clear of it in parking lots like it has a bomb strapped to it (double bonus) and between the fan and the SpecialO.P.S. exhaust people tend to do a double take on startup and shutdown.
Bottom line -- get the bike you like to RIDE. If a noise, ANY noise, bothers you -- wear earplugs. You should anyways when riding since it keeps your hearing intact (short and long term) and it reduces your fatigue level (background noise tires out the brain).
Cheers, ride safe!
(Message edited by retrittion on September 11, 2008) |
Andymnelson
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 11:21 am: |
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I'm pretty sure my friggin fuel pump is louder than my fan anyway :-p |
Ez_rider
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 01:02 pm: |
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You could always install a cut-out switch on the fan power from the fuse box to the fan. Turn it off when you're pulling into a parking lot with lots of people around, turn it right back on as soon as you exit the area. I did this on mine - piece of cake. I mounted the toggle switch under the seat rail on the left side so it's not visible, but I can easily find it with my left hand while riding.
And Yes - I know the risks, please don't start flaming me for this. I only turn it off for a minute or two at a time, and never leave it off while riding. This is only for when you want to hear the exhaust note and not the fan at low speeds (idling through a parking lot or at a red light, etc...). |
Bubo
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 04:10 pm: |
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the fan noise that you are talking about is on a demo bike they ride them for short trips at a time the motor gets hot and the fan runs on high for a long time also i have noticed that if you get the exht. opened up the motor runs cooler not so much restriction also a good syn. oil helps control heat by less friction if you do this the fan will hardly come on. thats what i did to my 12r. keep the rpms up in stop and go trafic i got mine because i love the way it rides |
Js_buell
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 09:25 pm: |
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Well I have been riding my 09 Scg for the last two days and this afternoon it was pretty warm in stop and go traffic and I didn't even hear the fan. The funny thing is if the fan is running when the bike is off and I turn the key on the fan stop right away. |
Domindart
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 03:21 am: |
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I am new to buell and Im researching cause I want a new bike. Im digging the XB buells and I didnt know this was a big deal. I might not like it either. But here is a vid of a guy riding thru town, some on the highway. I hear the fan at the very end when he pulls in and turns the bike off. It sounds like a boat wistle or something. lol But you hear no fan during the whole ride.
Plus, Ive been watching all the vids at youtube and Ive never heard a fan while they sit there and idle or whatever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nvGnleWfPo
ps. I want my buell to sound just like this one. |
Retrittion
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 04:32 am: |
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Really...people are going to choose a bike based on intermittent fan noise rather than the bike's ability to ride???
Ok, let's try it this way -- you know how cars have fans that circulate air in the passenger area? Ok, so...how long after you turn it on do you tune it out? Heck, if you have had the car for any length of time I am willing to bet cash you don't even hear it 90% of the time. Ok...so follow me now...it's the same with the fan on the Buell!!!
....hrrrmmmm, still not enough? Fine, the big guns then.
"This is not the noisy fan you where worried about."
ps: my XB12R with it's SpecialO.P.S. pipe sounds better than that clip...though that was a nice sounding 9...though since it's MY bike I might be a smidge biased. 
(Message edited by retrittion on September 12, 2008) |
Darthane
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 11:14 am: |
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The funny thing is if the fan is running when the bike is off and I turn the key on the fan stop right away.
This is because the ECM has different thresholds to determine if the fan is necessary or not based on whether the bike is on. The threshold is higher for a bike that's not on because the ECM (rightly so) assumes there is little to no airflow over the engine. |
Js_buell
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 07:27 pm: |
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Cool! I tough it was something Buell did to eliminate the kind of complaining we reed about in this thread. As far as I'm concern I can't care less about the fu#$%ng fan I bought the bike for the fun ride it give me. |
Torque
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 09:20 pm: |
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The fan on my Gateway Laptop is just as loud as my Buell. I dig the fan on the Bike, its almost soothing after awhile. Its really great when you have more than one Buell and the fans go on at the same time. DOLBY SURROUND SOUND
Torque |
Retrittion
| | Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 02:42 am: |
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Fan goes on after a ride, it was ridden right. Otherwise, bad me, no banana!
Fan on while riding in traffic, stop lugging it!
Fan on while riding fast, keep an eye on the bike unless it is 80+ degrees out.
Fan on causes someone to complain about the noise, tell them it my "tire cooler".
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