| Author | Message | ||
     Aj2010 |
I thought I would ask my silly questions here, before asking "the man". So here goes. I am in the middle of reversing the air flow through the rads ( middle meaning that the right hand side is just about complete) Doing this in an effort to have the bike run cooler at all speeds but certainly cool enough on the highway to have the fans off. Rant "on" cooling fans running while bike traveling at highway speeds = faulty design, Rant "off". The stator/ flywheel of my 09 R is being replaced with an 08 and a Compufire linear switching regulator installed (as soon as the temps outside warm up enough) I also have a QD Ex-Box exhaust on its way. Ok now for the actual question. I will need an Erik Buell Racing ECM but am wondering (1) if the fan after run programing can be eliminated? (2) can the fans switching be controlled by bike speed as well, or just engine temperature? (3) is the low system voltage warning programming still intact on these (race) ECM's. Meaning both the warning on ODIS and switching the AUX relay off? (4) can the start temperatures for each of the fans be raised? (5) since there is no specific ECM tuning for an Ex-Box, what are the opinions of guys (and gals) running the generic ECM tune for aftermarket slip-on exhausts? There, I think that that about does it. All of this in an effort to ensure that my upcoming California trip will be trouble (read stator fry) free  | ||
| Dreso1021 |
cant answer most of those questions but as far as using the Erik Buell Racing race ecm, standard tune seems to work well for most of the aftermarket pipes. And if they ever do tune one specifically for that exhaust you can always send it back to be reflashed. | ||
| Gemini |
1)YES 2)YES 3)YES 4)YES 5)i am sure a tune from ebr will get you pleasent results. man those exhausts are UGLY imo. but hey, it's your ride. not mine | ||
| Aj2010 |
Thanks Gemini. I would have kept the original muffler if it were made completely from stainless, had outlets pointing some place other then the rear rotor, oh .... and weighed about 10 lbs less. I definitely like the integrated look of the original and am definitely not a fan of a "can" hanging off the side or tucked under there at odd angles. Again just my opinion. | ||
| Dreso1021 |
well good luck with it all. let us know how it all turns out! | ||
| Froggy |
Not when idle fans block airflow, but thats for another thread.  | ||
| Aj2010 |
Froggy, every other liquid cooled bike out there has a fan or two. They would block air flow as much as the 1125's do. I am not aware of any other bike that requires the fan (s) to run at highway speed. Again I say for a "street" bike, design flaw. | ||
| Drawkward |
You're 100% correct Aj2010. But be careful questioning the Buell design, especially when Froggy is around...  | ||
| Dannybuell |
Aj2010 - the 1125s future looks promising with people like you pioneering the way. | ||
| Aj2010 |
@ Drawkward. It has been suggested in an earlier post that the pods and backwards air flow were at Harley's insistence (not to look like all the other sport bikes out there), don't know if it's true or not. I did toy with the idea of using Benelli TNT pods or at least the fans and covers. But what I am doing with the Buell 7/8 fairing seems like it's going to work OK. | ||
| Froggy |
A quick google search for pictures of radiators on various sportbikes shows a small fan or two that covers a small portion of the radiator. The 1125R is not like this. Here is a Yamaha R1 radiator for example:  Due to the side mount radiators on the 1125, getting the airflow through the radiator is a bit more tricky, and would require more creative use of air scoops and fans to keep the temperatures down. The surface area of both 1125R radiators combined is still less than a Japanese 4 cylinder bike, so that also dosen't help. The fans simply are needed more for the 1125R than a normal inline 4 in street conditions. In racing on the other hand, the fans can be eliminated, and the lack of obstruction of the airflow from the fans will allow it to stay cool in race situations. (But most racers change to the inside out radiator setup to also improve the cooling).
What does that mean? | ||
| Drawkward |
First off, fans move when air blows through them. Just saying that they block air without any sort of scientific testing or proof is about as useless as hypermiling a super streetbike. Secondly, it's well documented how you and some other members chastise anyone with an unfavorable opinion of Buell engineering, no matter how right the dissenting opinion may be. I was just warning him. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
Dude. Just do the ECM from Erik Buell Racing and be done with it. If you want to play, spend the extra, what, $500 on the programmable ecm, and play with it from there. I commute daily, all year round, 95% + of the time, and no problems. Even if stuck in stop and go traffic, the temps with an ECM never get over 200-210. Maybe water wetter or something, if you really have to mess with it. But I bet you will not run it harder, longer, or under more ugly conditions than I do on a daily basis. The pods and the fans are just fine. R | ||
| Cherry_bomb |
just run the bike without the scoops and you'll find out that they work just fine with the fans only...almost same temperatures...that raises the question, why buell put such mighty scoops on each side...they're plain ugly...and useless... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Most of these "I am smarter than the engineers who built the bike" spend all their time in the quest to fix the flaws from said engineers rather than just riding the damn thing...and alternatively most of the guys who wring the crap out of their bikes tend just leave things be and display the burnt up edges of their tires for those admirers keen enough to notice such things. If the motor runs 5 degrees cooler, does it really mean anything in reality? | ||
| Ratbuell |
and alternatively most of the guys who wring the crap out of their bikes tend just leave things be Yep, that seems to work just fine for me. | ||
| Drawkward |
Hey Fresno, if it weren't for those guys sitting around trying to better the engineers (many of whom are engineers themselves) there wouldn't be a Buell to ride. Remember that. Sitting on your hands when you see a problem is not in the spirit of the motorcyclist in my opinion. It's just a shame that whenever anyone with a new idea or different opinion comes on here they get bombarded with negativity. Some of you guys sound like the industry stiff Erik always talks about who wrote him off as another crazy engineer with a bad idea. There's a reason why one of Buell's slogans is Ruthless for a Reason...and it's not because they sit idly by like good little sheep. It's because they've questioned everything. (Message edited by drawkward on November 25, 2010) | ||
| Dannybuell |
Nothing is perfect, anything can be improved on. The 1190 appears to be going in the same direction as this thread... This is almost an 1125 to 1190 cooling system conversion? | ||
| Drawkward |
Now THAT would be cool! | ||
| Blower1 |
"if it weren't for those guys sitting around trying to better the engineers (many of whom are engineers themselves) there wouldn't be a Buell to ride. Remember that. Sitting on your hands when you see a problem is not in the spirit of the motorcyclist in my opinion." +1 | ||
| Father_of_an_era |
"if it weren't for those guys sitting around trying to better the engineers (many of whom are engineers themselves) there wouldn't be a Buell to ride. Remember that. Sitting on your hands when you see a problem is not in the spirit of the motorcyclist in my opinion." +1 +1 more | ||
| Aj2010 |
Opinions are important, even the negative ones. I agree that the fans themselves would not likely block or restrict much of the air flow. I suspect that the small inlet to the pod and then trying to exhaust the air from the rads into what is undoubtedly a high pressure area just ahead of the motor, is the problem. It is easy enough to sort out and ignore the negative comments made for seemingly no other purpose but to be negative. Having the motor run cooler would be a side benefit and not the real purpose. @Fresno I've never indicated that dropping the coolant temperature was my goal. My efforts are all geared toward correcting the melting stator issues and subsequent "unreliable" bike that this results in. My stator finally burnt out at just over 7000 KM. The dealer (down for five weeks) removed a burn out piece of shit and replaced it with a soon to burn out piece of shit. Is there any reason I should think my bike is now more reliable then it was? I say not. Charging system design or construction flaw. With the cooling system working more efficiently my fans (a definite electrical drain) will remain off at all times while traveling at highway speeds. And hopefully stay off at some slower in town speeds too. At this point I have no facts to back up my theory. With the temperature out side now at -24 C I can neither work on the bike nor test it if I did have it done. The facts and finding out what they are, is going to have to wait until spring. To all of those making negative but constructive comments, I thank you. I do want to make sure that there is not something that I should be considering, that I missed. In any case, come spring I will let everyone know if it works or it does not. My ECM question was just because if I have to have a new ECM, which I will with the exhaust changes, then why not have it set up to work the way I prefer? | ||
| Ezblast |
No reason not to, Buell's pretty flexible there from what I hear, If its doable and non-detrimental to the bike, their probable answer would be positive - why not ask them - Erik Buell Racing? EZ | ||
| Fast1075 |
I modify everything...to some degree or another...what we ride is not the pure vision of the engineers....it is what made it past the bean counters and styling people. |
