cooling fan

[China twin 88]

It was raining tonight ... and just about to put on the Burned DvD of an downloaded Aussie TV show called Underbelly and I came across this cooling fan on EBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cooling-Fan-LeNale-Engineering-Fits-Harley-Davidsons_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a4Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1307Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a200QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem160325415098QQitemZ160325415098QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

and I wondered if anyone really uses a cooling fan on a V twin...I have never seen anything like this ... and over heating has never been a problem for me as long as the tuning was done right... anyone have one .. or better yet .. anyone seen one being used...

[f-x-d-w-g]

Well, I think it looks great, but then I also think it's unnecessary unless you spend most of your time idling.  And why would you do that?

Frankly, I'd spend my cash on something else.

[nc-renegade]

Yes, several of us run this fan and there is a thread on this here.  Search for Lenale fan.

As for why use it?  Because it works.  I use mine all the time, especially running 11.0:1 compression.  When I get stuck in traffic and it's above 70 degrees, it does not take long for the head temperature to climb above 280 degrees.  The fan knocks the temp down immediately and significantly.  They claim it is equivalent to driving 35mph and I believe it.

This is one of the best investment I made to my bike (and yes I have a oil cooler too).

[truck]

A friend had one on his Ultra, the Harley fan, and when we got bogged down in traffic, the fan blew so much hot air on his leg that it caused him to drop his bike.

[GaryD]

Truck is absolutly, 100% right. It's the worst thing for cooling an engine ever made.

Renegade, I don't know how you and your friends can stand the heat on your right leg. Please inform us. I had an occasion a few years ago, when I was looking for something to cool down my 03 Ultra, to try a bike with one and it did what Truck said. Even the service writer at my dealer said don't buy it for that reason. He said if you think your leg is hot now, wait to you get that engine heat blowing on you leg.

We have over 500 members in our chapter and I haven't seen one fan yet, of course I haven't seen all 580 members, but none on the ones I do see have one. I have only seen them in the catalog.
So I would really like to hear more from owners of these fans on how they cope with the heat.

[CraigArizona85248]

Here in Arizona we see some of the hottest summer temps you'll encounter in the U.S.  Typical summer (June-Sep) daily high is 110F+.  I've never seen one of these fans.  Will it work?  Probably, at the expense of the comfort of your right leg.  Is is needed?  I doubt it.  I've never had a motor problem caused by heat.

-Craig

[x52gnr]

  I put one on my 2007 Ultra recently, and actually started the other thread on this siite about it. I had the bike running in my garage the other day while doing some tuning on my Thundermax and decided to check how well the fan works, within 1 minute of turning it on my head temp dropped 26 degrees and stayed steady. I believe it works and since I drive I95 in Northern va most every day stop and go can be treacherous. I can live with a little heat on my right leg much more than my bike overheating and dying in the middle of rush hour traffic....

jmho

Oh...and I also use synthetic oil and have a oil cooler

[chris haynes]

 I work with a group of retired LAPD Motor Officers who do work for filming companies. Often they are escorting vehicles with cameras hanging off both sides making them too wide for the lane. One of the officers had the Genuine H-D fan on his bike. In stop an go traffic in very hot weather he tells me the thermostatically controlled fan doesn't come on. It has only come on when the bike was parked idling for several minutes.

[nc-renegade]

Renegade, I don't know how you and your friends can stand the heat on your right leg. Please inform us.

I don't notice it that much and I prefer heating my right leg a little than over heating my engine.  The lenale fan is much smaller than the HD parade fan and is concentated more up top.  This causes most of the air to be higher and it really does not heat up my leg that much.

But, heck if you are happy seeing head temps higher than 325 degrees then go for it...I'm not and will not take that risk.

I suspect the guy dropped his bike for another reason and just blamed the parade fan.  Police use them all the time and I don't see them dropping their bikes.

As far as the worse thing for cooling the engine..how can you say that, when you have never use one?  I have the Thunderheart digital speedometer which displays the head temp.  As soon as you turn the fan on, the temp. drops like a rock.  I can easily maintain the head temp on the hottest day to under 250 degrees.  But the best thing is if you stop your bike and let it idle, with the fan on, you do not have to worry about overheating the engine.


PS, an oil cooler has very little effect on the head temp and especially when it is sitting still.

[GaryD]

Rengade, if you read my post you will notice that I did  ride one with a fan and was very uncomfortable.
How come the 100's of thousands of Harleys that don't have a fan are all still running fine?
Oil coolers do help cool the engine -- maybe not as much as your fan --- but just by convection it cools the oil and you have the additional qty of oil that also helps. Besides as one HTT member stated a few years ago "a bike with an oil cooler will have a lot lower oil temperature when it comes to a stop then without a cooler -- so you have a little time advantage before it starts to rise again, by which time you should be moving again".  I have a cooler and the Kuyakin(?) side deflectors and I'm quite comfortable. Besides I don't need another piece of electrical equipment on my bike(I have too many amp draws now) LOL
I have never had a heat related engine problem -- even with my 03 Ultra twin cam 88.
If you're happy with the fan, that's all that counts.

[HarleyFranco]

Those with too much heat on their right leg must be wearing shorts. 

[GaryD]

I doubt it, there's a lot of interest in leather mini chaps for your thighs and the engine heat guards both H-D and Kuyiakin, and H-D rerouting the exhaust pipes from the roght side. So you know there is a heat problem. A million riders can't be wrong.
Just my observation

[truck]

I suspect the guy dropped his bike for another reason and just blamed the parade fan.  Police use them all the time and I don't see them dropping their bikes.

It wasn't the fan that caused it, but the rather large burn blister on his inner thigh had something to do with it.
Not debating the usefulness of the fan, just saying what can happen.