Improved cooling?

Nikoliy said:

Hey guys,
Just wondering what options there are for improving cooling. I dont see any aftermarket radiators and people seam skeptical about coolant alternatives like Evans.
thx

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Cooling is fine going down the road but with a smaller then desirable rad area thanks to Willy G his hatred for rads in general and the choked down inlets low speed cooling will suffer. Fans save the situation but run way more then just about any other liquid cooled bikes out there.. Easiest option is to open up the whole frontal area, like pictured above and avoid gravel and mud holes. I might add, a good tune really drops fan time runs as well because stock, these engines are EPA tuned and lean.
Ron

You don't seem much in this area because the stock cooling system is more than adequate.

I've never heard of anyone ever having any problems with the stock setup, even with high horsepower bikes in hot climates. It's really a non-issue.

mikeinatlanta said:

You don't seem much in this area because the stock cooling system is more than adequate.

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Marginal is a more accurate statement. If more then adequate was the case the temps would not behave the way they do. Cruising temps vary depending on ambient, not thermostat controlled function. In the case of the Revolution the thermostat controls minimum temp only. Take the average auto. A 190 thermostat gives you 190 and sits there rock solid , idle and cruising. Only time it will go higher is if you have issues that would cause coolant loss. A rad too small as in the case of the Revolution, it struggles so the demands of the fans and run times make up for this. Porsche wanted a bigger rad when this was designed. Willy said no so a compromise was done. It just works and that's it.
Ron

rbabos said:

Marginal is a more accurate statement. If more then adequate was the case the temps would not behave the way they do. Cruising temps vary depending on ambient, not thermostat controlled function. In the case of the Revolution the thermostat controls minimum temp only. Take the average auto. A 190 thermostat gives you 190 and sits there rock solid , idle and cruising. Only time it will go higher is if you have issues that would cause coolant loss. A rad too small as in the case of the Revolution, it struggles so the demands of the fans and run times make up for this. Porsche wanted a bigger rad when this was designed. Willy said no so a compromise was done. It just works and that's it.
Ron

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Purely anecdotal nonsense. Decided to actually test the cooling system a bit while on the dyno. Yes the bike seems hot, but even making power pulls the fans reliably pull the motor temp to where it needs to be. Not even close to overheating.

Your automotive analogy is totally false. The Tstat does control minimum temp, both on cars and bikes. Let any car or truck with electric fans sit at idle and the fans will control the temps, not the Tstat. If you are seeing an automotive gage that reads 190 rock solid, that means you have an idiot light in gage form, not an actual temp gage. Very common on modern cars for both oil pressure and temp.

mikeinatlanta said:

Purely anecdotal nonsense. Decided to actually test the cooling system a bit while on the dyno. Yes the bike seems hot, but even making power pulls the fans reliably pull the motor temp to where it needs to be. Not even close to overheating.

Your automotive analogy is totally false. The Tstat does control minimum temp, both on cars and bikes. Let any car or truck with electric fans sit at idle and the fans will control the temps, not the Tstat. If you are seeing an automotive gage that reads 190 rock solid, that means you have an idiot light in gage form, not an actual temp gage. Very common on modern cars for both oil pressure and temp.

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Whatever. You missed the point about fallowing ambient with increase in running temp. I can type slower if it helps.
Ron

thx guys
Yea, its not really a problem. The fans are constantly on, so i thought their might be some way to improve it.
Has anyone actualy seen an improvement with a more open radiator cover. I remember from the VROD documentary that the original design is supposed to generate a vortex and works better then an open radiator.

Nikoliy said:

thx guys
Yea, its not really a problem. The fans are constantly on, so i thought their might be some way to improve it.
Has anyone actualy seen an improvement with a more open radiator cover. I remember from the VROD documentary that the original design is supposed to generate a vortex and works better then an open radiator.

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Thats what I would assume also. It probably is better on the fans.Whereas the open front could cause a turbulence issue against fan blades(at speed). The oem style wont allow this flow to directly affect the fans. The sacrifice is at idle I guess, but the fans will draw air across the radiator through the vents with more direct force than a open front grille. Like a venturi effect.

rbabos said:

Whatever. You missed the point about fallowing ambient with increase in running temp. I can type slower if it helps.
Ron

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Didn't miss the point, just ignored it. Figured my post was inflammatory enough only pointing out the relevant nonsense without delving into all of the misinformation you spewed line by line.

mikeinatlanta said:

Didn't miss the point, just ignored it. Figured my post was inflammatory enough only pointing out the relevant nonsense without delving into all of the misinformation you spewed line by line.

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I was actually testing out your sig to see if it was true. You passed.:moon: Have a nice day.
Ron

knight rod rob said:

Thats what I would assume also. It probably is better on the fans.Whereas the open front could cause a turbulence issue against fan blades(at speed). The oem style wont allow this flow to directly affect the fans. The sacrifice is at idle I guess, but the fans will draw air across the radiator through the vents with more direct force than a open front grille. Like a venturi effect.

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Take a close look at the vid where they do the hot box test. One bike has the whole rad front missing. Both passed. Basically because the fans only draw air in, right in front of the blades, nowhere else. How it fared for better cooling at slow speeds in comparison to the cowled stock setup is never discussed but just about all liquid cooled bikes have a full frontal exposure for cooling . They can't be all wrong. The air speed behind the rad and between the fans is also quite small to be skewed from the fan blades as I've never seen them spin driving down the road. Does the stock cooling system work, sure and works well huffing down the road at speed. Can it's efficiency be improved based on the rad size for slow speeds, absolutely.
Ron

Nikoliy said:

thx guys
Yea, its not really a problem. The fans are constantly on, so i thought their might be some way to improve it.
Has anyone actualy seen an improvement with a more open radiator cover. I remember from the VROD documentary that the original design is supposed to generate a vortex and works better then an open radiator.

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Vortex generators only work when moving .
Fans should not run continuously. They will cycle on and off in town traffic and idle but should turn off once they drop the temps, then come on again as temp rises . They should also never come on just cruising down the road at 50+ mph.
If the fans never turn off , there's an issue with the cooling system or your tune is extremely lean. I'd start with doing an air bleed in the system.
Ron

Vortex generators only work when moving. Well I was thinking like most automotive applications which have a fan shroud. The design of the v seems to be a reverse version
of some sort.

knight rod rob said:

Vortex generators only work when moving. Well I was thinking like most automotive applications which have a fan shroud. The design of the v seems to be a reverse version
of some sort.

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Not really. Only real difference is the front is blocked off more.
Ron

Think about it. It's a bike with a front tire throwing everything from mud, sand, rocks at the radiator at speed. It's aluminum! Get the picture? It's always a compromise; bike, car, big truck, whatever. You attempt to keep the fins as clean as you can in normal conditions. Dirt does NOT transfer heat very well. The stock shroud does a good job for the conditions without alot of maintenance on the rad fins themselves.

vrodrunt said:

Think about it. It's a bike with a front tire throwing everything from mud, sand, rocks at the radiator at speed. It's aluminum! Get the picture? It's always a compromise; bike, car, big truck, whatever. You attempt to keep the fins as clean as you can in normal conditions. Dirt does NOT transfer heat very well. The stock shroud does a good job for the conditions without alot of maintenance on the rad fins themselves.

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That's a compromise we can all live with. As long as the cooling air flow is up to the task it's fine. Having driven on a road construction with mud once convinced me to keep it as is. Ontario only has about two weeks of extreme heat and too hot an humid to enjoy the ride anyway. Now if I lived in the urban areas of Texas in summer heat, that front would be opened up. Just like every other liquid cooled bike made.
Ron

I rode for years in new mexico deserts with my first R model and nwver any issues. The fans worked when required