Fairing Vents

[jayshaw91]

JohnB, I'd LOVE to know what Yammy says, but regardless, that answer is still going to have people saying the other way is warmer than what Yammy says. Official word would be nice. It's just the opinions go back and forth on this with no consensus.

 

[Constant Mesh]

From page 3-20 of the owner's manual --

'the cowlings can be tilted back 30 mm for added ventilation'.

When they are tilted outwards they probably create a negative pressure area next to the fuel tank and frame upright which would tend to pull cooler air from above the tank and fairing down to the knee area.

In some descriptions the panels are labeled 'adjustable vents'. Vents in automobiles usually bring outside air into the passenger compartment.

 

[fjrrider]

Well I concur, vents in, definitely cooler. Seems to me with vents open it alows air to flow through directly off engine, with vents closed it moves air on down and out the bottom. But usually I'm having too much fun riding to pay attention for too long. I know I will open vents up this winter, but for now in this Texas heat they will sure enough stay closed!

 

[PerfectBlueride]

This is halarious! :beach: :secret:

So some of you feel the heat in and some feel it out.

I bet it depends on your riding gear and weather it insulates you.

Fred the pictures are nice, please provide a picture with it in the open position from the front and rear, only attached to the outbourd hole. I would be interested in how it vents at snail pace as that is the only time the heat from the pre 06 is an issue.

So in essince those gold wing vents that some have attached are doing the same thing for the older bikes, to bad they are fugly looking on this bike.

That said I think I might just have to try something else once I have an opportunity to study that venting up close.

Since the 05 and beyond fairings block the frame vents from working properly, I bet removing them or a portion of them to allow this baby to exhaul would remove the heat from the riders.

Might just have to break out the scaple and some duck tape! :lol:

 

[Fred H.]

JohnB, I'd LOVE to know what Yammy says, but regardless, that answer is still going to have people saying the other way is warmer than what Yammy says. Official word would be nice. It's just the opinions go back and forth on this with no consensus.

I got a box of chocolate donuts (with sprinkles) that says Yamaha tells you the vents are meant to direct hot air away from the rider when in the OUT position.

 

[mjs]

I found that my legs gret hotter with the vents in the open position but sometimes it is hard to tell because of variables such as speed and wind direction.

I think that the reason for the lack of information on the use of the vents from Yamaha is that they found out that the vents don't really work as well as they had hoped.

 

[DrBunsen]

I rode for months with them in (closed) with zero discomfort. Slight warmth is all I ever noticed. It wasn't until the temps here in the DFW area hit way over 100 (106F) that I suddenly found that my shins were baking. At Fred's urging I rode with them out on another hot-hot day and I found that it seemed *to me* to be much more comfortable. I didn't want to take that as some sort of conclusive test since there are always daily variables (wind direction/humidity/stray tachyons/whatever), so the next day I rode with one out and one in. I felt more heat on the one that was in. Still, one shouldn't take that as conclusive proof of anything since there are too many variables at play (e.g. having one vent in and one out may have altered the airflow within the fairing to move more hot air out the closed side).

Anyways, my theory now is that on *HOT* days (100+ degrees F) if you have the vents closed (in), the additional flow of air that's well above body temp helps to raise the temp of the shin area above normal body temperature, which makes the shins uncomfortable. When the air is less than body temperature, the extra air can help cool the shins.

Of course, I have zero idea just how much the air temps are raised by the hot engine as it blasts past, but at 70MPH it might be only a degree or three. If I had a thermometer handy I'd try to measure the delta.

So, here's where you can shoot down my theory: Those of you who found that it was cooler with the vents in, did you test it both in and out in temps above 100F?

Here's why I bring it up: Today on the ride home it was a cool summer day here in DFW, with the FJR showing an air temp of 90 degrees when I rode home (downright pleasant I thought). With the vents out I think I noticed more heat than I used to when I was riding in those sorts of temps. If I'd've had the vents in then I would've had the 90 degree air (plus whatever the engine could transfer to the air) blowing past my 98.6 degree shins. Instead I probably felt more of the radiant heat from the engine and frame and had less airflow to wick it away.

Oh well, the best part about all this is that they gave us something to play with that everyone seems to agree makes a difference in cooling, but which also seems to have different effects for different people. Personally, I think it's those damn stray tachyons that are messing with the temp sensors in our shins.

 

[paste007]

I live in Bakersfield, CA., which means HOT weather, every year.

Had my '06 since mid April and did not notice a heat problem.

HOWEVER, after reading of Fred's experience, I moved the side vents to the outer position and took a 600 mile ride yesterday to test it out.

After experiencing temp's that ranged from 72 (in Salinas, CA.) to 113 (several places), this was the first time that I experienced the FJR's heat issue, with the vents OUT.

Today I'm moving them back in.

PLUS it looks unfinished with the vents out.

 

[JohnB]

I live in Bakersfield, CA., which means HOT weather, every year. Had my '06 since mid April and did not notice a heat problem.

HOWEVER, after reading of Fred's experience, I moved the side vents to the outer position and took a 600 mile ride yesterday to test it out.

After experiencing temp's that ranged from 72 (in Salinas, CA.) to 113 (several places), this was the first time that I experienced the FJR's heat issue, with the vents OUT.

Today I'm moving them back in.

PLUS it looks unfinished with the vents out.

I don't remember where I heard it from, but even before I took delivery of my '06 and before I started following this forum, I had heard that the OUT position was to get more heat in the Winter. This was good news to me because one of the reasons I bought this bike was to extend my riding season into colder weather.

 

[jjsC6]

In reading the conflicting posts, the one thing that is obviously missing is "how hot is hot". As we all know, your body temperature if 98 degrees. Wind chill is based upon the theory (okay, fact) that in still air, your body is actually "warming" the air around you. But when it gets windy, your body is unable to keep a blanket of warm air around you.

I see no reason this does not work in reverse. If it's 85 degrees outside, the ambient air hitting your body actually cools your body. But as the ambient temps get into the mid to upper 90's (and don't forget that radiant heat from the sun and the road below you is actually making the mid 90's even hotter), the air hitting you makes you feel warmer.

So - why don't ya'll tell us how hot it actually was when you ran your experiments?

<<EDIT TO POST>> When I posted this, I had not seen there was a "page 2" yet. Some of what I stated and asked has been addressed on the reponses on this page. Sorry!

JohnB, I'd LOVE to know what Yammy says, but regardless, that answer is still going to have people saying the other way is warmer than what Yammy says. Official word would be nice. It's just the opinions go back and forth on this with no consensus.

I got a box of chocolate donuts (with sprinkles) that says Yamaha tells you the vents are meant to direct hot air away from the rider when in the OUT position.

I just went to their web-site. Here is what it says:

"New sharper-looking bodywork and air-management system keep the bike and rider much cooler; a new central vent beneath the instrument panel now cools the rider and reduces negative pressure, and new fairing side panels with 1.2-inch adjustability let the rider direct airflow."

I can invision a (wink) next to the last sentence as if to say "you figure it out - it's really just a marketing gimmick!"

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

... "you figure it out - it's really just a marketing gimmick!"

I think you're on to something there.

 

[Fred H.]

I see no reason this does not work in reverse. If it's 85 degrees outside, the ambient air hitting your body actually cools your body. But as the ambient temps get into the mid to upper 90's (and don't forget that radiant heat from the sun and the road below you is actually making the mid 90's even hotter), the air hitting you makes you feel warmer.

I haven't actually measured the air temp yet, but if you reach down and feel the air coming right off the side of this panel at 70mph in high ambient temps, it feels like it is around 130 degrees or higher. This is because the duct in front of the panel is right at the outlet of the radiator as well as next to the exhaust headers.

I would submit that the purpose of the panels is to keep this 130+ degree air off your lower legs when the panels were in the out position.

And here is the key. Obviously folks were not complaining about the FJR being too cold, they were complaining about it being too hot in warmer temps. If the coolest position was with the panels IN, then why in the world would Yamaha spend the money making them hinge OUT since no one is complaining about being COLD in the winter? It seems pretty obvious to me that they put the hinged panel on so you could swivel it OUT to help REDUCE the heat.

I got a box of choclate covered donughts (with sprinkles) that says I am right. Any takers?

 

[Rickster]

I'll be a taker fred. (just a good sport i guess).

My bet? Yamaha will tell you to put them where you like them best -- that it 'depends'

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I'll be a taker fred. (just a good sport i guess).
My bet? Yamaha will tell you to put them where you like them best -- that it 'depends'

Yup! Plus how would you prove anything? Even if you took your Sears multitester, bought the optional thermal coupler (get both for under $50), then taped the thermal coupler to your lower leg and went for rides with the flap in both positions; you still wouldn't settle this.

Besides, are the flaps doing anything to aide engine cooling? Now you have more measurements to take. Oh yeah, and watch the road.

 

[Fred H.]

Ok, then tell me this.

Considering this bike had a heat issue in previous years:

If the hot air on the rider was less with the panels IN

And the bike looks best with the panels IN (no exposed holes)

And it costs the manufacturer money to make the panels swivel OUT

Then why would they make them swivel OUT at all, and not just fix them in position like other year model FJR's?

 

[paste007]

Forget about logic.

It was hotter with the panels in the out position. No scientific analysis, just a 55 year old bod feeling the increased heat.

That's from a rider who lives and rides in one of the hot areas of California.

 

[DrBunsen]

Couple more thoughts on this I had on the way home today.

1) Here's a good test that anyone can do: I currently have the panels out/open so less air is hitting my shins directly (though some still is). I realized on the way home that I can just pop my legs open a couple of inches and they're in the air stream. And that air stream made my shins feel warmer the longer that I kept them there. (Air temp reading on the FJR was 95F.) So it'd be an easy test for anyone to see if they like it better in or out - just let the engine get good and hot, set the panels to the open/out position, and ride for a while with your legs out in the air stream and then for a while tucked next to the tank and you should be able to tell for yourself if it makes any difference for you.

2) Um... yes, the air does pick up more heat from off the engine than I expected, even rushing past at 70MPH. Not *HOT* (especially since the air temp was only 95F to begin with), but warmer than I expected.

Again, it sure is nice that we have an option here, even if we reach different conclusions personally.

 

[jimbemotumbo]

Results of my testing:

My bike is faster with the panels out.

With one panel open and one closed, it will turn in a circle.

Next test: Solenoid activated panels for air brakes.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Where's Groo and his picture of a dead horse being beaten with a stick when you need it? <_<

 

[ronjrieth]

Results of my testing:My bike is faster with the panels out.

With one panel open and one closed, it will turn in a circle.

Next test: Solenoid activated panels for air brakes.

Now that is funny.....

While you are all debating I will just take a box of those donuts, Fred.....

RR