Q On Fjr Heat

[SpeedFreak]

Hello all;

I know there have been some pros/cons about the FJR's heat creation. Today I was out for 100 miles in 90+ degrees with shorts and the heat was too much to be a "nice day for riding"

Granted in New England having a bike that generates some heat is not always a bad thing, and agin in NE we have more cold days then hot ones so I'm not complainig.

Not beeing too technical I pose this question: Is it the thermostat that is responsible for turning on the fan when the bars goto four? If so could'nt one swap out the thermostat for a lower rated one that would turn the fan on earlier, like at two bars?

My thinking is haveing one thermostat for winter and one for summer?

any thoughts?

 

[Ramblin Man]

No, the thermostat does not control the fan, the fan switch does. You can buy a fan switch in lots of different temp combos (on/off). I have not looked at the FJRs fan switch but on cars there aren't that many form factors ie: you only have to choose between a few different thread sizes.

 

[smitty141]

SHORTS

 

[Jetmaker737]

SHORTS

 

[Canes]

SHORTS    

Wow. You left that door wide open. :lol:

 

[Fastfar]

An easy cure for the heat problem is simply to wear proper riding gear. My stich, while a bit warm while stopped, cools off nicely once at cruising speed. I can put the stich on and take it off in less than a minute so I have no reason not to wear it...

That heat ain't nothin' compared to the heat of skin sliding on road...

 

[Pappy]

Do the Cromet fix. Worked for me...

...oh, and wear more gear. Sweating is better than bleeding any day.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Riding with newer ventilated gear, I find, is cooler than riding with bare skin. The bare skin is exposed directly to the heat of the sun and engine, while wearing gear keeps the heat out and also provides shading from the sun. All this with great vetilation that will keep you cool for 400 miles in Sacramento 100+ degree heat. I know heat.

I used to ride without so much gear on, but now that it is so darn good, Ican't think of a good excuse not to protect myself from hamburger skin either.

 

[boardsNbikes]

Heat is not a problem with a 'stich unless I'm stopped or in slow traffic. This is from So Cal that is known to have some environmental heat. Besides, most of the other reports (complaints) about FJR heat have come from riders who are not wearing full gear (e.g., shorts, jeans). YMMV, ride your own ride.

boardsNbikes

 

[Warchild]

Today I was out for 100 miles in 90+ degrees with shorts

 

[FJRocket]

Why don't you bunch of mommies lay off. If the guy wants to ride in shorts, let him be. I don't think he needs you tell him he's road kill if he goes down. You're all starting to sound like "gear nazis".

Having said that, yes I certainly agree that riding with long pants does actually make the heat much more tolerable, and riding boots are even better. I think blocking the heat at the rear of the fairing by inserting foam insulation can be a big help, though, and you can make it reversible. That's a much better solution, imho, than trying to change the factory fan settings one way or t'other. Just take some 1/2 inch hot ater pipe foam insulation and be creative to block the upper and rearward airflow, but not the vents/gills on the side of the fairing. Just block where the air comes at you directly from the rear and top edge of the fairing.

I didn't want to do the Cromeit heat thing, either. I WANT the heat in the winter. All I have to do is remove the insulation out of the fairing. I have four peices of foam on each side, and they just pull out. I also have a tank/engine bay insulating blanket that helps a bunch, and all I have to do is raise the tank to remove that, if I want, in the winter.

The engine heat is going to radiate to the frame and you no matter what you do. I don't think making the cooling fan kick on earlier is going to keep the bike that much cooler. And for year around riding, it actually seems to me to be set just about right.

 

[Geezer]

I think having thefan come on earlier is only going to force the hot air at you more often and for longer periods of time while in traffic, even though the air may be a bit cooler. If you bring the switch temperature down too low you will be running the fan even while cruising and that will run the battery down.

FJRRocket, Id like to know more about the pipe insulation. Do you find that blocking some of the airflow causes any problems with the engine heating up sooner in traffic, the fan running more ofetn, that sort of thing?

 

[Canes]

FJRRocket, Id like to know more about the pipe insulation. Do you find that blocking some of the airflow causes any problems with the engine heating up sooner in traffic, the fan running more ofetn, that sort of thing?

I did the same thing as FJRRocket, except I used the marine insulation that has the adhesive on one side. I removed both side fairings and put it where Yamaha should have on the side fairings. You cannot see it once the fairing is reinstalled.

The next place to install it is around the bottom of your gas tank were your seat meets the tank. These three spots cutoff all of the hot air that hits the rider.

I have seen no difference in engine heat. The bike stays at 2 bars when I am going 35 mph or higher, 3 bars when I am riding at lower speeds and if I get stuck in traffic, I see 4 bars until the fan comes on and pushes it back down to 3 bars.

I live south of Atlanta as a heat index reference. :agent:

 

[SpeedFreak]

Let me re-phrase the question:

How can the fan be turned on when the temp gauge reads 3 bars rather than when it reads four?

 

[ionbeam]

Coolant flow is controlled by the thermostat in the coolant line, it opens and closes based on coolant temperature. The fan is turned on by a thermostatic switch :haha: err, the fan is activated by a thermostatic switch. The switch typically screws in to the housing around the water pump or into the radiator. The only ways to get the switch to turn on earlier is to use a thermostatic switch of a lower temperature rating or bypass the switch with a manual toggle switch. If the thermostatic switch is a common size it should be easy to substitute the part.

Alan

 

[Bounce]

Why don't you bunch of mommies lay off. If the guy wants to ride in shorts, let him be. I don't think he needs you tell him he's road kill if he goes down. You're all starting to sound like "gear nazis".

Sheesh. Musta hit a nerve, eh?

People share information about gear just like they do about motors, tires, oil, and so forth. Most of that information was earned from miles of experience. Sharing it is a way to get it out to the uninformed so they can short cut the learning process and save money, time or both while getting up to speed.

Squids don't last long. They either move past squidliness or stop moving. People here are trying to help avoid the latter.

 

[FJRocket]

This squid has lasted 35 years of riding. Outlived many, still mostly intact, and knocking wood every day. But alas, yes, I am fodder for the cannon, and my nerve was struck. I don't think I'd had enough coffee.

Maybe I'll change my handle to "RoadKill".

I'm just getting tired of the tsk tsk tsk, and mommy the hall monitor.

Yes, when that fan kicks on, I definitely feel the heat. Guess it would be less heat if it came on sooner. I think I'll just block what's there. Let us know if you farkle the temps. Sounds like an interesting experiment.

 

[afterburn]

Can anyone tell me more about this supposed heat issue? I'm still looking for a good deal on a FJR, so I have no first hand experience with the bike. But my VFR's frame will get so hot it will blister your skin if you touch it, yet I have never had problems being hot on the bike.

Does gear make the difference? I always ride in full leathers and boots; the same gear I ride in winter up to 0C. Could it be the people experiencing the problem are wearing lighter/thinner gear cause of the outside temps and are therefor less insulated from the heat of the bike?