Radiator mounting under floor board?

[Ben]

Computer fans!? You'll need 20!

 

[ex-racer#2]

You could probably also find some cooling fans off of an ATV or dirtbike to install over the radiator if you can't hash out a good place to mount it.

Some of those computer fans with the LED lights in them might look trick. I've been thinkin of doing that when I convert to LC.

~Josh

Look to trials bikes. The cooling systems are incredibly tiny. Add the right ducting for high speed operation and the trials fan for low speed cooling.

I would strongly suggest making a fiberglass duct to channel the air away from the rad. Turbulance can be beneficial but channelled air will have a much higher velocity and pull more fresh air through the rad. Also ducting the rads properly will ensure cool air is entering the motor and the heated air not being sucked into your airbox/filter/carb. Cool air is dense air and dense air makes more power.

 

[Ben]

ex-racer#2: Yeah , you gotta point in the tunnel thing.

You could also get a car radiator fan.. Of a Mini , or a Smart. But it must be a small engine radiator fan. This should do the trick.

 

[pinkymingeo]

Only problem is, you'll need a car to run alongside you with an extension cord. Those things all draw more than a scooter coil puts out. Forget fans and other gimmicks. Won't cut it. You need adequate capacity, and enough radiator area to do the job. Installed right you don't need anything except the radiator/tranny cooler. Or, you can fool around, blow a bunch of money, overheat for a while, then do what you should have done in the first place.

 

[Ben]

Why would you need an extension cord for a radiator fan .. ? :?

 

[pinkymingeo]

Well, I guess you could fabricate a bracket, and drive a generator off your front wheel, like they do with bicycle lights. Radiator fans draw a lot of current.

 

[Areomyst]

computer fans dont move enough air. just buy a big enough radiator

Just a thought, that's all.

They make 8 inch fans. The LED's might look neat, and would at least move a little bit of air when stopped. Ah well.

Everyone gets an impulsive stupid idea once in a while.

 

[pinkymingeo]

You were smart enough to ask. I tried it once without asking. Had a shroud, too. Didn't move enough air to spit at. Was a big job to install, though, and I blew $35 in the process.

 

[Astrolopitec]

Well... I Beg to differ.
Radiator fans are not gimmics. Over half the liquid cooled road bykes use them. But size does make a difference. While the air ramming effect kept my system cool on the road. It did tend to overheat on long lights and bumper to bumper rush hour traffic.
First I tried a 3 inch computer fan. It consumed 0.22 amps and was rated at 35CFM. It helped but it was not enought. So I boght a 5 inch fan that consumes 0.25 amps (less than the licence plate bulb) and moves 75 CFM.
My temp has'nt gone over 86 C since. And I did'nt need a shroud.
Of course different motors generate different amounts of heat. And how lean/rich, fast/slow your hidle is set, makes a huge difference.
But fans DO help a lot.

 

[Mexicano]

And there are some 5" industrial fans, 12 vcd (1.00 amps) handling 120 CFM

 

[Mexicano]

take a look at this site:http://www.thermochill.com/index.php

Not a cheap products but they would work fine in a bike

 

[Ben]

Just mount a small car fan , they do not use alot of energy at all. I should know , I fix / work with car's daily. Connect the fan to the energy source. Like the ignition.

 

[pinkymingeo]

If the system is designed properly, no fan is required. I have an Evo with an ignition, and it creates a lot of heat. No problem. The engine cools at idle, and doesn't get hot in stop-and-go. And, that's in tropical conditions. When we get the occasional cool snap and temps are under 80F, overcooling is the problem. If you need a fan, you need to rethink your system.

 

[Ben]

yeah but a fan is just needed if your system get's higher than 80C.. Or if ya have to stand stil for a while , while the engine is running. Then you can use the fan to cool the engine , and standing stil at the same time.

 

[pinkymingeo]

When I first started this project, I ran as high as 120C with a pressurized system. Not what you'd want, but it worked. Now 75C is about max. A lot of little things help, too. I'm about 8C cooler with a thermostat than without. Seriously venting the sidecover will drop engine temps more than you'd think.

 

[Astrolopitec]

Yes.
Keeping cool carters offers tons of benefits like better main bearing heat disipation, denser mixture in the crank case, longer belt and roller life, better clutching. And yes. Cooler cylinder.
I haven't done it yet but I intend to also vent my mechanical water pump. Which naturaly gets very hot since hot water runs thru it.

 

[ex-racer#2]

If the system is designed properly, no fan is required. I have an Evo with an ignition, and it creates a lot of heat. No problem. The engine cools at idle, and doesn't get hot in stop-and-go. And, that's in tropical conditions. When we get the occasional cool snap and temps are under 80F, overcooling is the problem. If you need a fan, you need to rethink your system.

The problem is space and weight. Large rads can be difficult to mount and even in a car the rad only works well with air moving through it. A fan just keeps the air moving when your speed can't move enough air to do the job. My trials bike doesn't get much speed going so it has a fan. The rad is so tiny and it works really well because the fan helps to keep it moving air all of the time. Without a fan the rad has to keep growing to keep capacity and surface area compensating for low efficiency due to lack of air flow.

After all stock air cooled cylinders on our scoots have forced air fans. This was not always the way air cooled cylinders operated.

 

[Kael]

Ok I put this radiator under where You all showed me and man it fits like a GLOVE! I mean I have about a half inch of space on each side of the rad if that. Just enough so I dont have to worry about it hitting the frame.
I just have one question about the cooling of it. Will my cylinder be cool because I figure that cool water will come back into the cylinder quite fast since the lines are so short and dont contain a whole lot of fluid? Right now I dont have a temp gauge either.
One more question, right now I dont have a thermostat I should be fine without one correct? until I get one only reason im asking is because of the system being so short. thanks

 

[Astrolopitec]

I'm running short tubing and no thermostat. No problemo.
I just run it easy for the first minute untill my temp reaches 60-70C and then I'm good for WOT.
You should try to invest on a temp guage. No guezing, big peace of mind.
I had to do an small mod to the rad and install an small resistorless NGK spark plug cap to get suficient clearance.
The NGK cap also solved the problem that I had with the stock cap poping off the spark plug at the most inoportune moments. (lots of vivrations on a stroker)

 

[Astrolopitec]

I'm running short tubing and no thermostat. No problemo.
I just run it easy for the first minute untill my temp reaches 60-70C and then I'm good for WOT.
You should try to invest on a temp guage. No guezing, big peace of mind.
I had to do an small mod to the rad and install an small resistorless NGK spark plug cap to get suficient clearance.
The NGK cap also solved the problem that I had with the stock cap poping off the spark plug at the most inoportune moments. (lots of vivrations on a stroker)