Author Topic: Cooling fan (Read 1133 times)

Buckeye513 · « **on:** August 22, 2013, 05:45:27 pm »

Has anyone ever attempted installing a cooling fan in their LT500? I realize this would require a battery just curious the thought crossed my mind to put one on my bike for trail riding. Wondering if its been attempted before.

Gillio · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2013, 05:55:57 pm »

If your bike is running properly, you shouldn't need one. My Trinity built 250 big bore ran 200+ degrees from day one, Carl set up a new head for it and it dropped 30 degrees and never ran hot since.

Buckeye513 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2013, 06:02:17 pm »

Cooler the better right? I need to order my vapor speedo tach temp gauge.

Gillio · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2013, 06:07:31 pm »

If that logic was correct then 20 degrees and a -15 wind chill would be ideal right?

MotorGeek - Jerry Hall · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2013, 06:28:18 pm »

Quote from: Buckeye513 on August 22, 2013, 05:45:27 pm

Has anyone ever attempted installing a cooling fan in their LT500? I realize this would require a battery just curious the thought crossed my mind to put one on my bike for trail riding. Wondering if its been attempted before.

The LT 500 charging system will not support the continuous operation of a cooling fan. Maybe some intermittent cooling fan use with a battery and long periods of riding without the fan to charge the battery for a few minutes of fan use.

Buckeye513 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2013, 06:29:19 pm »

So the stator will not charge a battery while there is a load on the battery? I was thinking intermittent fan use like slow sections of trail or during sitting periods.

Kyle T · « **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2013, 06:40:06 pm »

I was thinking maybe a small battery that the stator can charge when the fan is not in use, as well as a simple ON/OFF switch.

Heminutt · « **Reply #7 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:17:00 pm »

I was also thinking about doing this

Motoman991 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:25:17 pm »

I remember someone on the old forum added a smaller radiator to his zilla. I can't remember who though. Would just getting a larger radiator do the trick?

Kyle T · « **Reply #9 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:28:24 pm »

Not without proper airflow methinks. You could have a billboard sized radiator, but if no air flows through, no loss in temperature would occur. I think.

Buckeye513 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:36:12 pm »

A larger radiator helps because I can hold more coolant which means if air flow is proper there is more coolant already cooled waiting to go into the motor to extract more heat. Adding a fan essentially makes the smaller radiator larger by adding more airflow and adding forced air flow.

Kyle T · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:47:17 pm »

Word. Airflow=shed heat. Still=burn up.

Gillio · « **Reply #12 on:** August 22, 2013, 07:49:35 pm »

More volume will still heat up eventually.

WestTexasKing · « **Reply #13 on:** August 22, 2013, 08:34:52 pm »

What Jerry is trying to say is that a cooling fan will draw more watts than the stator can put out.
An 80W fan isn't a whole lot of airflow, and it's as much as you can hope for with a stock stator.
A 10min on/60min off duty cycle would net you enough charge to run a 500W fan for those times you might need it.
That can be translated to 1min on/6min off too, or however you want to figure it.
Not sure what the best size fan would be for an LT, but a 10A fan is going to draw about 120W of power.
A motorcycle or ATV fan would be a good place to start.
Best bet is to grab a few large lipos and run straight battery power instead of a charging system.
If you're running a 120W fan, a 10amp/hr battery at 12V will provide 1hr of continuous operation, while a 20amp/hr battery will give you two hours.
Size your battery capacity and fan draw to match the duration of your fuel tank, and you can swap out for a charged set with quick connects while you're refueling.
That way you can keep 100% of your stator output reserved for lighting.
You don't have to go with lipos though, you can run a garden tractor battery for budgets...it's just that a lipo pack can be charged fully in 10min by connecting it directly to your truck's battery (just be sure truck is not running), and they're the lightest as far as capacity per pound of weight.

MotorGeek - Jerry Hall · « **Reply #14 on:** August 22, 2013, 10:05:54 pm »

The stock stator puts out about 80 watts ac. When you put a rectifier on the system so that it can charge a 12 volt battery, the power to the battery or to power the fan directly will be 1/2 of the ac power or 40 watts. I think the fans on your computers CPU are about 15 watts each. Putting 3 CPU fans on your LT 500 radiator is not much air.

You could install a 5 gallon coolant storage tank in series with the radiator. This would help store some of the heat during those short times your radiator is not working when you are using the bike for something it was not designed for.

Suzuki named them Quadracers because of their design. Suzuki could have put a 20 amp 12 volt charging system with a huge battery, so that you could have an electric start, light bar, electric winch, hand warmers, sound system, electrically activated reverse, heated seat and electric wipers. If they came equipped like the aforementioned, Suzuki would have named it something like Big Red, Rincon, Rhino, Rock Crawler or Hunting Quad.

Frank · « **Reply #15 on:** August 22, 2013, 11:05:49 pm »

unfortunately is a cooling fan in the small suzuki stator impossible,
with the lamps it is just as ... I may go with the quad racer legally on the road.
Means did some time sometimes goes the sun.
and the light must be switched Constantly on the trip on low beam headlight light that is 55 watts
+ 20 watts rear and from time to time, the direction indicator switch at intersections.
now if there is still a cooling fan turns on you have exactly 5 minutes battery shut out light.
or you drive with 8000 rpm's constant through the area.
THEREFORE useless! I think about it on led light (just has less watts)
to install and added a small cooler of a 50cc behind my front bumper ...

WestTexasKing · « **Reply #16 on:** August 23, 2013, 04:14:44 am »

You'd only get 40W out of a charging system if you used a cheap half wave rectifier.
A full wave rectifier will give you 95% of input power, depending on efficiency.

They may be called quadracers, but that doesn't mean the only time you should ride one is when you're on a racetrack.
Strictly speaking, they weren't designed for duning either if you go only by their name.
I'm mean, if they were meant for sand, they'd have paddles and a better suspension, right?
An LT isn't really designed for flattrack either, but a few changes here and there and it works fine.
An LT isn't really designed for technical trail riding, but sometimes you can't avoid it...a simple cooling fan over the radiator and it would work fine until you got somewhere to open it back up.
Ride the dunes back to camp with a direct tailwind blowing just as fast as you can safely navigate the dunes.
See how fast an LT overheats when you're giving it plenty of power and no airflow, in a situation it was "designed" for.
Battery powered cooling fan? No more problems.

Just because a guy wants a cooling fan on his LT doesn't mean he intends to make it a luxury car...

Heminutt · « **Reply #17 on:** August 23, 2013, 01:36:32 pm »

Ride the dunes back to camp with a direct tailwind blowing just as fast as you can safely navigate the dunes.
See how fast an LT overheats when you're giving it plenty of power and no airflow

this is way I need a fan

Gillio · « **Reply #18 on:** August 23, 2013, 01:54:46 pm »

I'm just curious of how much air flow will be block by a fan sitting in front of your radiator at low to moderate speeds. There's not really much surface area on those thinly cored radiators to begin with. 250s at least, haven't really looked at the 500 in a long time.

Heminutt · « **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2013, 04:51:04 am »

I would mount one on the inside and have it suck air that way when you are not using it. it will not block air flow

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Author Topic: Cooling fan (Read 1133 times)

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