for those with california ventilation fans

[QuickKat]

I had a dead battery again this morning this is the freakin umpenth time and I just bought a new battery less then a month ago..
It worked great when I got it then this bull today, so I bought a tender but I was wondering if anyone had this same problem. Iwas thinking it was due to the fan that comes on after you turn off the bike if it is how can I take it out or bypass it? Do I need it?

[300]

you're not alone
my fan goes on for 45min after engine shut off
plus i dont ride much.....
i charge my battery every other week

[damic]

I took my fan out a while ago. It's a simple job, just pull the fairing off, follow the wiring from the fan to a molex connector and disconnect. If you remove the fan you might need to cut down or replace one of the allen head bolts because it will be too long. I also remember seeing a link on KP where someone converted it to an oil cooler fan, but alas that was before the big crash of 04. Is the person that did the mod on this site? If so maby they could explain again.

Damic

[Badkitty]

i never touched my fan. I've had the bike almost a year with 6K miles on it and i've NEVER had a problem with the battery going dead or starting up period. I never really udnerstood the NEEED for it but since i've had no problem i've left it intact.

[woobie]

Why do the cali kats have fans anyway?

[QuickKat]

because we like to waste power and money,
I was told that it was for smog emission but I'm not sure.

[dark169]

Its to cool the carbs as the fuel will evapurate out of the carbs if they are hot. The fuel in the carbs going un burnt into the air is like burning more then a whole tank of gas.

[Fast Glass]

I just disconnected the plug on mine. Nice and simple, and if need be I can hook it right back up again.

[The CyberPoet]

i never touched my fan. I've had the bike almost a year with 6K miles on it and i've NEVER had a problem with the battery going dead or starting up period. I never really udnerstood the NEEED for it but since i've had no problem i've left it intact.

That is highly dependent on how far you ride; if you tend to ride short trips (say the local blockbuster & home), the fan runs afterwards each time, you're not producing enough of a recharge to off-set the fan's draw. Ride 20+ miles at a pop, and it's probably not an issue.

Dark169 hit it on the nose as to why the fan is there for the California models. The common mods are:
(A) Removing it
(B) Wiring a kill switch to it.
(C) Disabling the fuse for it or unpluggin the fan
(D) Relocating it to the oil cooler and wiring it up with a switch to run it if you get caught in a traffic jam on a hot day.

You can always donate it to me, and I will use it to do a full fan-mod write up with pictures

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[QuickKat]

thanks Poet I was waiting for you to post to make sure.
Here's the skiny, I let the bike warm up for about 5-8 min.
Drive to work about 7 miles away the long way, let it sit till I go on break about 4 hours later. Drive home on my half, drive back and then home again four hours later. Six days a week.

[The CyberPoet]

thanks Poet I was waiting for you to post to make sure.
Here's the skiny, I let the bike warm up for about 5-8 min.
Drive to work about 7 miles away the long way, let it sit till I go on break about 4 hours later. Drive home on my half, drive back and then home again four hours later. Six days a week.

7 miles simply isn't enough (especially if you're not above 5k RPM) to offset a 45 minute fan after-run each time. Either get in the habit of plugging in the battery to a charger when you get home each night, or do something to disable the fan. Note that your bike will probably take an extra second or so to start without the fan (because the fuel in the bowls is in better shape with the fan system)...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Badkitty]

well i dont do short 5mins rides..but alot of them are 10-15mins..and when i first got bike i was going everywhere stopping and going and what not...still nothing. If someone is doing hundreds of 2-5min rides a day..then use a car or something. I cant even imagine doing that unless your a courier in a big city.

[QuickKat]

thanks Poet I was waiting for you to post to make sure.
Here's the skiny, I let the bike warm up for about 5-8 min.
Drive to work about 7 miles away the long way, let it sit till I go on break about 4 hours later. Drive home on my half, drive back and then home again four hours later. Six days a week.

7 miles simply isn't enough (especially if you're not above 5k RPM) to offset a 45 minute fan after-run each time. Either get in the habit of plugging in the battery to a charger when you get home each night, or do something to disable the fan. Note that your bike will probably take an extra second or so to start without the fan (because the fuel in the bowls is in better shape with the fan system)...

Cheers


5Krpm ohh no. Only from a take off, then above five in all gears. The D&D sound's just lovely around 8 thousand rpm's.
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

well i dont do short 5mins rides..but alot of them are 10-15mins..and when i first got bike i was going everywhere stopping and going and what not...still nothing. If someone is doing hundreds of 2-5min rides a day..then use a car or something. I cant even imagine doing that unless your a courier in a big city.

Your bike is newer, your battery is newer, and your thermal-coupling (that decides when to turn the fan off based on temp) is also newer and less likely to trigger over-run; odds are that your fan doesn't run as long as his. Give it a couple more years and you may well find yourself in the same situation...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet