Powered by AMD, or How to Kool Your R/R

[koolaid_kid]

Rummaging through my spare PC parts, I came upon an 80mm case fan. I also found a low profile 80mm CPU fan from an OEM AMD CPU. both had been there for years, so I tried the fit on a duaneage R/R I had sitting on the workbench. I selected the CPU fan (the case fan proved too tall and hit the sidecover when installed on the bike). After a bit of trimming and some wiring, I connected it to the sense wire of the R/R and put the ground to the same ground as my R/R. This particular fan also had a sense wire, so I had to connect that also. Using zip ties, I tied it to my R/R and tested it. It does spin, which should allow the R/R to run a bit cooler:

Just a thought.

 

[Hammered]

Not a bad idea. I think Ill relocate mine while Im changing things up. OR, When I redo the side panels since I lost one in the crash, Ill make it a little better for air flow.

 

[81GS750]

Good thinking! I've got an old Dell laying around, might just have to rob the fan out of it!

 

[Katarat]

The computer fan runs off of 12 volts ?

 

[koolaid_kid]

Yup. I found a pinout, which was basically this:
Pin 1: Black - ground
Pin 2: Red or yellow - 12Volts
Pin 3 Red or yellow - sense wire (must be powered for fan to run, so I tied them together)
Pin 4: Blue - control, for those that have variable fan speeds for quiet operation. I cut this one off so the fan will run full speed.

For the most part, computers use 12V DC or 5V DC. Fans use 12V. A low profile case fan or even VPU (video card) fan will suffice. You could even use a smaller fan (40mm and up) if you had one laying around. I did not.
The only odd thing is hearing the fan when I turn the switch on before starting the bike.

 

[sharpy]

Do they get that hot to justify the hassle?

 

[allojohn]

Hilarious.....and brilliant!

 

[Gonzo]

Make an upgrade to this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&Tpk=coolermaster 212

 

[Adler]

Make an upgrade to this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&Tpk=coolermaster 212

Haha, that's the heat sink I have on my PC!!!

 

[Gonzo]

Me too. Excellent cooler. I think I will be using this mod though when I get around to taking care of the electrical system though Koolaid. Pretty cool and it puts a touch of "geek" on the bike.

 

[salty_monk]

:lol: & when the fan breaks down it'll be sitting there impeding airflow...

Overkill in my opinion but shouldn't hurt anything as long as you check it's running.....

 

[posplayr]

have you put a temp sensor on the r/r to see if there is any difference?

 

[1_v8_merc]

Haha that's Awesome!

One hell of a conversation piece for us computer guys!
(and AMD fans)

I have about 3 or 4 AMD's laying in my basement.

Your thread is giving me ideas.....what ELSE can we cool on the GS?

Or what other CPU parts can we stick on the bike?

 

[Rover]

Many new bikes have the R/R mounted on the frame down tubes in front of the engine to benefit form air flow.
Could we do this?

 

[koolaid_kid]

Many new bikes have the R/R mounted on the frame down tubes in front of the engine to benefit form air flow.
Could we do this?

Interesting. My GPz has it mounted in the frame tubes.

 

[mighty13d]

I have contemplated throwing two of those up on my oil cooler on the bandit when I was in FL. I figured that I could flip them on if I'm going through city traffic in the billion degree weather. Probably could rig them up to a temp sensor if I was feeling that handy but I would more than likely just just a simple ''on/off'' switch.

 

[dueller]

I have contemplated throwing two of those up on my oil cooler on the bandit when I was in FL. I figured that I could flip them on if I'm going through city traffic in the billion degree weather. Probably could rig them up to a temp sensor if I was feeling that handy but I would more than likely just just a simple ''on/off'' switch.

As someone else has said though, would block airflow when not turned on or they died. Of course could always turn on when get hotter. On the backside would probably be better more like a car radiator. They are probably not a good idea to install where they will get very much road exposure as they are not meant to get dirty like oil coolers do. Probably lead to early failure.

 

[mighty13d]

As someone else has said though, would block airflow when not turned on or they died. Of course could always turn on when get hotter. On the backside would probably be better more like a car radiator. They are probably not a good idea to install where they will get very much road exposure as they are not meant to get dirty like oil coolers do. Probably lead to early failure.

I wouldn't want them out in front anyway. I would want them hidden. Also, they are cheap so if they were to die.. no biggie. I have a half dozen of them kicking around and can always get a bunch more for next to nothing if not free.

 

[koolaid_kid]

First, my R/R is so close to the sidecover that a non-running fan would not block much, if anything at all. I have no empirical data, merely observation. My cooling fins run front to back, and so does the ambient airflow, so something on the top of the fins would be a minor obstruction at best. And the fans are not solid, there is space between the blades, allowing some airflow even if the blades were stopped. As an aside, as soon as I turn the key on I can hear the fan run (kinda kool, actually).
If I were to mount fans on the oil cooler, I would mount them in a pull configuration rather than push, which means putting them on the back rather than the front. For this application, I would also install an adjustable temp sensor to switch them on when needed. And fans can be had in various quality as well. For example, my CPU fan runs 24/7 on all 3 of my desktop machines, as do the power supply fans. Quality of fans, better to best. (All aftermarket CPU fans and p/s supply units, OEM CPU fans and cheap Chinese power supplies never seen use in my machines.) I have never had one fail, either, although I have seen the $15 p/s fans fail.

 

[Nessism]

That fan should be good for at least 30,000 hours. If you rode an average of 35 mph that will take you to about 105,000 miles.