Tightwad

I love the spacer idea....simplicity at it's best.  I am currently test printing the original adapter to see how it works out.  The first print was good even at medium resolution and in PLA.  I am trying a different orientation to see if the delamination issues I expect to happen based on how a 3D printer works can be avoided.

If anyone has the cad file I would love to try printing it on my 3D printer just because I can.  I haven't printed any ABS yet, this would be a good candidate and my ABS filament is feeling left out.  Email it to me if you have it - tilton at gmail.com

Did you lose a gear from your custom keychain?

On 1/12/2017 at 0:10 PM, Dutchy said:

RC36?

RC51?

 

 

 

GDC baby!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Biased but I like it...and bike/tank friendly too! viva la gear driven cams!

Such a beautiful bike!  Good luck with it and I hope you have a short winter so you can properly enjoy it soon.  Jealous you are in Luxembourg!

Thanks Tightwad. Interesting suggestion. Would it be doable to print let's say 3-5 pairs each in case of tip overs and how much would that be??? Just trying to look at all options people. Don't mean to undermine the excellent work that has been done so far...

C

I don't know a ton about the options for printing. I do know that a local place offers rental of their machine by the hour. My library does it based on the weight (free use of machine, just pay for materials). I have no experience with printing from a cad file...I gather it's fairly easy however.

I have these mirrors/mounts from the origianl buy on my bike. I get a lot of questions (or used to) via my site on where to buy them as the mirrors were visible in the HID Headlight video for the HID kit that I no longer sell (thus the questions stopped). I never had an issue with them breaking, even on a tip over (two of them). I did have a problem where I wished the angle was better...I am only 5'8" and I couldn't quite get them adjusted low enough. I am not sure if this has been addressed but I am guessing not? If one is needed for measuring/replicating let me know...I am not currently riding my bike so I could loan it out for a couple weeks (I would need it back, need to have mirrors!). Let me know, I would love to see these made again! I think printing them would work as long as there were seen as failure parts in the event of a crash...the rest of the bike is plastic, no reason the mounts couldn't be.

There's no davantage to turning a fan on earlier than it would be turned on by the stock temp. switch, and there's absolutely no advantage to turning it off before the temp. switch would. It does not use any more power than the bike can easily supply. Cooling fans on every vehicle, moto or auto, have been controlled by thermal switches with near 100% reliability.

Self powered makes no sense, the bike battery is perfectly capable of operating the fan under all circumstances. If your battery is incapable of operating the fan then it's likely the bike is not running, or is about to stop running.

This would seem to be a verry complicated way of doing something that is already done with perfect simplicity.

This guy has never driven a vfr,

Fan on early in traffic is the only thing I'm after but too lazy to sort it at the moment...

On the power draw - the VFR uses a shunt reg, the alternator runs full tilt all the time and excess power is drawn off by the RR as heat - running more farkles is beneficial to the system as it reduces the load on the RR...

this guy knows what he's talking about. thumbs up buddy.

I did this as a DIY mod last year, but not for power draw issues. I used a single pole, double throw switch and wired it in with the thermo switch. I use it to get ahead of the temperature curve and keep the engine from building as much heat when I know I'm going to be idling or riding very slowly. Then when I get going I can switch it off a while and then when things stabilize switch it back to normal mode. If I do get in to the 230+ degree range, as soon as I get moving at 30 to 35 mph I switch the fan off and the temp comes down more rapidly without the fan fighting the airflow. I had purchased a VTR fan blade to make that swap, but having installed this switch I'm not sure I will - this works very well - better than I expected. Since I installed this I've had no temperature issues at all.

What was suggested in the OP, an indicator light, would be very helpful. I tried to source a waterproof rocker switch that was illuminated, but couldn't fine one small enough to fit on my 6th gen where I wanted it. I'm accustomed to keeping up on switch configs, but on one occasion I forgot what "mode" it was in, and some sort of indicator, maybe a red and green LED (red = "no fan" and green = "fan operating" or similar) on the cockpit panel or something would be quite helpful. I positioned the switch on the left inner upper cowl panel next to the tank - though that's where the front ABS pump resides on a 6th gen, and getting a switch in there was tight. For non-ABS bikes there would be plenty of room in that location.

You are good where you are at. I tried the vtr fan blade and while it works great if you are moving at 25 mph or more, it is incappable of cooling the bike off while stuck in traffic. blowing hot, stagnant, engine compartment air across the radiator will not drop temps.

I did this as a DIY mod last year, but not for power draw issues. I used a single pole, double throw switch and wired it in with the thermo switch. I use it to get ahead of the temperature curve and keep the engine from building as much heat when I know I'm going to be idling or riding very slowly. Then when I get going I can switch it off a while and then when things stabilize switch it back to normal mode. If I do get in to the 230+ degree range, as soon as I get moving at 30 to 35 mph I switch the fan off and the temp comes down more rapidly without the fan fighting the airflow. I had purchased a VTR fan blade to make that swap, but having installed this switch I'm not sure I will - this works very well - better than I expected. Since I installed this I've had no temperature issues at all.

What was suggested in the OP, an indicator light, would be very helpful. I tried to source a waterproof rocker switch that was illuminated, but couldn't fine one small enough to fit on my 6th gen where I wanted it. I'm accustomed to keeping up on switch configs, but on one occasion I forgot what "mode" it was in, and some sort of indicator, maybe a red and green LED (red = "no fan" and green = "fan operating" or similar) on the cockpit panel or something would be quite helpful. I positioned the switch on the left inner upper cowl panel next to the tank - though that's where the front ABS pump resides on a 6th gen, and getting a switch in there was tight. For non-ABS bikes there would be plenty of room in that location.

I did a similar if not the same mod to mine so I can turn it on early sitting in traffic. The hotter she gets the hotter everything else gets (frame etc) and makes it take waaaaaaaay longer to cool back down. I don't really see the point in being able to turn it off, that sounds like a recipie for over cooking engines when you inevitable forget you turned it off or bumped the switch without knowing. An indicator of some sort would be nice to know when you have the switch turned on but I didn't see the need and just used a simple switch I had laying around that would handle 30A (maybe 20A, don't remember now, I figured if it got hot I needed a better switch, no issues so far).

To shorten up this statement a bit, I think a Tightwad fan override kit would be a good addition to your current arsenal of VFR farkles and sell well as much as VFR's run hotter than the sun!

You need to be able to cut the fan off for when you pull on the highway. If your fan is running and you're moving at 70 mph, your bike will heat up, as the fan is fighting the incoming forward airflow.

My "mental failure mode" with this wasn't by leaving it off, but rather by leaving it on. I was running along at 70 mph and the temp kept hanging around 220 and wouldn't come down. Climbing hills it headed toward 230 and I was thinking 'WTF is going wrong . . . am I having a thermostat failure?? I'm going more than fast enough to cool this thing off." Then it suddenly hit me - I had left the fan running. No need to call me an idiot - I spent the next few hours doing that over and over. It just took once though to teach me my lesson.

+1 I would have to have a idiot light to remind me its ON ...

I usually just reach down an feel if its sucking or blowing. Easy with summer gloves, but with winter gloves on I have to rely on my voltage gauge.

At highway speeds I will be running 14.1 volts fan off and 14.0 volts fan on. The fan barely draws any power once its running, but you can see a decent voltage drop as it spools up, thats usually how I check whether its on or off if I am stumped.

Really?

Leaving the fan on will block airflow that much?

Find that hard to believe.

Yes its true

Tightwad can we get a switch to reverse the fan direction for when we're moving 25 mph and up, and normal direction below 25 mph.

I will be the first to buy that.

As noted reversing the motor has limited effect and can be a bit odd if you do it while the fan is running. I wasn't even sure the motor COULD run backwards...never tried it.

There are plenty of purely hardware ways to do most of this. For those that don't need/want it there is no reason. People who have heat related issues have and will try anything...and eventually they figure out the right combo.

I have been approached about the idea of a manual fan control that would allow you to:

• Turn the fan on early
• turn the fan off (to reduce power draw)
• allow normal mode

Another feature requested would be indicator lights that would show:

• What status is selected
• If the fan is turned off but the bike wants it on (blinking LED etc)...could even be audible alarm

What I am trying to determine is if there is interest in this on a wider scale. I have never felt the need to change how my fan operates but i spend little time in heavy traffic and I don't do track days or other cases that are different. My bike rarely runs hot although I have considered a manual "on" switch for the summer in the past.

Another outstanding question is....self powered or bike powered. I could personally go either way...the default operaton (even with the unit off) would be for the fan to operate as normal....so no harm if the battery dies on a self powered unit.

Feedback?

Did you use my HID wiring kit with the projectors to get the Latch and Delay functionality? I don't recall sending any to Romania but I have mailed them all over. I am not keen on the LED strip...the rest looks good and the camera makes the light look more purple than it probably is given the color temperatures you went with.

I'm still a little bummed as well... but another member bought it and restored it, so that's good.

I still have like 40 cells I'm going to make a nice big 12V 100Ah battery that I can hook up to an inverter and have as a portable power unit (can use in emergencies, or to charge 10 miles into my motorcycle, take camping, charge with solar, etc.)

I do love the bike, and it meets and exceeds what I wanted in a motorcycle.... and much sexier than my VFR, IMHO.

I wish it wasn't so expensive to play with those cells...I used 4 in a Seadoo and they worked great...then they got submerged and were flooded for a long time, killed 3 of the 4. Amazing how much rust you can get from Stainless steel...

I wanted to build a 4s2p pack for another watercraft but now I don't have the cells to do it with and since it was just for grins it's not worth $23+ per cell.

Congrats on the new toy! I am bummed to see your other project stop, I loved the engineering going into it. It was due to your contacts that I bought the Headway cells I used on my VFR and my Seadoo as replacement batteries....novelty item surely but a fun DIY project for me.

Most likely the magnetic bit is bonded to the bolt...so you can buy whichever one you desire most and it will work.

very good info!

Gotta admit it looks purdy....

You forgot your 4th goal...

for the 4th gen the problem is that R/R connector. The VFRness I sell is 10 gauge wire to the battery for + and - and a 12 guage wire to the starter relay (red/white wire OEM). Stator wires are also bulked up to 12 gauge down to the stator connector in the front.

I use the dual stars, with a rocker vs a toggle switch. Mine is tucked under the windscreen so no issues. There is a condom deal available for round rockers too...I bought a bunch to look at and I include them with the switches I sell.

I responded via PM...but for those who also want to know:

I screwed up and made both ends female on the purple wire. Could be my inner female lovingness manifesting itself? could be too many late nights? Either way that one was my fault...sorry about that!

There are no unused R/R or stator connections when installing the VFRness. It fits inbetween the existing R/R (not stator) connectors. This provides a duplicate path back to the battery, instead of an alternate path as many other options do...which inherently have the same issue the VFR does over time.

That explains why I had no high beams, or front signal lights. Remember I had the HID kit so I had low beams . The previous owner had straight wired the stator and R/R.

P.S. I fix the purple wire wasn't a big deal but did not want you to make hundred of the wrong ones !!!

Straight wiring the Stator to the R/R won't impact the VFRness, but the R/R being hardwired to the rest of the harness would of course. Feel free to call/email me if you still have questions

One of my issues with the install was how to fit all that mass of heavier guage wires and the connectors under the fairing on the right side. It seemed like I had to bend the wires almost into knots to get it under the plastic and then it still was a force fit. I'm sure I did something wrong. A couple of months ago I removed the VFRness to troubleshoot an electrical problem. I'm condisering reinstalling it , but not looking forward to craming it all under the plastic again. Any suggestions?

With the recall there are now more wires/connectors in that area than there were originally...thus it is a tighter fit. with a bit of forethought everything still fits however.

Maybe I should get the recall done so I can look at changes...but then I have to take it in!

I responded via PM...but for those who also want to know:

I screwed up and made both ends female on the purple wire. Could be my inner female lovingness manifesting itself? could be too many late nights? Either way that one was my fault...sorry about that!

There are no unused R/R or stator connections when installing the VFRness. It fits inbetween the existing R/R (not stator) connectors. This provides a duplicate path back to the battery, instead of an alternate path as many other options do...which inherently have the same issue the VFR does over time.

If you keep the R/R on the same side and mount to where the horn is/was, can you not cut the wiring?

Sorry, I don't follow you.

Ciao,

The R/R wiring has to be modified. I have built harnesses for those moving theirs to the front, it isn't very hard as it is fairly simple...the hard part is mounting it.

I finally rode in the dark....light was just fine, and definantly brighter and in different areas, but I didn't feel I lost a ton of short range, no dark spots.

Yeah that short range light is what I want back. I don't feel the light I gain in distance was worth the cost of my short range light. Before I did the mod I had upgraded all four bulbs to Piaa bulbs. Not cheap but HUGE difference in light. Long and short distance light. Im going to go back to stock wiring for now..

Why not use all 6 filaments? Get the best of all worlds!

I'm considering doing this myself soon, and definitely the all-six-filaments version. It should be a healthier option for the stator and regulator - about 300 watts consumed total which should cause the regulator to be regulating a lot less, and therefore putting less stress on the stator.

I have stopped selling them as there are cases where it goes into discharge mode.

Boneman - I'm wondering why you didn't run the negitive wire to the battery terminal like you did the positive?

Also, when you spliced into the rear tail light, did you need to determine which wire was for the tail light & which was for the brake light? If so, how did you do that?

I too wondered that., but still a nice install

no point using a 10 gauge lug really...the stator wires are 14 gauge. The real key seems to be getting a good connection from wire to connector, and then between the connectors. I have a stator hardwire kit that works great if you want to be able to remove them, or you can do as suggested and just bolt them together...be careful to insulate the bolt very well, as you don't want it vibrating and rubbing through.

I also prefer solder, although the purist claim vibration can cause the solder joint to fail. so far my solder joints lasted longer than the crimp connections, so I will stick with that.

The key to soldering is lots of heat in a concentrated space for the shortest time possible. Naturally too much heat will leave the connector hot for a long time, so don't overdo it. I use a fairly big Weller gun on high, it takes about 10 seconds from start to finish, and the insulation should never melt away or look burned. Dual wall heat shrink is also the best thing ever!

I have updated my website to include the pictures that were originally posted here. The biggest difference is I no longer cover the ground wires as I had feedback that it was too hard to stash the wiring with the extra bulk (and there really isn't a need for it). You can see the pictures here:

VFRness: http://www.wiremybike.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_4&products_id=270&osCsid=5e1672bbebc6c63ebef178cc5a4f272f

VFRness Bundle (same pictures): http://www.wiremybike.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_4&products_id=271&osCsid=5e1672bbebc6c63ebef178cc5a4f272f

Install is the same nearly for a 1998-1999 as well, just the connectors are different, and there is no relay.