Well, I was reluctant to drop the $58 on that switch plus the cost of 170* thermostat mentioned by member
Dorney although that is a very clean/smart solution.
For anyone interested, I decided to go with the low pressure (easy to actuate) micro switch I mentioned earlier. I made a sail switch to interrupt the fan power anytime the bike is moving 20 mph or more (unless my separate over-ride switch is on). I hit my shroud 20+ years ago on something I don't even remember. I patched it up so ignore the brackets that hold shroud to radiator.
This is a bearing from a router bit, the smaller variety. The metal bent/wrapped around the bearing is the SS insert found in wiper blades. So I formed it into a lever. The two were JB Welded together. I used the stud that Yamaha used to retain the screen as pivot point and screw attachment hole.
Here's the switch where I first located it. I ultimately had to lower the switch 3/16" and remove the screws to avoid touching the radiator. Lower as in deeper into the plastic (removed plastic under micro switch to lower it). I was afraid the heat from the radiator would ruin the switch as it was actually cheek to cheek with rad. I stopped taking pictures when I saw my idea/plan was failing. I ended up making 3 different "sails" using the original lever though. The lever needed to be dog legged to side step the side of radiator until the shroud widens at the bottom half. From there it reaches forward to gain access to a bigger air stream. The latest one works very well as indicated by the LED I have to monitor it. I'll try and entertain you with some pics below that I did take and if there is some interest in the actual finished product, I'll remove the shroud and take a pic of what's there.
opened throat of bottom four breeze ways, later I polished with 500 grit and painted with plastic paint. I freshened up both sides and the radiator with paint (after this pic obviously). This was my DR bike for years and it needs some TLC.
Version 1 sail in place. This one "fluttered" during actuation and took 30 mph to "close". I installed a LED at the speedo to temporarily monitor the "on/off" activity of the fan. FAIL
You have to have a screen to keep a bug from disabling the switch
I epoxied it in.
Scale
Anyway, what I did notice is that my engine block/head temps were quite a bit higher than the water neck temp when measured with an infrared heat gun. So when I was seeing 170's on the neck and radiator, the readings when the cylinders meet/converge was 200+, the bike wasn't even fully warmed up yet either. I encourage you guys to check your block temps for S&Gs'.
I know you need the oil to get nice and hot and keep it that way for an hour or so to keep acids and moisture from forming and accumulating but excessive heat is detrimental IMO. So, I think this system works best to meet my goals and I hope you found it entertaining/interesting.
Cheers:
Jim
Freshened up
Version 3 viewed from outside
Version 3 viewed from inside
Up close & personal
Vmax's bedroom...living the good life!
