Cooling Fan for Fatboy
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From: In the World
Cooling Fan for Fatboy
Attached are pics of fan I built and installed today. A few months ago I got stuck in traffic (I live in Florida) and head temperature alarm was triggered by high heat condition > 350 deg C. Harley factory parade way too expensive and not sure I could install it on my softail. Emailed Lenale to see if they would powder coat their fan cover for me for extra charge they were not interested in coating the fan for me and basically told me to buzz off. Lenale price for fan seemed too high considering parts and manufacturing. An eBay supplier of similar fan to Lenale offered one for about $170 still far too expensive given what it is
but the guy seemed willing to powder coat one for me in flat black then I never heard back from him after I tried to reestablish contact. After reading all the negative comments from folks who had installed Lenale fans I didnt want to waste any money on their fans anyhow. The Lenale and the eBay knock-off fans probably use 4.5 SPAL fans from what I could discern from their websites and pics. Ive had reliability problems with the smallest SPAL fans in oil cooler applications.
I figured I could scrounge the parts off the internet and my parts bin and come up with a 5 ˝ inch fan for $75 or so. I bought a SPAL fan for an Arctic Cat oil cooler off eBay for $35 shipped. And I had some aluminum plate left over from other projects. I bought a waterproof switch and relay off eBay for $4.00 shipped. I made a bracket for the fan from 3/16 inch plate and a switch box from 1/16 inch plate then coated the assembly with 1500 deg silicone baked paint I had left over from another project. I wired it up and sheathed the wires in high heat resistant split loom (also from other projects). I had a spare connector from a battery tender to power the thing. I can install it and remove it in less than 5 minutes and use the battery tender connector to power the thing when its installed.
I guess if you added up all the parts costs it would sum up to about $80.00 for the assembly. It took me a solid hour and ˝ start to finish putting it together not counting 45 minutes of 400 deg C heat saturation for the flat black coating.
I moved my air horn to the right front frame rail and mounted the fan assembly where the factory cowbell horn used to be I removed the OEM horn as soon as I could after I took delivery of the bike. The fan does transfer quite a lot of heat you can feel it on your right leg as it blows through. The fan sound is drowned out by the engine/intake/exhaust noise on my bike. At idle (about 840 for me) you can just barely hear the fan almost like a small turbine noise but not annoying and at lower octaves than a turbine whine. At running speed I cant hear it all.
I figured I could scrounge the parts off the internet and my parts bin and come up with a 5 ˝ inch fan for $75 or so. I bought a SPAL fan for an Arctic Cat oil cooler off eBay for $35 shipped. And I had some aluminum plate left over from other projects. I bought a waterproof switch and relay off eBay for $4.00 shipped. I made a bracket for the fan from 3/16 inch plate and a switch box from 1/16 inch plate then coated the assembly with 1500 deg silicone baked paint I had left over from another project. I wired it up and sheathed the wires in high heat resistant split loom (also from other projects). I had a spare connector from a battery tender to power the thing. I can install it and remove it in less than 5 minutes and use the battery tender connector to power the thing when its installed.
I guess if you added up all the parts costs it would sum up to about $80.00 for the assembly. It took me a solid hour and ˝ start to finish putting it together not counting 45 minutes of 400 deg C heat saturation for the flat black coating.
I moved my air horn to the right front frame rail and mounted the fan assembly where the factory cowbell horn used to be I removed the OEM horn as soon as I could after I took delivery of the bike. The fan does transfer quite a lot of heat you can feel it on your right leg as it blows through. The fan sound is drowned out by the engine/intake/exhaust noise on my bike. At idle (about 840 for me) you can just barely hear the fan almost like a small turbine noise but not annoying and at lower octaves than a turbine whine. At running speed I cant hear it all.
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Joined: Nov 2010
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From: Simi Valley, CA
I think your fan looks great! (no matter what Z06john says LOL).
On the blacked out bike of yours it fit's perfectly. And there is so much more to be said when you actually do something like this yourself without simply buying and bolting on a part. My hats off to you.
I'm a big proponent of the "parade" fan concept. I've got a LeNale on my Limited and it makes a world of difference in traffic. I even ran a series of tests to actually quantify how well it works. Let me know if you're interested in seeing those results.
Good Job!
On the blacked out bike of yours it fit's perfectly. And there is so much more to be said when you actually do something like this yourself without simply buying and bolting on a part. My hats off to you.
I'm a big proponent of the "parade" fan concept. I've got a LeNale on my Limited and it makes a world of difference in traffic. I even ran a series of tests to actually quantify how well it works. Let me know if you're interested in seeing those results.
Good Job!
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From: In the World
thanks
I think your fan looks great! (no matter what Z06john says LOL).
On the blacked out bike of yours it fit's perfectly. And there is so much more to be said when you actually do something like this yourself without simply buying and bolting on a part. My hats off to you.
I'm a big proponent of the "parade" fan concept. I've got a LeNale on my Limited and it makes a world of difference in traffic. I even ran a series of tests to actually quantify how well it works. Let me know if you're interested in seeing those results.
Good Job!
On the blacked out bike of yours it fit's perfectly. And there is so much more to be said when you actually do something like this yourself without simply buying and bolting on a part. My hats off to you.
I'm a big proponent of the "parade" fan concept. I've got a LeNale on my Limited and it makes a world of difference in traffic. I even ran a series of tests to actually quantify how well it works. Let me know if you're interested in seeing those results.
Good Job!
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From: In the World
thanks
It works...looks great on the bike (too me) and didn't take a bite outta my wallet.
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From: In the World
thanks
We both probably like an industrial/functional look to things. Way back in the day...I built a GT car for street racing...it was totally blacked out except for the nickel wheels....zero chrome and the interior and engine compartments were all business. That's pretty much where I've taken this bike. Only further mods will go to the engine and drive train....thanks again.