temperature and radiator wings

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zipster
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temperature and radiator wings

#1

Post by zipster »

Hi all,
Just wondering who is running the radiator wings and how much affect on temperature? I just ran a 1000 mile trip without them, and bought a pair for my naked Wing as it seemed to run a bit hot at highway speeds. I see a lot of naked Wings pictured without them.
Cheers,
Ray
~Don't skin yer knuckles whatever you do.

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chrisz
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#2

Post by chrisz »

I use them as that is how it came from the factory, obviously Honda deemed them necessary, so I use them.
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#3

Post by rcmatt007 »

one of the advantages of a temperature controlled fan, is it will turn on when needed. I have not run without the wings because I like the look. I do recall that when I added the steel "Harley-type" front fender it appeared to me the temp gauge was a little higher.
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
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76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#4

Post by Sagebrush »

As long as you stay in Michigan you won't need them. Just don't take a trip to the southwest in July or August. Of course it won't just be the engine getting hot.
Dean Spalding
Raleigh, NC

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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#5

Post by rcmatt007 »

there is a reason we call it the dog days of August!
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#6

Post by desertrefugee »

I would not run the old copper GL radiator without the wings here in Arizona. They make a big difference while underway. The Valk I have employs a dual core aluminum radiator. No wings. It works very well. If (when) I ever need a radiator for my '78, I'll be looking for aluminum alternatives to the OEM design.

Just to emphasize the point, today I just spent a warm morning helping a buddy pull the heads on his '77. Blown head gasket. Ran hot on the freeway.

Arizona Summer is rough on cooling systems. Especially 40 year old ones. Install the wings.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#7

Post by sunnbobb »

The wings are effective. If not running wings, when cruising at 50 on a hot day, put your feet up and direct air into the radiator. You will see the temp drop a bit.
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#8

Post by zipster »

Thanks all, I'm putting the wings on. I'll probably descale my radiator also, just because. Blowing a head gasket on a long trip would suck.
~Don't skin yer knuckles whatever you do.

1977 GL1000
1986 BMW K100RS flying brick
1975 Yamaha RD350
1978 Vespa P200e
1979 Lambretta Jet200
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#9

Post by rcmatt007 »

having done that, you are right.... the cost of the U-Haul was not fun
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#10

Post by Easter »

Built several early wings now and most of the air wings that came with the bikes were pretty shabby so I left them off the final build, none of the bikes have had heating problems and I live in San Antonio where the summer time temps are 90 and above (far above) the only bike that has shown a sensitivity to the heat was an Aspencade with full dress AND WINGs. Turns out it needed a temp sensor for the fan. If I were working with a nice clean restoration I would leave them on.
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#11

Post by desertrefugee »

I can assure you that sustained high speed running in elevated temperatures without the wings in place will result in higher engine temperatures. I cannot quantify that with real numbers, but only what I've observed on the factory gauge on my '78. I experimented with them off the bike for a while. It definitely runs hotter on open stretches of road. The lower the speed, the less it seems to matter. City traffic, no difference. I put them back on and immediately noted a difference.

I also had an '84 Aspencade with a fancy chrome grill goo-gah that seemed to run hotter than it should have. After trying a few things, a buddy suggested pulling that fancy grill. Sure enough, it dropped one or two digital gauge segments while underway.

The point here is that the small surface area of the radiator and it's narrow two-row copper construction does not make for the most efficient heat exchanger. Honda engineers felt those wings were necessary and I'm not going to second guess them. Especially in Arizona.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#12

Post by rcmatt007 »

one thing to remember about air flow is that speed creates what is similar to a bow wave on a ship. the faster we go the more there is a bubble of air being pushed ahead and to the sides. wings would have little effect at low speeds, but as we speed up they are an attempt to funnel air into the radiator. I have always had wings on my wings, and I do not recall the fan needing to come on at speed and I have driven in heat a lot. As I mentioned earlier, the bigger HD type front fender seemed to cause an increase in the temp gauge when I put it on (in '79). This would make sense as the larger profile would affect the amount of air-flow to the radiator.

While not designed to accomplish this, having the gold wing heads sticking out each side helps cool the engine as well.
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#13

Post by zipster »

Always wondered why they don't have fins on the GL1000 heads. Free passive cooling is hard to beat.
~Don't skin yer knuckles whatever you do.

1977 GL1000
1986 BMW K100RS flying brick
1975 Yamaha RD350
1978 Vespa P200e
1979 Lambretta Jet200
1986 Honda Helix
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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#14

Post by mcgovern61 »

On my '82, right after restoration I ran without the wings because I did not know they were original to the bike (they were rusted away after sitting outside for 12 years). The bike would always run warm to hot on the temp gauge (upper third of gauge) even at highway speeds. Some 1100 experts explained the wings were OEM. I got a set off Ebay and installed. HUGE difference on the highway! The temp never goes above 1/2 on the gauge if running on the highway. As mentioned, not much difference at slower speeds (below 30 MPH). But above 30, you can watch the gauge drop as the bike is at speed for a few minutes.
Gerry

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Re: temperature and radiator wings

#15

Post by rcmatt007 »

zipster wrote:Always wondered why they don't have fins on the GL1000 heads. Free passive cooling is hard to beat.
they are miserable to clean? :twisted:
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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