4 rows aluminum radiator for GL1000

[redglbx]

I added a small 9” flat fan that moves 1800cfm (advertised) along with their own adjustable thermo switch, it is mounted in the back but I did not use the oe mounting points opting for the plastic through the radiator fan mounts. Seems to work well & moves a lot of air. The bad is that it is somewhat loud, you know when it’s on. One of the best parts is that the fan thermo-switch is adjustable for the on/off points, I have mine adjusted to come on early and shut off late.

When I was looking at all this if I am remembering correctly the oe fan is only rated at 400cfm and mine was turning slowly, looked like it was running but you really couldn’t feel much air moving. Big improvement!

[cfairweather]

How many amps does that fan draw? That is a lot of air flow!

[Whiskerfish]

I mounted a John Deere yard tractor fan on the front of my 78 dresser. Cyborg helped me with the sourcing. It definitely pushes more air that stock. When I had a external alternator setup I had the Radiator pushed out maybe 3/8's of an inch for clearance to the pulley and with the fan mounted on the front it interfered with the fender of the front wheel.

Whiskerfish, do you by chance have any info on that fan? I'm looking to replace the stock fan on the 1200 rather than chop it up when I do the alternator conversion. I do like the unit cfairweather posted, just looking at options.

I can not find any part number info. It is a "Spal" 10 inch so I did a google https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... 0+inch+fan Just make sure it is a "pusher" to mount o the front

[Old Fogey]

Since the rad on the 76 has already been repaired once, I'm thinking along the alloy unit lines. An upgrade to the fan at the same time makes some sense too.
Are curved blades any noisier/quieter than straight?

[Old Fogey]

It might be of interest for you US guys. Sarah-n-tuned has a video of brushless motor fans made in the US. The extremely low current draw would be a big advantage.
If you don't want to watch the full video, start at 5.00, though you might just find this girl as fascinating as I do.
Tremendous abilities as an engineer, fabricator and electrician, with an attention to detail and work ethic that is simply insane.
https://youtu.be/mSTqN9Qc_d4?si=W9XPUnkcQnY2CA3n

[Whiskerfish]

SNIP
Are curved blades any noisier/quieter than straight?

The one I have with the curved blades is quieter than the stock setup. That is all I have to compare it to.

[redglbx]

Cedric, I don’t really know the amp draw but I bought 2 when I bought mine as a backup, I have the second one stored someplace so I’ll have to look but I’m currently having walking problems due to my back so it may be a while.

Looking on Amazon where I bought mine all of the one’s that move around the 1800cfm show that they use about 80watts to run which is around 7amps I think. If I get mobile here I’ll look for the twin, all the info is on the box.

The advantage of the noise which is kind of a whine is that you can hear when it’s running which on my bike is pretty much all the time. After finding that my oe fan was running very slow I consider thenew one’s noise a plus,,,,, probably.

[cfairweather]

This morning, I compared the old fan to the new fan that was supposed to put out twice the amount of air. I have to say, I don't believe the numbers. The old fan seems to easily beat the new fan and I am doing nothing more than feeling the air flow. I think that is a good way to tell how effective a fan is working. The new fan has those straight. short, cheap plastic fan blades but the old Honda blades appear to be a much better design. The front edge is straight and the other edges are curved. Not sure what I will do, but the new 8" fan is a no-go.

[Track T 2411]

Thanks for the review, Cedric. I've been looking at the wide variety of fans available on Amazon; what a conundrum! Prices range from less than $25 to close to $100, and the CFM specs for seemingly identical units vary, as well. It might well be a case of 'you get what you pay for.'

[cfairweather]

Correction: The leading edge of the original fan has a curved edge and the tailing edge is straight. You are probably correct about getting what you pay for . I am thinking about making a shroud for the original fan.

[cfairweather]

I removed the radiator and looked at the possibility of making a shroud, but there simply isn't enough space. While I had it off, I removed the thermostat and tested it against a brand new thermostat. The old one opened, but not as wide as the new one, so I tossed it in the trash and reinstalled everything. The new thermostat made a difference and I have to say, the 4 row radiator did a better job cooling than the original. The old faulty thermostat was restricting the flow a bit and I was blaming the fan and the radiator. I am happy it was a simple fix.

[Track T 2411]

[redglbx]

This has been a great thread, thanks Cedric, guy’s. A good honest learning deal, what this forum is all about.

[Old Fogey]

I just bought one of these radiators for the 76. Yes, still gathering parts for when I hope I can ride next year.
I will probably look into cutting the neck and getting it welded to the correct angle (I don't do alloy welding!).
I went back to the link I posted earlier on the fans that Sarah used. Holy moly! Get a look at the prices plus I would have shipping, Customs and VAT to pay! I guess not, thank you very much!
https://www.steeleracingproducts.com

[cfairweather]

The one I bought developed a small leak, so I put an original back on.