OK to keep riding if fan turns on?

[joelperez]

I've found my radiator fan to kick in on steep climbs. Obviously, the bike is working harder. I never know whether it's safe to keep pushing the bike or if it's best to turn around. I never like to hear the fan turning on, since I'm afraid of damaging the bike, but maybe that's how the bike was designed. Is it safe to keep riding with the fan on or is it best to not push it?

[07 crf230f]

When the fan turns on that just means that the bike is hot and needs to cool down. That is why the fan comes on when you push it hard, but you should be fine and this is normal for a bike to do this. If I were you just check your bike fluid and buy a factory effex temperature sticker kit to keep a close eye on your bike.?

[zukboy789]

i would get to the top of the hill and stop. if there is a straight or large area to go fast in, put you bike in a high gears so its going fast but the engine is at low rpm. This cools the motor down. Also, if there is a long down hill, drift to the bottom in nuetral.

[Craigo]

Is it safe to keep riding with the fan on or is it best to not push it?

With no temp guage, its a bit of guess work involved ,as to if or how much hotter your water temp is getting..

Generally,in most situations the fan with do the cooling job adequately..

If possible ,try to increase your speed a little to get some more flow happening thru your rad...

Are you on or off road ?

Check your coolant level regularly if you do alot of this type of riding...

Cheers,Craig

[zukboy789]

HAH!!! an idea from stock car racing. we do it all the time so i know it works. If your fan is waterproof, it will work. Take water with you, when it gets hot, pour the water on the rad and it will suck the water through the fins and cool it very quickly. Give it a try at home and see if it works.

[ptgarcia]

My fan comes on a lot during my summer commute. I never stop to let it cool down. The fan in my truck comes on a lot also. I don't stop to let it cool down, even when pulling my 10,000 lb trailer. Let the fan do its job and keep riding. If you start puking fluid out the radiators then think about stopping.

[Craigo]

Take water with you, when it gets hot, pour the water on the rad and it will suck the water through the fins and cool it very quickly. Give it a try at home and see if it works.

Interesting theory...but is it practical ??????????

[JUNURE]

I have also never had a problem riding with the fan on, it's doing it's job.

[joetroop30]

I took my fan off a long time ago as part of the DRZ diet and have never had a problem with it not even being on the bike.?

[JJStunts816]

The fan coming on is just the bike doing it's job, it gets hot, the fan comes on, and cools it off. ?

[4me2ride]

HAH!!! an idea from stock car racing. we do it all the time so i know it works. If your fan is waterproof, it will work. Take water with you, when it gets hot, pour the water on the rad and it will suck the water through the fins and cool it very quickly. Give it a try at home and see if it works.

with my years of experience as a machinist and knowlage of metals I wouldn't even consider pouring cold water on a hot motorcycle rad. the metal's too thin and the sudden contraction from the temp changing that fast could fracture a seam.

[1st4stroke41]

I've had mine boiling over hot and the race coarse took me into a creek, water on the motor and splashed all over the radiators. Steam flying off everything, I was happy it cooled it off. They are tougher than you think. I'd not think twice about dumping water over the outside of the radiator. If done it just to see how hot the engine was, boiled the water as soon as it hit the radiator. Didn't cool it off much however, not enough in my drink pack.

[timbanditos]

My SM had the red temp light come on once when I let my fluids get too low like an idiot, if that light comes on I would definitely try to pull over and let it cool off for a while. Not sure if your model has that guage.

[zukboy789]

The water in the rad works. Did it this past weekend.... 3 times.(Motor was 250 degrees F) And if that would crack it as someone else said, wouldnt it crack when the cool water from puddles and streams hit it?

[Chas_M]

I took my fan off a long time ago as part of the DRZ diet and have never had a problem with it not even being on the bike.?

Removing the fan doesn't sound like a very good idea, unless you never ride in slow grueling 1st gear situations.

[joelperez]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I shouldn't worry much about it. To answer one of your questions, it's only happened on long, steep, granny gear assents.

[rz-jacks]

you should be happy the fan is working, that means its doing its job. You dont see people turning their cars off in traffic because their cooling fans come on:thinking:

[RToth]

Removing the fan doesn't sound like a very good idea, unless you never ride in slow grueling 1st gear situations.

Many of the guys riding DRZ's in the Dominican Republic add an extra fan for good measure as the temp soars and there are a lot of hills.

[joetroop30]

I live in the mountains of CO so yes I do a lot of long, steep climbs, but it is usually cool or cooler here so it isn't really an issue. I had an 06 DRZ which I rode all over the southern San Juan Mountains for 2 years and that fan never kicked on once. I now own an 02 DRZ and I just decided that it was a dead weight item for me, Been riding the 02 for a year now and it has never been an issue

[Hooligoon]

How old is your coolant? Have you rejetted the bike? A lean engine runs hotter and if your coolant is degraded it may have left deposits inside the radiators and/or engine and the ability to transfer heat will suffer. I just got my DRZ about a month ago and changed all the fluids right away. I'm running distilled water and Water Wetter with a splash of silicate free coolant for aluminum engines. It's been in the 90s here and the fan hasn't come on at all for me yet. I haven't had in the woods on big hills but I have been in town with some extended stops in traffic and still no fan.