rectifier air vent or fan
 

I would like to know if anyone has vented or used a cpu cooling fan for their rectifier. If so, I've searched and can't find any good write ups on doing either.

i can't remember which thread it was on but i've seen a red superhawk with an air channel cut into the side of the seat fairing on this site. it was covered with mesh in the inside and actually looked pretty good when it was all done

The one you are probably thinking of was a fella with the screen name of Kai Ju. Although, he cut the vents in the side for the underseat radiator modification. 7moore7 then did the same thing. I did as well, but for airflow to my R/R.

Here's a quick shot right after some black primer. I want to use different metal mesh. The mesh on it currently is too, well, see through. I found another kind of mesh at Pegasus Racing up the road from me that I want to use.

Attachment 22526

EDIT: I did hear of one guy that put a computer fan on his R/R. He didn't post pictures though.

There isn't any write ups on the fan installation or cutting the holes. Just attempt it and if you get stuck, we will help ya out.

I'm not sure I understand why you would do this. One it seems cheaper ($40) and easier to just get a MOSFET RR which should never fail because of heat. And two if you ever ride in the rain you could probably garuntee electronics failures.

You are not sure if you understand it? Well, I can't help ya with that. But what I can help with, is why I personally put the vents in the side.
At the time, I was fixing the plastics on my bike. I had the old, crappy, non-MOSFET R/R, so I put the vents in to help with cooling and I also thought it looked cool. It was super easy to do.

Last year I upgraded to a MOSFET type R/R and placed it where it gets airflow, but won't get wet unless there are very strong cross winds. Besides, I don't ride in the rain.

The workmanship looks first class and from an aesthetic point of view that mod is beautiful! If I could figure a way of doing that without having to repaint I'd jump on it

Thanks man! A person could just draw a design with a Sharpie and cut it out, but I wanted both sides to be exactly the same and also look like it came like this from the factory. Rounding off the edge with fine sandpaper goes a long way to making it look good. I'm kind of anal when it comes to the small details. I'm picking up some new metal mesh on Monday, so I hope this makes it look less see through.

I did this almost 10 years ago
 

While the reverse NACA duct and intake scoop are still there, a Mosfet resides now without a heat sink and fan..

Yeah I've seen those cut outs before (with mixed craftsmanship results) and yours really look nice and finished-nice job.

I think he's referring to the turd polishing of the stock R/R, not the beautifully cut fairing vents. Instead of adding the electronic complexity of a cooling fan to an inferior R/R that could fail anyway, it would make much more sense to just upgrade to a MOSFET.

I wish I could do work like that. Nice.

Mine is upgraded from the stock one, I'm just always worried because of what it cost to replace my tach and the wiring, I was thinking along the lines of better safe than sorry.

that is exactly what i meant. they cut outs you did look really really good. and if you never ride in the rain than its a non issue. so for aesthetics its great. i merely meant that with a mosfet R/R there really isnt much danger of it over heating. have you ever touched the stock or equivilant shunt unit after a ride? it gets HOT! then touch the mosfet unit after a ride and you can see why its a common swap.

If you know it's MOSFET unit you've upgraded to then a fan is a waste of time. The fan itself is more likely to fail than the R/R in this application. On the other hand, if you've "upgraded" to a non-MOSFET unit, the fan will not save it.

Ok fellas, new to the Hawk world and I have been told to watch out for the Rectifier failure. Where did you get the upgraded replacement? What should I be on the look out for?

Greetings...

Search the forum for MOSFET for relevant threads that'll point you what you need to get, why and how to fit. Also if yours hasn't already been done, check if your Cam Chain Tensioners (CCTs) need upgrading to manual tensioners.

Sort those two fundamental weaknesses out and your VTR will be a much more reliable beastie.

Didn't kai ju do it because his only radiator was under the seat so needed venting? The venting looks great if you have time to kill but seems not needed if you just upgrade RR.

He did, but he never had a reg/rec failure either...
Also, riding in the rain never gave him any problems.
Except with e re-routed fuel tank vent hose. It picked up water and essentially clogged the vent hose causing the carbs to run out of fuel because the tank wouldn't vent.
Cut the end of the vent hose at a 45 deg. angle to prevent that from happening.
Sorry about the minor thread jack.

Nice work on the cut outs btw.

Not to mention that unless the fan is larger than what fits under the seat unit, it wont ever push enough airflow to make any measurable difference on the R/R...

Actually, the added amperage draw from the fan would make a larger impact on cooling than the airflow for most CPU fans... To make any difference it takes a fan the size of the one on the radiator or larger, pushing a fair amount of air... Or ducts like shown...

Sorry, skokievtr, but your fan in fact falls in the category of not making any difference... ;)

What if the R/R cooling fan were driven by a system of belts and pulleys from the motor output shaft. No, I guess that would be stupid. Wait, wait, wait, how about one of those bicycle friction drive generators driven by a tire? Then you could stay electric.

I have to go post in the winter mod thread...

Thanks man. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery ;)

Could you imagine the wine from a generator while going 100mph+? Haha
You could attach it to a servo and while braking, the servo would move the generator to the tire and you would have...regenerative braking. Like a freakin' Prius!

Touché.