If you do any in town or stop and go riding at lower speeds, I wouldnt. Mine rarely comes on, but the motor would be toast in no time if needed.

 

I've read of folks eliminating the thermostat housing to install a different gas tank but never the fan.

 

It all depends on your attitude to risk.

 

I figured it wasn't a good idea. Just needed someone to talk me out of it. hah.

 

I read a story of a guy that had a leak issue with the radiator and lived out of state form where he bought the bike. Tech at the shop told him ride with the radiator empty just stay above 20MPH. Supposedly it worked.
Again this is something I read and never something I would do, same for the fan. As stated above the fan is there for slow stop and go driving, (usually under 20MPH).

 

Tech at the shop
).

I think that calling that fellow a tech is being very generous and also a story that is suspect.

 

Well at least he passed it along as honestly as possible, as a "story" he read. I always like to add that when it is something I have heard of, but never actually tried.

 

I haven't had a fan or thermostat on my bike for nine years now. Never had one issue and I live in Louisiana so I have been in plenty of hot weather.

 

I'm worried about problems with overheating. Anyone here run without one without issue?

wh, as long as your moving forward and have air over the radiator your going to be rejecting heat. the moment you stop, well there goes your air over.
some of us with fans, the dam thing just doesnt want to come on anymore, even tho electrically the fan does work. So having it and it not working is a lot like not having it.
when i come to a stop lite, I turn my motor off. I watch traffic and signals and fire it up when its my turn to go. I think they call that "coping".. tho not like the saw. thats a differn kind of coping.
one day(soon) Im going to wire a hot switch to turn it on when I want. in the meantime, just turn the motor off..

now all this leads to the next skool of thot.. In our air cooled bikes, many fellas pull up to the lite and just let their motors rumble along.. I think they just like the rumbly noise it makes? me, I shut mine off. and watch the traffic and lites.. but an air cooled mc motor is got to suffer just as much sitting with no air over.. how mutch more does it hurt a w/c motor to sit w/o the fan running? besides a bunch?

 

I have been stuck (only twice, I hate it) in real stop and go traffic in the summer heat, and the go part was only 5 mph or so. My fan has never come on, so I take it that the engine is not prone to overheating. But I would never take the fan off in the event it might actually be needed some day. Like another poster said, Kawi spent engineering time and money on it.

 

@SummitJim, you might want to get that checked to make sure it's working. I've been in stop and go traffic in the mountains in the fall and had my fan come on several times. You may have a bad fan or sensor.

In the summer heat here in Ga it will come on while sitting at a red light.

 

Thanks, Georgia, good idea. I'll test it before summer gets here so I don't have any unplanned surprises. I don't ride in extreme heat very often, but if I do I don't want a break-down.

 

Thanks for all the replies, fellows. I've been riding this bike for a month and a half, and stuck 600+ miles on it already, and haven't noticed the fan coming on. I'm going to wait until the good riding weather is gone again to start chopping this thing up, so I'll keep a watch on the fan all season. If it never comes on, it's coming off!

 

If you warmer weather there than here, start it and let it idle to warm up. You should either get a light or the fan. Depending on the temp at the time, it may take awhile, 30 minutes or so.

 

If I were going to do such a thing (and I wouldn't); I'd install a water temperature gauge. Not rely on just the light. Use the gauge to indicate when it's time to pull over and let it cool.

Another thing; we're in a society of 'instant results' and that's clouded our judgement. You might be able to run it for a few minutes with an empty radiator. And it might not blow up! But that doesn't mean damage and additional wear wasn't done. The engine does have fins and does use air and it's own oil to help cool the engine. The water is just an 'assist'; but it's a necessary assist. Components of the engine will get extremely hot without the water and wear rapidly and eventually fail; even if it's 5,000 miles down the road AFTER an episode of no-coolant.

Same with the fan. More heat means more wear. Heat kills components. No way around that. Running without the fan means each time that temp climbs you'll be adding additional wear to the engine; perhaps severe.

If it's just a show bike that won't get ridden much? Go for it. Heck it's your bike, if you want to; go for it! But at least install a gauge. That light only comes on when the temperature is quite high. The gauge will give you an indicator that things will start to climb so you can shut her down before the light comes on.