| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
I finished mine up this morning and took it for a ride. I'm on an 06 so no ecm flash just the three parts installed. On the interstate I can feel heat on both legs now but not extreme, but then again, it's in the 70's today. At 60 mph the heat on the left leg is more than the right! At 30 mph there is more on the right than the left. I believe that's because your getting more off the pipes at the slower speeds. I ran 10 miles of interstate, 7 miles of back road and rode through town at 30 with a couple of red lights and the fan never came on. I stopped for lunch and at switch off it ran on high for fifteen seconds and dropped to slow speed. On my bike that is one helluva difference. Usually I'd have the fan running on the interstate, let alone driving through town. I'm impressed with the fit of the kit and the results.  | ||
| Court |
>>>are they charging you for that in addition to the cost of the kit?? Yes. I paid for the kit, plus 2.1 hours of labor for install. In the RIDER COMFORT KIT thread I posted a copy of the entire invoice that included everything . . . including the reflash. Worth every penny after riding 1200+ miles in 36 hours last weekend. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Firstbatch- since ECMspy doesn't work with 08-up bikes, and the flash is only for 08-up bikes I'd say no. I did see a post on the XBoard where a non-Uly rider took his 08 (XB12R?) in for service and they reflashed his ECM as a routine update. His bike now has the new fan control scheme as well. | ||
| Firstbatch |
Did Buell publish a change in Key On: Fan On Temp of 428 deg and Fan Off at 356 deg that was the previous spec for the ECM .....at least for the '06-'07? | ||
| Hughlysses |
If it's written down someplace it'd be in the 2010 service manual since they come with the new control scheme. | ||
| Nobuell |
I was finally able to ride after the kit install. It made all the difference in the world, maybe the galaxy! I did a 350 mile ride that included traffic, back roads and sustained high speed. The fan only started upon shut down. The frame rails were just slightly warm. Before installing the kit, my fan would run almost continuously. If the oil is running 10 deg F cooler as earlier reported, I cannot help but think this has to be easier on the engine. Hats off to Buell for making a very nice retrofit product. I will wait a bit before getting the ECM flashed. | ||
| Petereid |
Still waiting for my kit......Ordered end of July and just found out it will be 2 weeks more before any are available in Canada. Almost a 6 week delay and I'm only 380 miles from the factory. It sucks when our national distributor isn't on the ball. 27 On back order I'm told  | ||
| Trevd |
Petereid, When I checked with my dealer here in Ottawa, I was told it was on backorder... this was about a week after it had been released. I didn't want to wait the 4-6 weeks the dealer told me it would probably take, so I ordered it from Chicago Harley and had it 14 days later. It took that long only because I also ordered a service manual (and a few other things - bearings, oil filters) and even with the shipping and the exchange the whole thing was cheaper than it would have been had I bought from the dealer here. | ||
| Trevd |
I was finally able to test the kit yesterday, and I have to say, while it's definitely an improvement, I am a little disappointed. Maybe I was expecting too much, but there was still considerable heat coming out of the right hand side while riding a slow speeds around town. Once up to highway speeds the difference was amazing, but while riding slower, I still felt that familiar heat on my right leg. Less heat coming from the seat, but still some. I haven't gotten the ECM update yet, so I'm hoping that the new fan cycles helps at the lower speeds. Still definitely worth the cost and trouble, but unless the ECM update works wonders, I'll probably still use my heat blanket to minimize the heat even more. | ||
| Nvr2old |
Trevd, that's not been my experience. You've probably checked already, but be sure the shroud fits snugly against the frame on the right side. | ||
| Husky |
I had trouble with my kit. The rear frame 'tab' mount for the RSS was improperly located on the inside of the frame, and was so close to the exhaust header that I could not remove the OEM mini scoop. I also noticed a 1/4 inch gap between the scoop and the bottom of frame, which may have contributed to the heat I felt on that side and also suggested the tab was miss located during the frame welding operations. I tried to pry the tab away from the header but it snapped off at the weld with very little effort. The weld did not penetrate the frame except for ~ 1/16" of the outside edge of the weld. I secured the the rear mount of kit RSS to the frame with a Ty Wrap and 1 loop of safety wire around the frame in case the Ty Wrap couldn't take the heat from the cylinder head. I left on the 08 Airflow guides for the 1st ride. There was a 1/16" gap between the Air Duct and the Seat Pan, which I sealed with aluminum tape. I should not have used a drop of blue loctite on the front ECM mount bolt because the nut spun in the Duct when I tried to final tighten it an hour later. There was some improvement in right side heat but not a lot! The Ty Wrap survived. I will remove the Air Flow Guides for the 2nd ride. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I finished installing my kit this morning. All I had left to do was the under the seat shroud. As far as I'm concerned, those instructions that came with the kit are either missing info or are just written by someone that wants most of us to have a dealer do the install. Probably the same boob that writes up the sanskrit product descriptions on the Buell website that we all spend time asking each other unnecessary questions about. I removed the battery and it's pan and only the front few screws that hold the trunk pan down. To remove it completely seems like overkill to me. Also it says that you must install a new front ECM screw that is provided. I just reused the original without any problem at all. The nyloc nut did not present the problem I have read so much about. I just pried a space between the new shroud and seat pan and held them apart with a 1" thick screwdriver handle. Held the nut in place with my finger and proceeded to screw the ECM into place. During the entire assembly no plastic parts got close to cracking and I saved myself a lot of unnecessary disassembly. I also reinstalled the heat deflectors as I think they look better than an open space under the sides of the seat and I remember paying over 20 bucks for them. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
When I ordered my kit it took a full week to get it and it was ordered "Vendor Direct" according to the dealer. | ||
| Tootal |
I rode to work today and the fan never came on both to and from work. Once I shut it off it ran on high for 10 seconds and dropped to low. Amazing difference. I noticed both fuel rails were warm this morning because I was hugging them since it was in the 60's! Going home was much warmer but still no fan. As far as the ecm screw, I installed mine while I had the pan off. Just don't tighten it so much you can't swivel it a little. Made it easy! Like Court said, worth every penny! | ||
| Trevd |
be sure the shroud fits snugly against the frame on the right side. I checked that, and yes, it is snug. I did notice thought that under the seat where the shroud meets with the seat pan, there's a bit of a gap there. Not huge, but I'm going to tape it up in case it's allowing heat through. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I rode just under 50 miles today, mostly 55 to 75 mph. Pretty warm out. Fan didn't come on until I shut er down in my driveway. Oil at swing arm was 205 degrees, pretty warm. For one reason or other my swing arm oil temp has creeped up and it has been warmer than it used to get when it used to top out around 195 and the fan would be running then also. Not anymore. Seems to have to get over 200 these days. Any ideas? This started happening before I installed the kit. Maybe a TPS reset is what she needs. Last and only time I did that was at 10,000 miles and now I'm just under 22,000 miles. Starts, runs and idles just fine. (Message edited by electraglider_1997 on August 24, 2009) | ||
| Od_cleaver |
Electraglider, A lot of riders have said that their fans don't turn on as soon as they once did. These guys all seem to attribute their observation to the bike being "broken in". I often wonder if is just the temperature sensing circuit drifting higher with time. On the same line of thought, maybe your meat thermometer is out of calibration. Have you tried sticking it into a pot of boiling water? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Od, When I started noticing the upward drift of oil temp I went ahead and checked the dipstick thermometer calibration in boiling water and it was right on the money to the degree. A lot of riders have said that their fans don't turn on as soon as they once did. These guys all seem to attribute their observation to the bike being "broken in" The problem I'm seeing is that the oil temp has risen from 195 to 205 or more for the fan to kick on. In fact, it used to come on as I recall closer to 180 F. Most riders would never even know this is happening because they don't monitor their oil temp like I do. They probably have no idea what their oil temps are since you have to have a means of measuring it and most don't. I'll bet it has something to do with the rear head temp sensor since that tells the ECM when to turn on the fan. I remember having a front head temp sensor on the 97 Electraglide going bad and it was a $75 item and that was years ago. It controlled the fuel injection once the head hit a certain temp. My bike runs great but I don't like the idea of my oil temps increasing over time. I also noticed towards the end of the yesterdays 45+ mile ride that my seat was getting uncomfortably warm for my boys and believe it or not that has never been a problem on my bike. When I got to my driveway I removed the seat and that "comfort shroud" was just hotter than hades. I guess that was to be expected but now the air is pretty dead under the seat where it was flowing before, especially with the 8 one inch holes I have in the rear seat pan to aid in flow through. I really like the RSS part but am not so sure about the under seat shroud part quite yet. | ||
| Nobuell |
Electraglider After I installed my kit, I insulated the shroud and closed any pathway to the motor using 1/4" thick Silicone sponge rubber. It forms easily and will hold in place with a little Silicone RTV chalk. Makes a big difference. Keeps the seat temperature down and keeps the electronics cooler. I also use 1/8" thick Silicone to wrap wires near metal edges and also separate wires in an effort to preclude fretting. The silicone rubber is good to 500 deg F temperatures and will last a long time. | ||
| Trevd |
Nobuell, What is this Silicone sponge rubber you're talking about... something I can buy at Home Depot? | ||
| Alchemy |
I am still carefully observing the comfort kit. I also have an oil temp gauge and in the past can't remember it going much over 190. At that time the fan ran frequently. It "may" be that the temp range for the fan operation on bikes with the RSS should be altered. Fan on at a lower temp and off at a higher temp. This would allow the fan to cycle a little more but perhaps keep things overall a little cooler. Alternatively, what about removing the fan. The unturning fan blades have to impede air flow. This would have to increase air flow and keep things even cooler when moving. This would also increase the possibility of fuel boiling at key off however. Have to worry about that I would think. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
Electraglider, Some thoughts for you to ponder… I think you said that you left those $20 plastic under seat deflectors on (Buell’s first solution to the seat/leg heater). Have you considered removing them? Maybe that would encourage some under the seat airflow. I have the BBWU (Before Buell Woke Up) RSS on my ’07. One thing that I have noticed is that fan turn on is dependent on wind direction. If I have a strong tail wind my fan will turn on at highway speeds pulling up a long hill. If I am running against a headwind, crosswind or no wind, the fan doesn’t turn on running this same hill. From memory: speed 70mph, temps <85F and tailwind 20 to 30mph. Any chance wind speed/direction is confusing your test? I suspect that when the fan turns on and the bike is moving greater than 30 or 35mph, the fan impedes airflow across the rear cylinder. (The reason for the ECM reflash on the newer bikes???) I assume that you have taken care of the obvious: engine oil level, bags either on/off, windshield either on/off, rider gear the same, etc. | ||
| Nobuell |
Trevd, My company uses the Silicone sponge rubber. I get scraps to use on the bike. A source for purchase would McMaster Carr. The silicone is kind of pricey. There are less expensive rubbers that can be used. Neoprene or EPDM sponge as an example. They can be purchased at McMaster Carr as well. They are on the web. | ||
| Mnrider |
I also wonder if the scoop and duct are blowing hot air on top off the swing arm and on the temp gauge more than before. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Mnrider, That is a good thought. Normally that swing arm tank is a good oil cooler but the shroud might keep it from cooling the oil as much. But, I started noticing my oil temp and fan turn on increasing this entire summer. Don't know what to think. The silicon pads can be had at Target or Walmart. They sell them as oven mitts and pads for keeping your hands from getting burned. I'll have to see if they have any big enough to do the trick. I'll also try the bike without heat deflectors to see if that helps. I wonder how hot that oil would have to be when a ULY goes into skip spark mode?? Thankfully, my ULY has never experienced that. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
It's amazing how much heat that shroud deflects downward when the fan comes on at shutdown. Like a hurricane of hell fire. To darn bad that fan can't rotate 90 degrees or out of the way when not being used. I think I'd rather have an electric oil pump that would just automatically keep circulating oil at shutdown so that there was no fan at all. Maybe a fan on the side like some of the older tube frame Buells have and like what can be bought for a big twin Harley for parade duty. Harley claims a 20 degree drop in oil temp when those are blowing. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Harley claims a 20 degree drop in oil temp when those are blowing. Until about six months' in, when the mounting tabs break off and the fan lands on your left foot....the chrome ones are worse than the black ones, though. We can get black ones to last a couple years. For the electric oil pump...look into a "turbo timer" device. Its designed for turbocharged vehicles, and will circulate oil after shutdown for a preset time period, so oil doesn't coke in the turbine housing. Not sure how one would mount/plumb one...but it does the job you're looking for. | ||
| Arcticktm |
OK, I am ready to order the kit. Anyone got a suggestion on where to order from? I checked a few sponsors, but: Most do not even have Buell listed on their web homepage. That bothers me, so I passed on Hal's and Stone Mtn. I called Chicago, and was placed on indefinite hold. I was going to call my "local" dealer 80+ miles away (Blue Ridge), and now see that they have dropped all references to Buell on their webpage. I just want to order from someone who recognizes Buell, since I have no local dealer and must mail order the kit. Thoughts? | ||
| Mideon |
Well my guys are def pro Buell www.gatewayhd.com Several of the staff are Buell riders too | ||
| Froggy |
Badweb sponsors Liberty, Precision, and Appleton can all order it for you. In fact, Precision has one in stock, and I called dibs on it  |
