its liquid cooled, right?

[n8dawg6]

hello:

this is my new-to-me '07 shadow 600 vlx:



picked it up just last week, have put 30 miles on it so far easing around town.

now ... i know this is a liquid-cooled engine. but other liquid-cooled bikes i have looked at have a little radiator fan that comes on when you shut it down (or when you're running it in place long enough).

havent heard a fan on this one yet. of course, haven't noticed any unusual heat or red lights or anything either. seems to work real well.

im just curious ... and this is all new to me.

thanks in advance

[thunderglass]

Welcome!

Yes it's liquid cooled and yes there is an electric cooling fan that will only come on if you idle it in place with the enging hot for several minutes. It will only come on if the ignition key is in the run or "on" position and then only if needed.

[Drail]

On a hot day if it idles standing still long enough you should hear it come on. I rode a VLX for over a year before mine ever got warm enough to come on. Let it sit and idle in your driveway for a while and see if it cycles on.

[tubes_rock]

Yup, I've put about 20,000 on my Shadow since I got it, and I've only heard the fan twice. These engines have a much larger cooling capacity than they need, so chances are you won't hear the fan much at all.

--Justin

[gevans]

The former owner of my VT1100T added a fan switch. You can override the thermostat and turn on the cooling fan manually. He said he got worried that it never came on by itself.
I checked the thermo and it was fine. But I have used that override switch a few times in heavy summer traffic.

[Gnuiser]

It took a bit of riding on the hot days and if at idle long enough, I then noticed my fan come on only a few times.
There were days it was hot outside and I would think at a stop why the fan don't run, but if I sat long enough, it eventually would. I guess if the system is clean, coolant is fine, thermostat is good, radiator is clean, and fan switch is good, then it will run when it's called for. I had some days where it seem the only time it ran was after the ride then when I was sitting on the driveway waiting for someone to open the garage. Then I had days where I thought it would run a time or two but wasn't called for, so it's not that often I notice it running. Then there may have been times in traffic at a stop where louder vehicles surrounding me may make it hard to hear. It's not all that loud when the fan is running.
When I ride with a friend on his Kaw, I can easily hear when his fan kicks on. It's often and loud.

[98ACE750]

I've had mine for 3mo, it has only come on once. Startled me when it did, too. When Im sitting in stop and go traffic is not the time I want to hear new noises.

So, like the other have said, it does work, but isnt needed often, which suits me just fine.

[Easy Rider 2]

Originally Posted by n8dawg6

hello:

this is my new-to-me '07 shadow 600 vlx:

havent heard a fan on this one yet.

Just to reinforce what others have said:
I have the same bike....in Red. Had it about a year now and only heard the fan once and that was only for a few seconds.

If you will notice, the engine has a LOT of fins. Those are real, functional cooling fins. The liquid cooling system doesn't hold much fluid. It is a combination air/liquid cooling system.....more so than other models, I think. As long as you are moving, the fins do a lot of the cooling.

What you have noticed is likely normal......but there are ways you can test it if you really feel the need. A hard ride of 5 minutes or so followed by a long idle, sheltered from the wind, on a hot day should trigger the fan.

[Graybush]

Reading this has me wondering. I have owned an 01 ACE 750 for just over a month and 200 miles and I hear the fan pretty regularly. Usually it's when I ride home from work which is 60-65mph for 10-15 miles followed by a mile or so through the neighborhood at about 30mph.

Does this sound normal for summer in NC? Also, when I pull into the driveway and hear the fan running, should I leave the bike idling until the fan cuts off or go ahead and shut the engine off?

When I bought the bike I had an inspection done by a dealer so fluid levels should be good but I can check again if needed. Thanks.

[litnin]

Originally Posted by Graybush

Also, when I pull into the driveway and hear the fan running, should I leave the bike idling until the fan cuts off or go ahead and shut the engine off?

Although 99.9% of the people don't and won't do this, that is a good idea.

It doesn't matter if it's your car or bike, it's "better" if you pull up
and let your car idle for 15-30 seconds before shutting it down.

When you just pull up, park, and shut down, your cooling system
will get a temperature spike. Pulling up and idling for a few minutes
helps the cooling system temperature stabilize and prevents that spike.

Generally, it won't cause any short term damage, but over a long period
of time, it can give your cooling system a little bit more time between part failure.