There was some damage after all......

draig126

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Well, long story short two weeks ago I decided to take an ill-advised water crossing. Everything was going well until I hit a rock that had to be about 1-foot tall. The bike lurched to the right and I went down. After much work, and some help from my friends, I managed to finish the crossing, but not after nearly getting the bike hung up on the skid plate on yet another rock or two. Once ashore we inspected the bike and it looked good. From there we drove on pavement all day that day and other than the kick stand needing some attention (it no longer swings very freely) there appeared to be no ill effect of my adventure.

After a week of travel for work the same friends and I went for another ride and we put a few hundred more miles on it today with no issues before doing a few miles of gravel. While heading up a dirt road I noticed the bike's fan was not turning on and the water temperature was getting hot! My friend and I immediately turned around and as I coasted off the hill with the bike idling I was able to bring the water temp back to about 183. We found a spot to pull over and inspected the bike to see what the issue could be. I was hoping a wire came free or a rock had gotten stuck in the fan.

Instead we found this (images taken in my basement tonight after the ride).





As it turns out one of those rocks, during the water crossing, pushed up pretty hard on the plastic "handle" below the left side shield. This in turn pushed up on the bottom radiator assembly which then pushed the fan into the radiator not allowing it to turn. I have the fan now pulled from the bike and I am going to test it tomorrow as it no longer seems to turn on once the bike comes to temp and the fuse is still good.

I'm also debating about replacing the radiator, granted it is not leaking water but I'm afraid it is just a matter of time......
 

Nikolajsen

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Get the meaning, but no pictures (on my PC)
I wouldn't change the radiator, if it isn't leaking. What if you drop it again next weekend :eek:

Unless you are planing a long trip, where it could be difficult to get a new one.
 

Cycledude

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No pictures here.
Good on you for paying attention to coolant temperature and noticing the fan wasn’t working, many folks simply don’t have a clue what that stuff means.
 

Don in Lodi

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Usually it's the outside cover pressing in on the fan motor momentarily and bending the fan mounting brackets. The aftermarket provides several crash bars to slow down or prevent the left side nap from doing that. AltRider makes a good one. Even with a quality crash bar, if the bike gets laid down in sand the sand can still press on the plastic cover and push the fan into the radiator. I doubt it was the oem tip-over bumper's fault, other than it does not protect from a true side impact, just a simple tip over. And nope, these pancake fans burn out before the fuse pops for some reason. There are other yamahas with similar fan motors, I believe the R1 is one of them, so there are opportunities for a wider search than just Tenere parts. Sounds like you need to armour up a bit more before thrashing about off-road again.
 

draig126

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Nikolajsen said:
Get the meaning, but no pictures (on my PC)
I wouldn't change the radiator, if it isn't leaking. What if you drop it again next weekend :eek:

Unless you are planing a long trip, where it could be difficult to get a new one.


Sorry about that everyone...




This is strange, I see images on my machine (honestly I do)......

I used to post photos through photobucket but before posting I decided to see if the instructions have changed (they have) so instead I uploaded the photos to Google photo. Copied the URL as instructed and here we are (not blaming the administrators here at all) and yes I previewed the post before submitting it.

I quickly tried to post some photos on the "test" thread using other methods and nothing. If I were to guess, the URL used can only be seen by me, I will have to see if there are any privacy options on Google Photo.

Give me about 12 hours as I have to go off to work now.

For now I have attached the photos this post....hopefully at the very least it can be downloaded?
 

Attachments

jrusell

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I would not replace the rad either. If the dents bother you pick up a new one and keep as spare on the shelf. Those dents are minor in my opinion.

If the final drive was submerged I would dump the old fluid asap and put some new oil in there just in case.
 

Checkswrecks

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jrusell said:
I would not replace the rad either. If the dents bother you pick up a new one and keep as spare on the shelf. Those dents are minor in my opinion.

If the final drive was submerged I would dump the old fluid asap and put some new oil in there just in case.

Agree with both thoughts.
There are some threads around here about how others have used fan motors from other bikes and saved a LOT of money.
 

draig126

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All,

Thanks for the advice and sorry for the late reply, that is my fault. Things got a little busy and it took me two weeks (or longer, I lost track of time) to get the replacement fan. I kept the old radiator. Installing the fan was a little difficult as the mounting holes are no longer where they need to be. In the end I bent things up the best I could to keep the fan blades as close to the radiator as possible so that they still suck air through the radiator than than between the radiator and the fan.

The good news is that it's all back together and I'm back on the road. Luckily nothing else in the fan drive circuit went poof as well.




Dan in Lodi, yes, I've been eyeing the AltRider crash bars ever since I installed their skid plate a few years back (that has saved the motor more than a hand full of times). I will likely add the crash bars soon but first I feel like I need to be a better pilot....


Thank you
 

steve68steve

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I'm on fan #3 - both of my replacements were used FJR fans from Ebay, less than$50.

As stated, even altrider bars won't protect the fan being smooshed into the radiator if you drop it in sand. That's where fan #3 came from.

For me, the take-away is to verify the fan spins freely after a drop. If it doesn't, bend the brackets to free it. If you can't do that, pull the fan fuse before riding more - if your coolant hits 221, (i think), the fan circuit is activated. If your fan still works, it won't a few seconds after being energized in a stall.
It's not going to cool in either case (fan not running because no fuse vs fan not running because destroyed by power while stalled), so you have to watch temps and keep it moving until you can fix it.

...but one way involves buying a new fan, one doesn't.
 

MedicInTheFire23

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So, kind of related to this topic. I have a radiator that is leaking coolant. Thefan and everything Else works just fine, just in need of a new radiator. Anyone have any suggestions on replacement radiators and/or have any experience with the aftermarket ones?
 

Don in Lodi

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Some radiator shops still exist, the pinhole can prolly be brazed closed. That's one of the diminishing skill sets though.
 

steve68steve

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There's a thread somewhere here about an aftermarket rad a member installed and reviewed favorably. Search might turn it up.

Second the idea of getting the existing rad repaired. When I was a broke HS student, I pulled a leaky rad out of my Plymouth Duster and walked across town carrying it to the repair shop. I think the coils were copper - when I saw how easy the repair was, I kicked myself for not trying it myself.

I think the S10 rad is all Aluminum. If you're planning to replace it anyway, why not google around for how to braze it and give it a try. You could DIY with the right solder, flux, and a small butane torch. If you fail, you're only out the time out a few bucks for the brazing rod and flux. If it works, you got a "new" radiator for a few bucks, plus the satisfaction of self-sufficiency.
 

Cycledude

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About 40 years ago I soldered a leaking radiator in my Dads pickup and amazingly it held just fine forever.
But if it was my Tenere I would most likely just buy a new radiator.
 

MedicInTheFire23

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So i looked and couldnt find a the post about the aftermarket rad that was mentioned. I found one, it’s a brand called arashi. Anyone have any experience with or know about this brand of aftermarket rad? I’m not opposed to having current one fixed, just looking for the best option.
 
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