Larger "racing" radiators installed.

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E.Marquez
Posts: 635
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 1:27 pm

Larger "racing" radiators installed.

Post by E.Marquez »

While I doubt these radiators are being used by too many "Racing" motorcycles .. That is their name, Honda VTR "racing Radiators made by the Chinese company of GPI RAD
Commonly seen on Ebay.
Marketed as direct replacement, they are anything but.
Other members have posted some of the issues so I was prepared for the temp switch that does not transfer over, requiring a replacement item.
I had read the fan does not fit the mounts....but to make it fit absolutely correct, its not as simple as making a bracket, or at least on the ones I got.
The fan is designed to fit flush to the RAD body for an "air tight" fit.
OEM fan fit.JPG
That simply was not possible with these aftermarket rads just making a adapter bracket to "move" the mounting holes. I had to alter two of the fan mount tabs and cut off the "L" part of a third. Clearance the fan in a few places, clearance the third tab. Cut a slot in the fan tab so it fit over and locked in place the third mounting point, and then safety wired the third tab to the fan. I now have a fan that fits with out distortion, it is flush and sealed to the face of the radiator for maximum air draw though the core. And it is held tight so as to not rub holes in the plastic or aluminum for many miles to come.
After GPI fan fit.JPG
The frame to Rad mounts did not locate the Rads in a manner the hoses would fit, nor would the rads fit under the body work without putting a lot of pressure on the plastics. So mounting tabs and how mounted (rubber insulators did not fit as designed) had to be reworked.
Mounts.JPG
The thicker header tanks mean the hose pipes are not the same spacing as with OEM rads, but some light trimming and my silicone hoses fit again.
I noticed one rub spot on the hoses from this past year of riding. Seems the body work edge was rubbing the hose. Just cosmetic damage to the hose so repaired with clear silicone adhesive. Then hot formed some Kydex to make a guard for the hose.
Kydex hose guard.JPG
Overall not bad, the fit under body work fine


That was all done in May this year....

NOW:
Temps here in central Texas have been 41deg C or so the last week,,,,, fan comes on at 92.2 and coolant temps are getting up to 95 deg C quickly, and they stay there. Till I get moving..where they drop to 88-89 deg C
That is better by almost 6 deg C than with clean OEM rads and fresh coolant. So Im happy with that result so far.

Originally I was going to install a second OEM fan on the left radiator.
The second fan idea took a hit when I figured out a stock fan would not fit on the left rad under the bodywork......
But I ended up with a SPAL 4" fan left over from a build. And it fits the space perfectly.

Holding off on fabricating a mount and wiring that 4" fan till the new 4 row oil cooler and stainless steel braided oil lines are installed. If temps drop at more with the new oil cooler, I will not be installing the second fan for now.
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freeridenick
Posts: 1574
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 1:30 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Larger "racing" radiators installed.

Post by freeridenick »

Thanks for the update on these. I've been looking at them and I was worried about how well they would fit. Good to know before taking the plunge.
Davem22
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2020 3:58 pm

Re: Larger "racing" radiators installed.

Post by Davem22 »

I've just bought a pair of these radiators, could you tell me what size the new coolant temperature unit is and what fits it please. Thanks.
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