[stretrod48]

imported post

csanders67217 wrote:

Yes!!! I buy quite a bit from eBay and it makes me so mad when someone charges me $10.00 to ship something through USPS and then when it comes the postage on the box was less than $2.00. An automatic $8.00 profit.

I have had the same thing happen to me. There are some people that will rip you off on shipping. It pays to read the auction very close and find out what shipping will cost before bidding. Ihave seen the other side of Ebay bycleaning out the garage and selling items on Ebay. I packed items up and weighed and used their shipping calculator. I came out "OK" on some and would come up short a dollar or two or over a dollar or so on others. I never charged for packing up or materials (boxes or tape).

I sold a lot of items that I did not need but did a lot of packing, picture taking and shipping. I did not make a lot of money on it for sure but just could not throw away some of these good old motorcycle parts.

Ebay can be one of the greatest places to get a real buy or it can be the worst if you are not careful:jumper::jumper::jumper:

 

[exavid]

imported post

That's true, there's a lot of hidden expense and time in the boxing and shipping. I've done my best to estimate shipping costs on items I've sold through eBay but more often than not end up eating a bit of the shipping cost. But I sure like eBay, I've found stuff that I would never have been able to get without it. It's like any place, you have to be careful, but it can be rewarding.

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

csanders67217 wrote:

Someone, earlier in this thread, told me to try and remove the engine covers and that might help my heat problems. Well, one of my engine covers had a problem with a broken bracket and I left it off while I went to go get some epoxy to fix it. WOW!!!:realshocked: The heat was fairly extreme on the side without the cover. I am a firm beliver in the covers helping with the heat. It helps keep all the heat from getting to your legs. I think that all the heat problems will go away with the installation of a set of wind wings.

I have read some articles saying the engine covers might contribute to the stator problems because of trapping heat around the back of the engine. It may or may not just thought I would mention it.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

imported post

dean_3326 wrote:

csanders67217 wrote:

Someone, earlier in this thread, told me to try and remove the engine covers and that might help my heat problems. Well, one of my engine covers had a problem with a broken bracket and I left it off while I went to go get some epoxy to fix it. WOW!!!:realshocked: The heat was fairly extreme on the side without the cover. I am a firm beliver in the covers helping with the heat. It helps keep all the heat from getting to your legs. I think that all the heat problems will go away with the installation of a set of wind wings.

I have read some articles saying the engine covers might contribute to the stator problems because of trapping heat around the back of the engine. It may or may not just thought I would mention it.

Actually, the stator is cooled by the engine oil.

Vic

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

Goldwinger1984 wrote:

dean_3326 wrote:

csanders67217 wrote:

Someone, earlier in this thread, told me to try and remove the engine covers and that might help my heat problems. Well, one of my engine covers had a problem with a broken bracket and I left it off while I went to go get some epoxy to fix it. WOW!!!:realshocked: The heat was fairly extreme on the side without the cover. I am a firm beliver in the covers helping with the heat. It helps keep all the heat from getting to your legs. I think that all the heat problems will go away with the installation of a set of wind wings.

I have read some articles saying the engine covers might contribute to the stator problems because of trapping heat around the back of the engine. It may or may not just thought I would mention it.

Actually, the stator is cooled by the engine oil.

Vic

Hi Vic:waving:, would it not stand to reason the hotter the engine the hotter the oil? seems like trapping all that heat would increase the heat on the engine. Like I said it was just something I read, it might not have any effect on the stator or oil temp at all. Some page I read was asking everyone to send in all the info that might have to do with the stator problems, it could just be someones idea that is unimportant. They were trying to get all the factors they could to figure it out. It seems the connector is the biggest problem. I found the page here it is.

http://www.woti.org/GL1200Stator.php

Dean

 

[Goldwinger1984]

imported post

Hi Dean, IMHO I should think that if cooling air made any significant amount of difference back therethat Honda would have placed some cooling fins on that back cover. The 84's did have tiny fins, but, they were eliminated in succeeding years. Any cooling that the engine oil can get will certainly help and that's why the Wing engine has large crankcase cooling fins to help disperse heat on the bottom of the crankcase.

I filled in that WOTI survey several years ago, but have yet to see any results from the survey. Am I looking in the wrong place?

Vic

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

Vic, I filled out the survey a while back too, maybe the guy decided to let it die. I am sure you are correct, there is a lot of heat back there, without the wind wings I would have cooked legs. the engine covers would be nice as far as the rider is concerned, just thought if all that heat is trapped it would be a cooker for sure.

Dean

 

[Goldwinger1984]

imported post

Dean, now I understand which covers you're talking about. I could never understand why anyone would place those covers on a Wing. You're right they do hold in a lot of heat and stop air circulation.

I try to get around the engine heatby keeping my feetup high on the highway pegs as much as possible when it's hot. I've often thought about setting up a switch that would allow the cooling fan to run in reverse when the bike is stopped, but, the heat has never been so severe that it's made me park the bike and do it. Maybe one of these days I'll try it and let folks know how it works.

Vic

 

[exavid]

imported post

My 1200 had the engine covers and I never had a problem with them trapping heat. I admit the highest temps I rode that bike in was in the low 90s but I don't remember feeling the covers themselves getting hot. They might raise the temp of trapped air when idling but I think there's enough air movement while riding that the temp increase would be pretty slight if at all. My bike was a SEI with an oil temp gauge. The oil temp was pretty consistent once the engine warmed up, I didn't see a lot of rise in stop and go traffic. If anyone here has an LTD/SEI with the covers they could check this out pretty easily by riding when the weather is hot both with and without the covers and watch the oil temp gauge to see if there's any real difference. That would tell a lot of the story since the oil is going to the pretty much the same temp as the engine case. Not that the elevated temp its self is a cause of stator failure. The LTD/SEI doesn't have a record of stator failure like the Apencade and Interstate. Given that it's a different stator, it's made much the same way so if heat were the problem I'd expect a similar failure rate.

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

The heavy duty stator in the SEI might be a factor too that could allow it to be hotter without problems. I am sure you are correct about enought air flow while riding, and the oil temp sure tells the story. I think the guy is including the covers in the questionare just to compare every possibility that might contribute to stator failure, It would be good if we knew what his results were, maybe he did not get enough responses or something else.. The connectors and frequent oils changes seem to be the best preventative measures. I had considered putting a set of the engine covers on my bike then I did had a guy tell me the covers were suspect to causing the stator to overheating. But as they say believe nothing your hear and only half of what you see.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

imported post

I think it would take one of those infra red heat sensor guns to actually discern an accurate difference in the temperature with and without the covers. But, common sense tells me that I'm just a little cooler without a shirt on than with so I leave the actual calculation of heat differential up to those who have the covers and a tool to measure the heat differential.

Vic

 

[exavid]

imported post

I don't think so Vic, if you have an oil temp gauge as the LTD/SEI does. The stator is washed withoil that's being circulated throughout the engine sothe stator should be pretty close to the oil temperature. You can't get an exact temp off the digital gauge since it just shows bars, but it would seem that it might be possible to discern a difference with and without the covers. It's not quite analogous to wearing or not wearing a T shirt (depending on the message on the shirt) since there is still quite a bit of air flow between the engine and the covers. You'd feel alright with an air hose up your back under that shirt.

If I wanted the covers, I'd get them. If there's a problem you could always take them back off. If it's just heat on the legs that brought the question up and not the bike's appearance the easiest solution is air wings. The damn ugly things sure help both winter and summer.

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

exavid wrote:

I don't think so Vic, if you have an oil temp gauge as the LTD/SEI does. The stator is washed withoil that's being circulated throughout the engine sothe stator should be pretty close to the oil temperature. You can't get an exact temp off the digital gauge since it just shows bars, but it would seem that it might be possible to discern a difference with and without the covers. It's not quite analogous to wearing or not wearing a T shirt (depending on the message on the shirt) since there is still quite a bit of air flow between the engine and the covers. You'd feel alright with an air hose up your back under that shirt.

If I wanted the covers, I'd get them. If there's a problem you could always take them back off. If it's just heat on the legs that brought the question up and not the bike's appearance the easiest solution is air wings. The damn ugly things sure help both winter and summer.

It has been a few months ago, I just liked the way they madea 1200 look, but even the thought they mightaffect the stator changed my mind, I was very jumpy about stator problems after I found the burned connector, with the help of everyone on this forum I feel I have done and am doing all I can to protect it, I have the wind wings,my legs would cook without them. The covers would be good for the rider for sure. The oil might keep the stator cool even with the covers, there is a lot of open spaces for air to flow toward the rear tire when you are moving, I really wonder how much air actually flows all the way through with the covers. I hope the flow is better than the so called vents on the fairing. I can not afford them now anyway, but maybe later.:stumped:

here is a 1200 with them?:grinner:

 

[exavid]

imported post

Damn, that's a good looking bike! One more thought on the cover deal. It's entirely possible that the covers could make things run cooler. When working on light aircraft I have more than once flown one with the cowling off (prove it FAA). It's pretty common for an aircooled aircraft engine to run cooler with the cowling to direct the airflow than with the whole engine exposed. The same could be possible with the covers. Who knows?

That really is a good looking bike, I used to have on pretty much like that!:cheeky1:

 

[Patch]

imported post

exavid wrote:

Damn, that's a good looking bike! One more thought on the cover deal. It's entirely possible that the covers could make things run cooler. When working on light aircraft I have more than once flown one with the cowling off (prove it FAA). It's pretty common for an aircooled aircraft engine to run cooler with the cowling to direct the airflow than with the whole engine exposed. The same could be possible with the covers. Who knows?

That really is a good looking bike, I used to have on pretty much like that!:cheeky1:

I do know one thing, I was riding the other day, in town, with both covers on, with an air temp of 94 degrees and my temp gauge was showing 5 bars. When I wet to get the epoxy to fix the left cover the air temp was 89 degrees and my temp gauge stayed fairly solid on 6 bars.(left cover was off during ride)Could be that the covers force the air over the engine making it run cooler.

At lease you took the cowling off. I worked for Cessna Aircraft and was in one of their jets one time when a cowling flew off the left engine. Made one hell of a noise and the engine temp went very high. Stands to reason as the air is no longer flowing around the engine.

 

[GSMacLean]

imported post

exavid wrote:

Damn, that's a good looking bike! One more thought on the cover deal. It's entirely possible that the covers could make things run cooler. When working on light aircraft I have more than once flown one with the cowling off (prove it FAA). It's pretty common for an aircooled aircraft engine to run cooler with the cowling to direct the airflow than with the whole engine exposed. The same could be possible with the covers. Who knows?

That's normal for an aircraft engine. Being air-cooled, it depends on airflow for cooling, which is why each of the cylinders have large fins on them. With the cowling on, the baffles seal against the top of the engine, directing the large amount of incoming air down through the cylinder fins and out the bottom of the cowling. A common cause of high cylinder head temperatures in light aircraft is degraded baffles. I'm surprised you didn't overtemp and destroy the engine flying it without a cowl in place.

 

[dean_3326]

imported post

If they do flow the air better, I wonder why honda did not put them on all 1200 bikes? Of course there are lots of why did they not do this or that.:baffled:It is easy to have 20/20 hindsight after 21 years.I might try some later.

 

[exavid]

imported post

GSMacLean wrote:

I'm surprised you didn't overtemp and destroy the engine flying it without a cowl in place.

After 44 years of flying and working on them one gets the idea it's a good idea to keep an eye on the CHT once in awhile. When it comes to light aircraft of the 40s, 50s and 60s I already know how to suck eggs.