RT-P Fan Installation on R1200RT

Recently, I bought an R1150 RT-P oil cooler fan from Beemer Boneyard. I got it because on hot days, when the dash temp reads over ~90, and I am stuck in traffic the oil temp will go into the red. I also fitted a rock guard over the oil cooler intake because I occasionally get debris flung up from the road here in the Bay Area and because it looks good.

It took some fitting but the fan fits behind oil cooler. Each oil line has 1/4 inch clearance.

How does the fan connect to the thermostat? Is an on-off switch preferable to a Thermostat? Will this confuse the Canbus or will direct to battery avoid that issue?

The bike is a 2006 R1200 RT.

Recently, I bought an R1150 RT-P oil cooler fan from Beemer Boneyard. I got it because on hot days, when the dash temp reads over ~90, and I am stuck in traffic the oil temp will go into the red. I also fitted a rock guard over the oil cooler intake because I occasionally get debris flung up from the road here in the Bay Area and because it looks good.

 

It took some fitting but the fan fits behind oil cooler. Each oil line has 1/4 inch clearance.

 

How does the fan connect to the thermostat? Is an on-off switch preferable to a Thermostat? Will this confuse the Canbus or will direct to battery avoid that issue?

 

The bike is a 2006 R1200 RT.

Evening Trajan

It won't/can't confuse the CanBus as the fan isn't on the Controller Area Network.

Most just use a simple on/off switch to allow fan usage when the oil temp raises. If you use an oil temperature switch then you will also need to wire in & use a power relay.

Thank you, dirtrider.

Two toggle BMW switch for me.....using only 1 at the moment......believe it is a police part for extra switched gear. Mounts on the left handlebar inboard of the existing switches.

Here's the plan so far.

Install a 220*F thermocouple and a power relay to connect the the fan to the battery. The thermocouple should slip between the radiator fins on the supply side where the oil temperature is highest.

What are the power requirements for the RT-P fan? 12VDC and how many amps?

Here's the plan so far.

 

Install a 220*F thermocouple and a power relay to connect the the fan to the battery. The thermocouple should slip between the radiator fins on the supply side where the oil temperature is highest.

 

What are the power requirements for the RT-P fan? 12VDC and how many amps?

 

Evening Trajan

Good question, 1150RT-P uses .75mm wire for aux fan & a 5 amp fuse.

I can't find a fuse size for the 1200RT-P.

Personally I would probably wire the 1200RT fan at 1.0 mm wire & use a 10 amp fuse.

I would simply (and have successfully) used an on-off switch.

It took awhile but I managed to get the fan installed and working. Six hours to do probably two hours of work. In my defense, it was hot and beer was involved.

I fashioned the debris shield I from a decorative desktop inbox I got at Target. It's a 14 gauge steel sheet powder coated black with lots of 3 mm holes in it. The inboxes come in uncoated stainless as well. Plenty of air flow but the fan draws cooler air through the oil cooler when I am stuck in traffic.

I decided to use a Hayden Electric Fan Adjustable Thermostat (( https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-3653 )) to control the fan. Simple and reliable. I have the same one on my truck, an F-150.

It took some finagling but I got it to fit. I installed the thermal sensor to the back of the oil cooler with zip ties. The controller came from Summit Racing set in the low position. When I connected the positive wire to the battery the fan came on and this allowed me to adjust the thermostat setting while the engine was stone cold. Then I started the engine and let the oil warm up until the fan came on again and adjusted the controller to about where I wanted it by finding out when it shut off. A laser thermometer helped me calibrate the system to come on at ~205-210*F. I pointed it at the oil cooler intake fitting.

The controller knob is accessed through the top of the faring on the right side if I need to change the temperature for any reason. I also labeled the wires and made a note in the bike log book so I remember what I did and to baffle the service tech when it goes in for scheduled maintenance.

Getting a fan from a R1100 RT-P to fit an R1200 RT took some ... fitting. Measure four times - cut once. I snipped off pieces of plastic until the fan assembly fit without binding and I had 1/8 clearance from the oil cooler lines. Several heavy duty zip ties secured it to the bike frame.

It seems to work OK so far. I don't notice it running when I am in traffic but it does run for a few minutes after I shut down on a warm to hot day. A successful modification is one that doesn't get your attention when it is used. I think I succeeded.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

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