2013 RT-S Blade Nut Came Off the Fan Motor!

After 3 months of searching for a "magical" fuel leak, I recently deleted the stock airbox for the JTAF-1 airbox. I found my leak (an invisible split/crack in a new hose right at the inlet to the fuel filter) that would "mist" a bit at start-up, then proceed to actually leak. The newly opened up engine compartment made it possible to find the leak.

On a shakedown cruise, I noticed the engine getting hot without the fan coming on. It was a cool day, so the cruise was otherwise just a fun ride with friends. At home, the fuse checked good, the relay was good, and when I jumped the relay you could hear the fan motor running, but there was no air movement. Plus, the fan motor noise (with no air moving) was present when shutting down the hot engine, that little 30 second burst of the fan at shutdown.

Today (3/21/25) I pulled the fan to find, sandwiched between the fan blade and the radiator, the nut that holds the blade on the shaft of the fan motor. Reassembled with some high strength loctite on the blade screw threads. It's going back together as I'm reporting this.

Mikey said:

Sounds like you dodged a bullet! Isn't that air box delete just the best thing? It gives you SOOOO much more room under the hood of your bike! It took me a little time to get use to the extra intake noise. Happy trails!!

Click to expand...

Love the air box delete. With the extra space I was able to repair the tiny wires from the toggle switches that had been damaged in the previous years everytime the air box came out. And clean up the wiring and delete the stock horn and mount my Seibel air horn in the engine compartment. Which means there is one less wire connection going to the frunk. Simplifying dealing with the frunk. Seems it breathes better and I'm definitely riding it more aggressively, staying in each gear for extra rpm and enjoying the HxLL out of it. Had I known JTFA-1 would make this much difference the stock air box would have been gone the first time I changed the air filter!