I have a 2012 RTL which I bought used. When I bought it the previous owner had blocked off the upper outlet for the radiator on right side of bike. This keeps some of the heat off of your right leg an foot but I still get some heat from the lower outlet. My question is, can I block off the lower opening also without causing over heating problem? With both openings blocked looks like to me that the heat can exit out the bottom, right or wrong?
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radiator block off
- Thread starter JayHawker
- Start date
Snowbelt Spyder
Well-known member
Well, a couple of things....
As mentioned, There's a plastic belly panel that you can remove, and should remove, on the right hand side to help the heat escape through the bottom of the bike. And it already might be removed. And as you can see, that internal panel at the fan outlet is designed to swoop the hot air out the right side and not through the bottom. So, it is kind of a tortuous path for the air to redirect itself and go down instead of right. Some folks have cut holes in that.
Normally what riders do is - if you DON"T use highway pegs, block off the BOTTOM hole and leave the top open. The hot air exhaust will sweep out past your leg for the most part but it won't impact your foot. If you DO use highway pegs, block off the TOP hole and place your right foot out on the highway peg if it gets too warm. The hot air then exits under and behind your foot though the lower hole. That's my configuration, with the belly panel removed. We've been in seriously hot, stop and go traffic and never had a problem.
But ultimately, I can't give you info on the performance of blocking off both right side holes under marginal cooling conditions. I never wanted to try it. And you know Murphy's Law, it will always give you a problem when you're out in the middle of nowhere. But, you can always try it out and see how it performs for you. Good luck and good riding.
As mentioned, There's a plastic belly panel that you can remove, and should remove, on the right hand side to help the heat escape through the bottom of the bike. And it already might be removed. And as you can see, that internal panel at the fan outlet is designed to swoop the hot air out the right side and not through the bottom. So, it is kind of a tortuous path for the air to redirect itself and go down instead of right. Some folks have cut holes in that.
Normally what riders do is - if you DON"T use highway pegs, block off the BOTTOM hole and leave the top open. The hot air exhaust will sweep out past your leg for the most part but it won't impact your foot. If you DO use highway pegs, block off the TOP hole and place your right foot out on the highway peg if it gets too warm. The hot air then exits under and behind your foot though the lower hole. That's my configuration, with the belly panel removed. We've been in seriously hot, stop and go traffic and never had a problem.
But ultimately, I can't give you info on the performance of blocking off both right side holes under marginal cooling conditions. I never wanted to try it. And you know Murphy's Law, it will always give you a problem when you're out in the middle of nowhere. But, you can always try it out and see how it performs for you. Good luck and good riding.
Thanks for info guys. I don't know if the bottom panel has been modified or removed, I will check. Right now in the midwest the temps are not real hot during the day. I thick I will block of both outlets with the bottom open and see how it works, if I see engine getting hot then I will open up.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
Don't know about the 2012 but the 13 has two plastic panels at the bottom. One covers the bottom of the bike and the other is a curved panel that directs the air from the radiator out the side outlets. You'll have to cut a hole in the curved panel. See the pics in my 2013 heat block mod. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?69303-My-upper-heat-block-mod&highlight=heat+block
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