We all know the saying, “With great power comes great responsibility,” I think Spiderman said it at a critical point. Well, the saying applies to dirtbike cooling systems too, though with a slight twist; “With great power comes great heat”. It doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well but you get the point.
Dirtbike engines produce a lot of heat and the bigger the donk the more gets pumped out. Our Beta RR430 long-termer was getting hot under the collar in the slow, techo stuff so we decided to fit a radiator fan.
WE RATE
COOL AS A CUCUMBER A fan has one job, to keep the thing it’s blowing air onto cool, and the Beta radiator fan fitted to the RR430 gets 10/10 for this. Since we installed the fan I haven’t managed to boil the radiator.
UNOBTRUSIVE The fan tucks away neatly behind the radiator and, once it’s installed, you won’t even know it’s there. Every now and then you’ll hear it kick in when things get hot.
RAD. GUARD COMPATIBLE We will have to take Beta’s word for this because you may have noticed I don’t run radiator guards. I can’t blame the radiator fan for my crushed radiator because they are compatible.
WE DON’T RATE
MAKE IT STOCK I would prefer the RR430 to come from the factory with a fan, it’s one less thing to worry about doing.
INSTALLATION Fitting the fan requires a bit of patience and a small amount of mechanical ability. It’s not difficult but just takes time because you need to remove the radiator, drill holes for the mounting screws and do a few other finicky things. And when you’re working on anything to do with your cooling system you need to take care.
VERDICT
It’s a pretty simple decision if you’re staying awake at night wondering whether you should invest $160 on a radiator fan for your Beta, you just need to answer one question; Have you ever boiled your bike? If you answered yes, then I recommend buying one. It’s a small price to pay to ensure your engine is getting the cooling it requires. If you answered no I still suggest considering one because you never know when your mates will lead you astray down some snotty hill which you’ll need to ride out of and when you do you’ll be thankful your bike is getting cool air. Digital Editor Olly Malone
