Author Topic: About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?  (Read 2705 times)

Bgibsy

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« on: January 13, 2011, 12:20:03 AM »
Hi All. I'm about to purchase a FL350 and it's come down to two machines.  One is water-cooled, one is air-cooled.   Both machines are priced about the same.  The AC machine is all stock (with later curved fin head). The WC machine is stock with a pipe. Not sure yet about the radiator setup, will have a look this weekend.  I live in Las Vegas so temps do get crazy hot in summer.  My guess is WC is way to go but, you people are the ones who know!  Any advice would be great.

Finally! Bout damn time I got one of these cool toys :) Great finding this forum too!

hoodlum

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2011, 08:47:14 AM »
Water cooled all the way....As long as it is set up correctly....
Hoodlum

Bgibsy

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2011, 09:18:15 AM »
Thanks for the quick reply Hoodlum. I won't be able to see the WC buggy in person til Friday or Saturday. Anything I should look out for with the setup? Other than signs of leaks...

hoodlum

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2011, 07:17:45 PM »
Quote from: "Bgibsy"
Thanks for the quick reply Hoodlum. I won't be able to see the WC buggy in person til Friday or Saturday. Anything I should look out for with the setup? Other than signs of leaks...


They are pretty much straight forward.....Just look the rest of the machine over pretty well,and make sure the radiator is in good shape....Warm it up and let it build pressure,checking for leaks.....
Hoodlum

Bgibsy

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2011, 07:42:45 PM »
Ok, got a couple pics of the head and radiator. Cant see top of rad though. Looks like no pump(?) just the flow created by heat rising. See anything suspect? I do notice rust color around spark plug...maybe normal? The exhaust pipe shows rust. The whole machine looks to me a lot cleaner than many I've looked at.


hoodlum

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2011, 10:22:23 PM »
Rust on plug is from water seting in the recess....No problem....All I can say is get it if the price is right....Klem air box lid,which is rare,and what appears to be a hillside honda head....They were the only company to make a cast water cooled head for the 350,and that was several years ago....The head alone is probably worth $400 +/-......Not very many around.....Radiator set up looks well done as well......
The no pump thermal circulation works very well....It's not a problem....Just remember that it only cools the head,and not the cylinder....If you ride a bunch in hot temps,it's still a good idea to add a fan to the front or top of the engine to aid in cooling.....
Hoodlum

Bgibsy

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About to jump in....Water-cooled or Air-cooled?
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2011, 12:42:14 AM »
The head says LECKICH CO on either side of the plug recess. I Googled Leckich Co Head and found this thread...



http://www.pilotodyssey.com/PO/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1677&view=next



I wont see the machine until Saturday morning but will try to get a better look. This head does look different than the WC head/cylinder shown in the thread above, so maybe this is WC head only. The seller got this Ody from his brother about 15 years ago, who worked with some people who got into Sprint Cars/Outlaws. I'm pretty sure the current owner hasn't changed anything since he got it.



I'll put a fan system on my list. It's good to be cool in the desert! Thanks again for the great help and info.