Belly pan?

[Vol1chuck]

When i started surfing around for stuff to add to the new motorcycle, one of the first things i came across was the belly pan in several variants. is this thing purely for asthetics? i mean, i haven't really noticed anything unsightly hanging down under there.

[53driver]

I put mine on just to protect the oil filter and anything else under there from road debris.
There is one make of bellypan that will actually support a lift directly to it for raising the bike.

The bellypan became my lowest point - i.e. first thing to scrape in spirited angles of turning.

I just like the peace of mind I get knowing that if I run over something it needs to do a little extra work to puncture my oil filter or anything else under there.
Cheers,
Steve

[bigbird]

The down side to a BP is that you will lose considerable oil sump cooling. Your oil will run hotter.
If you get a BP, my advice would be to get one that is well ventilated.

[Texas TC]

I recently replaced my natural aluminum colored belly pan with a black one. Black pans were not available when I bought the first one. It was pretty beat up so I imagine all those dents and dings saved the things that are just above the frame under my motorcycle. As for venting, both pans have ample holes on each side to allow air flow. Belly pans also assist in aerodynamics by smoothing out the void under the bike. They should be standard equipment.

[edgeman55]

The down side to a BP is that you will lose considerable oil sump cooling. Your oil will run hotter.
If you get a BP, my advice would be to get one that is well ventilated.

And just who has run a oil temp guage to prove this out?I have had a black unventilated pan on my 13 since the first week and the bike does not run hot and it has seen outside temps to 108 degrees so far.IMHO the protection for the price is well worth it plus it really helps with crosswind handling which we deal with a lot in the high desert country.

[bigbird]

And just who has run a oil temp guage to prove this out?

Logic proves this out.

There is no liquid cooling to the oil sump. The only way to cool the sump is through conduction to the aluminum. Block the air circulation around the sump, and now the aluminum cannot lose its heat through convection to the air. No air movement = no cooling. Simple thermodynamics.
That's why higher end BP's have cooling louvers.

Here's 2 quotes from the user ratings of the most expensive BP over at wingstuff.com:

"After I purchased and installed the Belly Pan I noticed my cooling fan came on in slow traffic. I decided to drill some holes in the front and that helped."

"After having this pan for a while,I found that it does not allow the engine to cool as well and my fan kicks in a lot more and also makes your feet and legs warmer in the summer time. The vents on the bottom look good but dont do much because there isn't an intake duct for cooler outside air to come in and wisk the hot air out.I decided to modify the belly pan by trimming out the front section of the pan with a metal blade on a jig saw"

Here's the link: http://wingstuff.com/products/24485-...ns-f6b#reviews

[Hornblower]

Logic proves this out.

There is no liquid cooling to the oil sump. The only way to cool the sump is through conduction to the aluminum. Block the air circulation around the sump, and now the aluminum cannot lose its heat through convection to the air. No air movement = no cooling. Simple thermodynamics.
That's why higher end BP's have cooling louvers.

Somebody is doing an awful lot of assuming and, so-called "logic" can take you only so far. What about this logic...we're mostly concerned about possible higher oil temps when the ambient is really high. When that occurs, the roads are also very hot and that heat radiates upward to the oil pan unless you have a belly pan to partially block it. As far as louvered pans are concerned, my bet is that the louvers are there more for looks than for function. And finally, with synthetic oil, I don't care what the oil temp is as long as my engine temp stays in the recommended range which, as far as I know, the radiator takes care of nicely .

[bigbird]

Somebody is doing an awful lot of assuming and, so-called "logic" can take you only so far. What about this logic...we're mostly concerned about possible higher oil temps when the ambient is really high. When that occurs, the roads are also very hot and that heat radiates upward to the oil pan unless you have a belly pan to partially block it. As far as louvered pans are concerned, my bet is that the louvers are there more for looks than for function. And finally, with synthetic oil, I don't care what the oil temp is as long as my engine temp stays in the recommended range which, as far as I know, the radiator takes care of nicely .

These two quotes from user reviews of the louvered BP over at wingstuff are enough for me:


"After I purchased and installed the Belly Pan I noticed my cooling fan came on in slow traffic. I decided to drill some holes in the front and that helped."

"After having this pan for a while,I found that it does not allow the engine to cool as well and my fan kicks in a lot more and also makes your feet and legs warmer in the summer time. The vents on the bottom look good but dont do much because there isn't an intake duct for cooler outside air to come in and wisk the hot air out.I decided to modify the belly pan by trimming out the front section of the pan with a metal blade on a jig saw"

[Vol1chuck]

Thanks for the info. Just wondered if it was a necessary add-on.