Alright, so the stock radiator fan and sensor were bad when i got the bike. i added an aftermarket fan to the bike, but wired it to the sensor (didnt know it was bad at the time) so it was never turned on after install. i was trying to just install a switch yesterday so i could manually turn it on, but i ran into a problem. when i hook up power to one wire, the other one then tests positive as well. like the power is just running straight through . from what i know of fans and most other electronics. one wire should be hot, the other ground, so what the heck is going on here? is the fan bad? i dont mind having to get a new fan, but would rather spend the money elsewhere if my fan turns out to be fine.

 

Where are you hooking this wire up at? And yes, one of the two wires going to the fan is +12V and the other is ground. Is everything OK up to the fan relay?

The reason I asked is here's how it works on my CBR. It's a different model but it is probably wired similarly. Going to the fan relays (I have two fans) there is a constant +12V to one side of the relay coil. The GROUND side of the coil is the switched side. The computer sends the ground signal to the relay when the engine temp gets hot enough and it calls for the fans to turn on. This energizes the relay, closes the contact and sends the +12V on to the fan.

To add a manual switch you could put a switch for a ground wire going to the relay, assuming everything else was ok. The easiest way to get the fan running would be to just run a +12V switched wire to the fan plug along with a ground wire. The potential problem with that is if you forget to turn the fan off when you're done riding you'll drain the battery. The method I described above is there's only +12V available when the key is in the ON position. I have a how-to article with pics on doing this for a 1000RR somewhere else on the forum.

 

I had one side hooked up to the + of the battery and the other to the - side. Im pretty sure its just shot, which kinda pisses me off as the fan is practically new. I appreciate the input though.

 

Did you try switching the two wires and seeing if that made any difference?

 

Lol yes i did. Good looking out though, as i just remembered to try that last night as i was finishing my front end conversion up

 

Reversing polarity on a fan motor will make it spin the other direction. If it doesn't spin with power and ground, the motor is dead. That is assuming the blade is not bound up on something.

 

So, got the fan working! Turns out the ground wire i was trying to use was part of the horn (which isnt hooked up) so the fan would only kick on if i pressed the horn button. Made a new ground and wired in a switch and she works great! Thanks for the help guys =)