So I went on a ride today and around town and on some open stretches of road. I noticed that my temp gauge was very high, almost in the red zone but it never did reach it, when I was riding around town. But when I got to an open stretch it was a lot cooler and the gauge went down to about the middle. I figure it could just run hot because I'm in upstate SC and the weather could make it run hotter, plus going around town doesn't get much air to cool the engine like it does when its constantly running 50+. Anyways, has anyone else experienced this problem? I am trying to figure out if it is something more serious or if it is just a fact of life I have to deal with.

-BA

PS. I had 2 cars blow motors last Friday and Sunday (both over 180k miles and were just lucky enough to have me riding), so I am kind of nervous of having my bike breakdown.

 

Did your fan kick on? In traffic here in Phoenix my bike will get right up to the red, but not into the red zone. As long as your fan is kicking on you should be fine.

It wouldn't hurt to do a coolant flush and replace it with fresh distilled water and new coolant though.

 

I heard the fan kick in once I cut the motor off, so I am pretty confident it is running when the motor is on. I figured it had to do with the warm weather, but I figured that since I don't have much knowledge about my bike it would be best to ask the community of owners.

 

An often overlooked component is antifreeze. Do you have enough? How does it look? When was it last changed? Start there. JB

 

It's a good idea to replace the radiator cap when doing the coolant. When you're stopped at a red light, you can look down and see if the fan is running. It helps having the digital temp gauge, '02 and up I believe. Mine runs pretty much at 220+ in traffic. I've seen as high as 235 in over 100 degree weather...no problem as long as it doesn't get any higher than that and you have a good radiator cap.

 

+1 on the coolant. A product like water wetter or purple ice also seems to help - I run ww in mine.

 

i checked the coolant level and added some Engine Ice and everything is running beautiful now. I believe the previous owner didnt account for the air pocket or "burp" when they put the new anti freeze in.

 

You may consider replacing it completely, you would be surprised what sludge might be in there. It is best to keep the same type of coolant in there as they might be based on different chemicals. I do not recall all the differrent types, look on the bottle, but they do not mix well. Dirt bike guys, myself included, like engine ice, it is suposidly environmentally friendly which I am all for. JB

 

I talked to the prev owner, he said he put something in called "Cold" that he gets from his bike shop. And he just put some in before he sold it to me. He has been riding for 30 years and is a well known mechanic and said that it shouldn't matter what coolant I put in, I will check it out though. thanks JB