Temp difference with Rad moved up front?
 

Can anyone comment on the difference they got in temps after relocating the rad's to the front of the bike?

When i did the RC fairings, I added some water wetter sometime around then, and my bike temps are about the same as they have always been... However... After talking to my buddy about bike temps recently, I found out his 01 Duc 996 runs at like 170 on the interstate, and even in traffic is only pulling 190 or so, and has only peaked 200 once... Shit i think 180 is about the lowest i've ever held on the interstate.. and thats with the weather in my favor... Anyway... Was thinking about relocating one of the rad's to the front for more forced air when i'm moving to bring the temps down a bit... In theory the bike performs better at slightly lower temps i suppose... i know on a cool overcast morning when its only running 160-170 before really getting hot, it seems to just run SOOOOO good... front wheel seems to be filled with helium or something, because it just won't stay down..

anyway... some of you fightered guy's may be able to comment on the difference if you tried it both ways...

thanks.

Your bike should feel like it has more power on a cool morning, because it does. Cool, damp air is more dense, which means more oxygen to burn the fuel charge more completely. Anyone who ever owned an air cooled VW knows this.

As for a low coolant temp giving more power, that's not necessarily the case. Running at a higher temperature gives better thermal efficiency, allowing the fuel to burn more completely because "quench areas" in the combustion chamber are reduced or eliminated. And the internal parts, like pistons, are expanded to their operating size.

Of course you don't want to overheat. I commonly see 200 plus on the freeway in the summer, and I've seen up to 235 in traffic on a 103 degree day with lots of red lights.

i don't know that I've seen 235 yet, but I did see 230 ONCE... but it was at a stop light after riding it pretty hard and it was HOT out... and i'm in southern Kentucky where our average temps this month have been 95 degree's or so...

I just really like the feel the bike has at 180 deg vs 200 deg... wish i could get that all the time ..

but thanks for the responce.

I think you're confusing water temperature and ambient air temp. The first of which has very little to to with performance (except at extremes), the second has a huge impact. Think of the "cold air intake" idea on cars and trucks. As VTRsurfer stated above the cold, dense, air is much more oxygen rich and will produce more power when combusted correctly. Making the bike itself run warmer or cooler will have zero impact on this.

Actually there is no difference between 180 and 200...

There is between 75 and 95 though... Water temp has nothing to do with the difference in feeling, ambient has...

And for some reason I have a hard time believing the placement of your radiator will change the ambient temps?

Outside air temp makes big difference. In the Winter with temps in the 50's, my bike will run around 180 or so, sometimes less, during a hard run on our local canyon road. But when it gets into the 90's in the Summer, I'm hitting 200 to 215+. The fan is sometimes running when I pull over, no big deal.

Like Tweety and drew said, ambient (air) temperature. Again, air is more dense at lower temps...contains more O2 in a given volume.

If the R's are up over 7,000, my bike has more power than I can use at any temp, when I'm in the twisties.