Thermostat yank
 

So I took the thermostat out of my hawk years ago & liked the fact that it ran cooler. Never had a warm up issue or even an issue as low as 17*F in winter.

Has anyone removed their thermostat & had any ill effects? I dont see a downside & plan to remove it from my other hawk.

Typically, if I remember correctly, when you yank the thermastat your heater doesn't blow hot anymore. :evillaugh:

When I converted to the electric water pump I pulled mine also.
On cooler mornings, 50s or so, I seldom get past the first quarter line. Generally my bike's full operating temperature is at half or just below with the fan coming on if she gets to 5/8 or above.
I don't see any drivability issues so I have not bothered to do anything about it. I have read that running cooler increases power but decreases mileage. Can't say I've noticed.

The only issue I could see would be that the engine will be longer warming up so you may want to extend the warm-up period (particularly if you are running forged pistons, ie. JEs) before starting to twist the throttle hard as the parts (notably pistons and cylinders) will take longer to get up to temp (and, more importantly, up to their operating size)....

Running without a t-stat will also increase engine wear, though it's arguable just how much since engines last so long these days anyways.

Two reasons:
1: oil's viscosity is dependent on temperature

2: the bike is designed to run within a temperature window where part sizes are designed for (metal expands and contracts at different temperatures)

Just an interesting note on this line of reasoning. High performance engines, those typically used for high end racing applications, are kept at higher temperatures when they aren't operating because otherwise the engine would freeze up and you couldn't start it. Operating temp on our bikes isn't as important because the specs on our engines aren't that exact, so there's room for error. Newer engines, because of modern manufacturing advances, have much smaller spec, so temp effects them much more.

We don't want that in 17*F, Some very useful input!

Wow, such useful mechanical input on this forum. You know you guys couldve just not responded. (just sayin)

i don't see the point of removing the thermostat when hotter is more efficient in terms of fuel consumption and engine performance. Engine heat is not your enemy anymore since we have high quality oils that resist thermal breakdown.

I guess I just got used to not seeing the temp guage go over half way & got spoiled

We used to gut the thermostats on race cars so that there was some restriction in the line to aid with temperatures. Ideally, though, if you could manage you temperature and keep in in a sweet spot, you would want it between 210-230.

Yeah, I even tried a low temp fan switch to kick the fan on early, which just ran it too much. I also had evanscooling waterless lifetime coolant. May go back to that but it aint cheap. Evans Coolant: Fumoto Oil Drain Valves, Espar Heaters and Parts, Evans Coolant :Lubrication Specialist

I of course do city riding so the bike doesnt get alot of airflow. I have a way bigger oil cooler and a filter cooler. Mesa Performance..Cool Collar Test Data.

What do you guys think about an update on this thread? It's been years, and i know people are doing it (removing the thermostat), what are the current thoughts?

I think it would be fantastic to have that space opened up...

James

That sounds awesome but what is an "update"?

Lol... It would be cool to read current opinions on the subject of removing the thermostat in our superhawks.

I was also reading up on using restrictor plates in place of thermostats to slow the flow of coolant so the radiators have opportunity to cool the slow-moving fluid...

I was thinking it would be great to work on removing the housing too :)

More winter projects!!!

James

That is an interesting concept that slower coolant movement would raise cooling efficiency.

HOWEVER.........................................

The guys who did that zany electric water pump mod (yeah, I know right?) say that due to its super high performance keeps the motor way cooler than the stocker.

I have run no thermostat pretty much forever with no ill results. IMHO this bike simply cant keep its cool. Some wingnut at Honda did the same thing with the VFR and Goldwing which Honda admits "have overheating issues at parade speeds".

The other 2 bikes are really a mess since said wingnut gave them fans that blow IN. Meaning against natural airflow of a moving bike!

So on those forums, guys swap ideas and found that just installing a stock VTR fan helps a lot.

"I also had evanscooling waterless lifetime coolant. May go back to that but it aint cheap. Evans Coolant: Fumoto Oil Drain Valves, Espar Heaters and Parts, Evans Coolant :Lubrication Specialist"

I have been running Evanscooling for a couple years now and it has worked great. Used their flush also. Temps run right at middle or gauge or just slightly under and really hot days - 100 degrees and high humidity - runs just over middle or gauge. Getting ready to borrow buddy's infared temp gauge and check a couple spots to see if I can see what temp is when bike is running.

Lower coolant speed is important to give time for energy transfer. But not to low or there will be to much transfer leading to boiling.

The SH will always have poor low speed cooling due to the side mount radiators. The radiators need flow over the outside for the air to be sucked through. One thing that would help is making sure the radiators are sealed to the fairing so there is no air bleed around them.

I have the electric water pump without a thermostat.

Temp is relatively stable at 81C when cruising.

No probs after almost 2 years and am collecting parts now to remove the coolant bottle and thermo housing.

I want the total V look from days of old before water cooled bikes.

Hey kenmoore... This is what i was after too. What are your thought on completely removing the housing?

I've been looking into swapping the coolant bottle for something a bit more svelte that can be hidden elsewhere. That shouldn't be a big problem.

Removing the thermostat housing poses more intricate problems though in the form of fabbing some parts. Ideas?

This was exactly the response i was looking for :):)

James