... and i think i have done everything possible...

So my bike has been overheating, Touching the H for a while now since ive been riding. The only time it actually stayed within the temperature parameters is when i rode it as a naked streetbike but i am more of a faring type of guy...

Now before you say search, i have been searching and experimenting for months now

Changed radiator... still overheating

Changed over to engine ice which it acutally does run a little cooler than my old coolant but i am still touching H. just gets there twice as long. Flushed the system completely, even tried a new/used waterpump still running hot

So ok i took apart my entire system, found out my thermo was stuck ope... literally stuck open cuz the metal bar was bent... replaced it with a honda OEM one... I am able to get further places with out touching H but the moment i get into traffic, i am touching H so i can agree that was a step in the right direction. Instead of going 5 miles and then touching H, i can go maybe 30 or more.

So now i am blaming my fan... well today i went out to check the fan and when the switch gets almost 3/4 of the way up, the fan turns on so its technically not the fan. but the fan turns on and off like its on a timer which i am guessing that is normal

after all this troubleshooting, my friends say, its carburated bikes, they tend to run hot A LOT but i am trying not to believe that, is there anything else that i should check before i try to rig the fan. The radiator is SO Close to the headers that i am blaming the heat from the headers making it so dam hot. i love my bike and i already put a hell of alot of money in it to sell it for less than what its worth

I am moving back to the city soon and if i want to keep my bike, i need to find out what is going on with it. Any help

 

One thing that i havent tried is bleeding the system but thats one thing that i dont know HOW TO do... most engines have a bolt that you can open to get air out but our bikes dont have that

 

mine is the same way it will go to the red with in like 3 or 4 lights sucks im going try and rig the fan i have flushed and put in watter wetter with no luck also

 

Your bike should not be overheating if all is in good shape. It sounds like you have been fighting this for a while, and it may be time to start to step through the system per the service manual. Some of the other tests you may want to start stepping though in order are:

the actual temp meter or thermosensor
radiator cap
passages or hoses blocked (did you happen to flush the system when you replaced the t-stat?) A bent t-stat part may indicate a piece of debris in the system
faulty water pump.

There are also steps to bleed the system and appear pretty simple, although I have not performed these:
With the radiator cap off
shift into neutral and let the engine idle for 2-3 minutes
snap the throttle 3-4 times to bleed air from the system
stop the engine and top off the fluids
top off the reserve tank if needed.

HTH

 

ok few questions... how can the radiator cap cause the temperature to get that high... i never understood that?

and i did flush the system... plenty of times... i am hoping that there is nothing stuck in there but if there is, how would i get it out... I know that many signs of a clogged coolant system is one hose gets hot and the other one stays cold but both hoses heat up substantially in my case

3rd... i replaced the water pump but with a used one that appeared to be in good condition... the propeller turned fine and fit well with the oil pump housing on the other side.. even changed the gaskets on both sides... is there anything that is major concerns with a faulty water pump that i can physically see?

 

also the local bike shop is 20-30 mins away but the auto store is just 2min walk away... is there a difference in radiator caps?

i feel stupid now because i work with cars day in and day out but since i am fairly new to motorcycle motors, i feel like a noob

 

It may not be appropriate in your situation, but if the radiator cap for any sealed system either leaks or does not hold the correct amount of pressure the system will boil over easier. When a liquid is under pressure it's boiling point is raised (similar to a pressure cooker). And if your system boils over some of the coolant that could be used to transfer heat away from the engine, is not there anymore.

I wish I had an answer for these, but not sure. However if the water pump was not performing properly I would expect the system to be very polarized with the engine very hot, and mid point of the radiator much cooler since the system would not be flowing, but that's just pure speculation.

On the offchance your engine is running very lean in air/fuel have you checked your plugs?

 

Flushing a radiator:

Remove radiator

2 2x4s: Take the radiator and lay it face down,with the 2x4s parallel to the edges.Then take the radiator and bang it on the 2x4s,knocking all the debris in the "grille" loose.Do this until you can see through the whole thing.Then use Simple Green/Purple power to clean the outside.Laugh at all the bugheads and whatnot that comes out.

Use a 50/50 mixture of distilled white vinegar and distilled water.Fill the radiator with this cocktail.Tape off both ends of the radiator.Let the radiator sit for 30 minutes.Flush radiator with garden hose in both directions.Smile at all the debris that comes out.Feel better and laugh.


Burping a radiator: Re-assemble the entire system.Fill radiator with distilled water NOT tap water.Top it up.Then lean the bike all the way over on her left side,putting the radiator cap at the highest point.Repeat and refill as necessary.Don't drop the bike.

Buy a new OEM radiator cap.

Ride and enjoy.

 

im actually gonna check into a new radiator cap today to see if that solves my issues

 

You do mean fill it with a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and distilled water I assume.