I ride pretty hard. During the hotter months I've experinced shutdown due to over heating. I just pulled the rad off to have it checked. I was also going to swap out the termostat to a lower temp so it activates earlier. Any other reccomendations?

 

do u ride in the city where u do alot of idling or do you just beat the **** out of your bike? most f3's never move about 1/2 way on temp gauge unless doing alot of city riding

 

Do you know if you're fan is working? The fan switch going out sounds like a likely culprit. Much easier and cheaper fix than spending money to have your radiator checked and there's really no need to get a different thermostat.

I sit in traffic from time-to-time in central florida in the dead of summer and have never had my bike overheat. I'd make sure your fan comes on at the right temp... then maybe get your radiator checked. Did you try flushing your coolant?

 

Ask Idodirt, the resident F3 know-it-all, about riding in the summer down here. I'm sure he can attest to our bikes being able to handle the cooling job.

The only thing I've run into that worries me is sitting in traffic idling so long with my fan working that I was worried I'd drain my battery.

 

waterwetter + fan on 100% of the time modd = best cooling performance.

 

getting a lower thermostat is find and dandy... but its NOT good for hotter weather... since the thermostat cycles the water much earlier, and more often, it doesnt get as much of a chance to cool off in the radiator because its continuously being cycled through the motor... so in turn, you could make your overheating problem WORSE. ive had countless experiences by installing them in vehicles. they are a godsend in the fall, winter, and spring... but NOT summer.

 

I had regular coolant over the summer left in my system and it got a bit brownish green and murky, so I went over to O rileys and got a bottle of waterwetter for about 10 bucks and my bike has run supercool since.

pretty decent track coolant as well, but even if you ride your bike hard your bike should still stay well under critical conditions.

 

Flush your radiator.Or replace the radiator cap.

Most people use tap water when filling the cooling system.This is a big no-no.Why? Calcium and scale build up on the inside,corking it up.

Use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and distilled white vinegar to flush.Seal off both ends with ordinary duct tape and let the radiator sit for 20-30 minutes.Remove the sealed up ends of the radiator.Get out the garden hose and flush.Flush the radiator both ways.Fill with distilled water and roll.

Total time involved: 'bout an hour.

 

Waterwetter ftw. I use that and distilled water and have no overheating problems. And in the summer it is in the 90's everyday here.

 

Hey guys, I'm having some overheating issues with my 96 F3 and wanted to know if anyone could help me diagnose the problem. On my way home from work about a week ago the temp outside was probably only around 78 and I was only in bumper to bumper traffic for like 4 lights through a part of town and my bike temp reached just outside the red area on the temp gauge. (Before and after these lights I can ride at around 35MPH for about 10 mins each – it’s a short ride) After coming home and reading on here about coolants and fans I decided I needed to 1. Order some coolant and 2. Determine if my fan was clicking on or not. Well, tonight it was hot enough again and I took the bike for a ride and then came home and left it running to purposely let it overheat. The fan never turned on and I got it pretty close to the red area again. I did purchase Evans coolant, I just haven't had time to put it in with work & school so I'm hoping that will help since I don't know when the previous owner changed the coolant last.

Any ideas to diagnose what’s up with the fan or if changing the coolant could help