Hey guys, new to the forums but here is my first question and the main reason i decided to register.
My bike starts to overheat in traffic but cools back down quickly when I get moving again. I have an analog temperature gauge, but the fan kicks on religiously at the half-way mark. (half-way to redline that is). There is coolant in the radiator, and in the reservoir, and when I remove the radiator cap and give it some throttle I can see some vortex action happening which leads me to believe that the water pump is okay, and it also looks like it's been replaced recently. (Bought the bike in December)
I'd like some advice on where to go from here, what to check and maybe replace. I don't believe this is standard because starting the bike from cold (I live in Florida) and leaving it running for about 20 minutes or so puts me just below redline, and I believe it will keep going up.

Thanks for any comments or questions, I will be monitoring this thread if any replies show up.

 

its perfectly normal, all of what you just said. if the temp is getting close to red after 20 min keep an eye out cause that thermostat might be going bad and getting lazy at extreme high temps. then again i dont know too many sportbikes that would tollerate the extreme heat like that without reaching those temps too. its hard to diagnose because im not there in fla. hope that helps. you might hear different from other memebers but, thats all i got for my experiance.

 

In traffic in the summer my F4 fan comes on all the time when stopped. Once I get moving the temps normally drop back down to about 1/2 the gauge to redline. fan triggers usually about 2/3 of the gauge. Unfortunately I have never let it sit running long enough without moving to see how high the temp goes. Like cbrentb said though it doesn't hurt to replace the thermostat.

 

to add, optimal running temps for these bikes are from like 215- 225, thats about half on my temp gauge. also when the fan sensor kicks in and fan comes on around 216. if it goes beyond that in stop and go traffic and goes back down when moving then all is good.

 

Okay, so based on these comments I've chocked it up to pretty standard for this bike.
Now a follow up . 20 mins from cold to redline I believe is what I said, now that equates to probably 10 mins from running temp to redline in this heat give or take (probably take). When riding in medium-heavy traffic the stop and go's are basically stop so this is a problem when I try to ride to work I end up stressing about heat so much I have to lane split at lights and whatnot (illegal in Florida haha) so is there something I can do to help remedy this?
I've heard about a coolant called "engine ice" should I give this a shot? Luckily I don't have to ride to work I have a cage too, but I'd much rather ride and save a ton of gas.
Sorry for the wall of text but thanks for replies again!

also @cBrentb What do you mean the thermostat may be getting lazy? what would that affect? Possibly turning off the fan and me not realizing?

 

sometimes when thermostats go bad and fail, they could be open or closed. most of the time it doesnt matter because the owner just wants it replaced. when a thermo stat is starting to go bad it might open halfway only or close halfway onlly. or it might gradually open or close slower than its suppopsed to...again most people dont care about this, they just replace it. look in the shop manual do the trouble shooting on overheating and the cooling system, then test/ diagnose each part and replace if needed.

 

I've used engine ice for the last three years just to conbat the stop and go heat that builds to quickly for me. I've researched this pretty heavily and I found out an 84-86' pugeot(sp?) fan switch that kicks on around 212° is plug and play for the f4. I haven't tried that yet. You can also use some different thermostats ( that open/close sooner or later if you like ) if you do some searching. There is a mod that hotrodders use to leave the cooling system open all the time by drilling holes in the thermostat. That works really well on my girlfriends trans am. PO did that is how I found out about the mod but i've never tried it on a bike. The engine ice works but I really only recorded a 10° difference and it's twice the price of regular antifreeze but I still use it. I also added a manual fan switch to the left switch housing so I can turn it on when I want.

 

i think thats pretty normal as everyone said. i live in Nova Scotia, Canada and when i stop in traffic for a while during rush hour i hear my fan kicks in until i start moving even in the colder spring days when its around 8 - 15 C (45 - 60 F)

 

216-225 is optimal running temps for the f4. its engineered and set up internally (spark, timing, valve lash, ect)...to run best at these temps. dont freak cause the temp gets over 200 or so. thats not gonna cause the bike to explode or anything. also, the bike is designed to let the rider know exactly when its too hot to operate. you will know trust me. temp gauge will be at or in the red zone, steam and coolant will shoot out the engine coolant over flow tube and dash cluster lights will come on...oh yeah.

lol, personally i dont care if people want to modify a perfectly good cooling system, thats how we learn the hard way. ive been there and done stuff like that too. another thing ive learned that helps, when im in hot bumper to bumper traffic not moving for over five mins, i cut my engine off and use my feet to move and coast until traffic starts moving again.

 

Bumping my old *** post
So I've just been avoiding the problem since I haven't had too much time to ride recently. Something came to mind that could contribute to the problem, I think.
The previous owner swapped out the air filter for a K&M filter/box/manifold/something, and the 2 intake hoses(?) have a bit of trouble connecting fully to the main unit.
Could this lack of secure air flow contribute to the bike overheating solely while not the bike is at a standstill?

Also, I purchased a new radiator just in case it could be 60% blocked or something that im unable to flush out. I'd like to hear a couple replies before I get that swapped out on the air filter idea. Is this a good route to go?

Thanks for any replies!