do you use water wetter and antifreeze or water wetter and distilled water? I plan on flushing the cooling system in the spring and running WW and AF..

 

T, I use WW mixed w/ distilled water (3-4 capfuls of WW per quart of distilled water). Really the only reason to use w/ antifreeze would be to lower the freezing point in cooler climates.

I mentioned in dif thread that I routinely flush out my everyday use Honda HP 50/50 & use WW for track. Past couple of yrs after spring trackdays, I left WW in the bike all summer...works great. Once winter mos were here, I went back to Honda HP 50/50.

 

thats interesting because I was going to use Honda HP with the water wetter.. since I am in a relatively colder climate.. maybe I'm better off that route..

 

WW with water. I miss my bike. Everyone is still riding here and two of my neighbors have bikes as well. But the parts finally shipped.

 

One significant reason you see that (not the only one, but a significant one) is that the sending units and the gauges are not precision instruments suitable for use in nuclear research laboratories. They're just a temperature gauge designed to give you an idea of whether your engine is running too hot, which is all they need to be/do. Getting yourself a digital version of the same, non-nuclear-research-lab instrument combination won't be any more accurate, but if digital numbers give you more peace of mind that analog needle readings, go for it.

Another option, if you're interested, is to buy or borrow an infrared thermometer. Use it to cross-check your analog gauge, and you'll have the info you're looking for, generally to within several percent of the IR thermo's total scale.

 

thanks for the good info

 

ok, heres what i found out on my bike. exactly half way on analog temp gauge is 225, the fan kicks on at that time. so you will have to do the math on your own bike maybe it will be accurate maybe not, i dont know. if 225 is halfway then cut that in half...guess 1/4 way is 112.5 and so on ,you get the picture. also if its helpful for anyone who doesnt know, honda tech told me "engine heat is not a big deal until it gets to 240, at that point the engine is really hot. he also said "when the bike is too hot it starts to produce steam or coolant out from engine/ coolant system or on-dash lights flash or come on, thats how the 99 f4's are set up tp let you know when they are running extremly hot".

 

Yes, that coincides w/ the info I previously stated from the Honda factory shop manual...
I don't think you really need to worry about your bike overheating unless you don't maintain it properly & keep proper levels of clean coolant in your bike. On a regular yearly basis, I ride in low temps where there's snow to hotter desert temps 100+. My bike is a 2000 F4, which is basically the same as your 99. I've never experienced overheating/failure in those desert climates or in the hottest summer months in bumper to bumper traffic.

That being said, I routinely check my temp gauge while riding just to keep a proper eye, so to speak, on the bike's operating temp. If my needle gets above, let's say, 3/4 (or a little higher), I'm more attentive.

 

thanks for the info

 

I was "playing" with the bike today, and taped a thermocouple to the "water neck" on the engine while it warmed up. I watched the temp gauge, and recorded these numbers:

Needle started to move: 115*F
Bottom line on gauge: 120*F
Bottom of "long line" on gauge: 130*F
1/4 way up: 140*F
1/2 way up: 170*F
Fan turned on: 190*F

This will be somewhat subjective ("watching needle" isn't the most scientific method, and I'm sure there's a decent sized margin of error in the gauge set-up itself, also the ambient temp was ~38*F) but thought it may be useful.