What's up guys. I bought a 2005 F4I about a month ago. Finally got in on the road after replacing fork seals / tires. Now my problem is the bike getting hot. I let the bike idle earlier just to confirm. Fan is kicking in around 234 degrees. Bike has plenty of coolant. Even with the fan running, the bike still climbs in temperature. Any ideas? I'm going to flush the coolant and add new coolant before I start looking to the fan / thermostat / water pump. Just seeing if anyone has experienced this. Thanks!

 

First, welcome to the forum! Feel free to show off your ride with a few pics!

I don't have any direct experience, but based on what I read on the internet (lol), I think your fan is kicking on within the normal temp range (if a bit on the high side, mine comes on at 220). I'd be inclined to replace the thermostat to start...

 

Keep in mind that the 2 things are independent from each other. The radiator cooling fan turns on and off only based on the temperature of the coolant in the radiator, not the temperature of the coolant in the engine. The ECT is measuring the temperature of coolant at the thermostat housing. The thermostat opens and closes based on the temperature of the coolant in the engine. The coolant fan should be able to move enough air to cool the radiator enough to turn the radiator fan off if the engine is only idling.

 

Arizona's 115* temps disagree with you lol
When its hot hot out, my fan will stay on until the bike is moving again.

Op- your fan is kicking on way too late. It should be on by 221*. Changing coolant won't do anything. Flush the system and make sure the radiator isn't clogged up. After that try changing the thermostat. For sure replace the radiator fan sensor that tells it when to turn on.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the responses! Here's a little update.

1) Flushed radiator / added engine ice. Still overheated.
2) Replaced thermostat. Still overheating.

Today I took the bike for a ride around 4PM. Probably only rode for about 30-40 minutes maximum. Bike hit 252 before I shut it down and let it cool off. At this point I'm stuck between the fan switch, a new radiator, or water pump. I know for a fact, the fan never drops the temperature. I can see the fan on at a red light, and the temperature keeps slowly rising. I've never seen the temperature actually go down on this bike.

 

Is the front of the radiator clean?
When you flushed the system, did you run water backwards through it? Did you use any kind of system cleaner to help wash out residue/scaling?
Is the fan running fast enough? I can hear mine when I'm stopped, I don't have to look at it to see it running.

 

Have you checked the actual temperature with a thermometer? Could be possible that the gauge is incorrect.

 

Fan doesn't matter if your riding around over 20mph.
Engine ice doesn't actually help with cooling but its fresh so thats good.
At this point its radiator or water pump or bad temp sending unit.

 

I actually took my dad's '99 f4 for a ride, and noticed that the fan is much louder / more powerful. Just bought a used OEM fan / new fan switch (pulsar mod). Also installing a new radiator. If this doesn't fix it, I will be looking into the water pump / temp sending unit. Thanks guys.

 

Yeah, if I'm just cruising it's not a problem at all. It's the stop and go where the temp will keep rising.