how yall doing. i have a 98 cbr and the problem is when im at a stop for long period of time the bike starts to heat up fast but when riding for a bit it cools down but does the same thing when i stop again. Any suggestion on what i need to do for this problem? Thankz

 

Heat's up to what temperature? All bikes (even my 07 600RR) will go from a normal riding temperature of 170 to near 220+ when I stop at a stop light. It's normal, no problem there.

 

My F3 has got this exact same problem. My bike will go from just above C to just below H with the fan running within a minute or two. Hec, my fan would kick in at stoplights when the outside air temp was 29 degrees. It doesn't overheat, but my battery goes dead after 15 or so minutes when I'm driving around town at low speeds (10 - 15 MPH) and the fan is on. I have changed the thermostat and coolant and I still have the problem. My next step was to change the waterpump but I just haven't had the cash. I have also read that overheating issues can be caused from a clutch that has excessive slipping.

 

sounds like you have a charging problem to boot too

 

It's not a problem. Well, it may be a problem, but it's normal operation. Bikes, especially SS bikes, don't come with enormous heat sink radiators. For pete's sake, they only hold a quart or so of coolant in the whole system! They heat up fast when they're at a stop or below 40mph for extended periods because they just don't get enough airflow to discharge the heat. Replacing water pumps, thermostats, and coolant that is working correctly in the first place won't change that. The only real way to affect it would be to get some bigger/more powerful fans.

You can run Water Wetter or one of the equivalents if you like. It won't stop the bike from heating up in traffic, but it will make it cool down a lot faster once you get some air moving through the radiator. It'll run a bit cooler during normal operation, too.

KeS

 

Yes the bike should heat up if sitting in traffic, but it shouldn't happen so quickly. I understand that these bikes really are ment to have air flowing across them. It is just that when I can start the bike up and it will go from C to having the fan running in 30 or less degrees (F) after only have been running for maybe five minutes, its a sign a of problem. When the weather is warm (55 + degress F), I can't stop for even 20 second light or the bike will be in the verge of overheating. Up until couple years ago, I could be at low speeds/stop go traffic for at least 25 minutes before the fan would kick in and the temp guage would climb slowly. Now the temp guage just but now it just shoots up... these seem to be familar symptoms of a problem.

 

Ok, so you *don't* have the same problem as the OP, who specifically said it was long periods of idling that caused the temp to go up.

What have you done so far to diagnose/treat? I'd look at thermostat first and then water pump.

KeS

 

True, I don't have the exact problem as OP but it started out that way. I just changed out the thermostat thinking "That'll take care of it." Of course it didn't and decided to look into things before just buying parts. I pulled out the water pump and can barely turn the thing by hand. In addition, before I pulled the pump out, it began to leak from the weep hole. I still have to do a pressure test on cooling to just make sure I CYA. I'll do that once I get everything back together.
I did read something interesting, if a clutch is excessively slipping that it can cause overheating issues. My clutch had been slipping before I parked the bike. I pulled the plates out and measured them. They failed to meet the minimum per the Honda manual.

 

True but if the clutch is slipping you'll usually see/smell it in the oil before the coolant temp goes up. Really darkens the oil and it'll kind of smell, er, clutch-y.

KeS

 

I believe that's due to the charging system not kicking in until the bike is over 2500 RPM (at least that's what it is on the 600RR's and most other sportbikes).