Heya, I've been reading info on the running temps andI think this is normal, but I wanted to make sure because I'ma complete Newb and I don't want to damage my bike. I live in Houston, and it's probably an average of 95 to 100 degrees outsideon the freeway in rush hour on the way home from work. When I am in extremely heavy traffic (practically walking the bike) my bike temp is getting up to 240'ish and in the worst traffic Ive ever seen, it got up to 248 and I was frantically looking for a spot to pull over and let it cool off. I haven't taken it out in that kind of traffic since, but even in average Houston traffic, while stopped I'm looking at 235 with the fan running. It's quick to cool off when I'm riding but at the next light it's right back up there. I'm assuming this is just the effect Houston has on a bike. Am I running the risk of damaging my bike by running it at these temps frequently, andis there any thing I can do to run cooler or protect my bike from getting damaged? Any tips or experience will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Higher temps cause the oil to degrade faster. And Im sure you can figure out what happens when oil becomes useless.

Only thing you really can do is change the oil more often.

 

Even at those air temps, your fan should kick on around 220 or so and keep the bike close to that the temp even while your stopped. It really shouldnt go any higher than 230 or so. 248 is getting too hot for your bike in my opinion. thats gotta be pretty darn close to the boiling point of your coolant.

I would suggest a coolant flush and or adding some engine ice. Its a coolant that reduces your engines overall temp. Its a more efficient coolant.

You may also want to check your thermostat for proper operation.

heres a link to the engine ice website.

http://www.engineice.com/

 

Yeah thats a little too hot man. My F4i rarely goes above 230 and if it does its only 1 or 2 degrees. you should probably change out your coolant. Make sure your radiator is all good. and your thermostat is another thing to look at. good luck

 

I decided to change the oil and flush out the radiator. Going to drain it out and run some water through it, then try out engine ice. I'll keep you posted on how it does. Thanks for the feedback!

 

I tested it today in fairly heavy traffic with Engine Ice and a fresh oil change. It never rose above 228 i was very pleased. This seem to do the trick, thanks guys!

 

Sounds like you had air bubbles in the coolent since you can't duplicate it with the flush.

254 is the critical temperature. Sure everything is just fine.

As far as outside air temperature: 95-100 degree temperatures have little effect when compared to air flow around the radiator and engine. I've hit 228 riding when it's been 35 degrees out. Just throwin' that out there...