Ok to use hotter plugs?

[mattd]

Hey guys,
For a while now my bike has been running really cool, on the gauge the neddle sits around the bottom 2 marks (see pic). It used to be sitting around half way. My question is do you guys think i should run some hotter plugs in her? Cheers for any input.
Oh yeah bike's a '94 zxr250c

[Titanium]

Hey guys,
For a while now my bike has been running really cool, on the gauge the neddle sits around the bottom 2 marks (see pic). It used to be sitting around half way. My question is do you guys think i should run some hotter plugs in her? Cheers for any input.
Oh yeah bike's a '94 zxr250c

Check your thermostat is not broken in the open position .......

That would cause your bike to run cool.

Or it could be a faulty sender unit and your bike is actually running hotter than you are being shown.

[imdying]

Yes, you're on the wrong track. Check that the gauge actually works ok... make a longer piece of wire and boil the sender... see what the gauge reads then.

[mattd]

Yes, you're on the wrong track. Check that the gauge actually works ok... make a longer piece of wire and boil the sender... see what the gauge reads then.

Cheers,
Generally where should it be sitting when the water is boiling?

[Madness]

Where you have indicated the gauge to be reading is where I would expect it to be under normal conditions. Around town in heavy traffic & needle sitting in the middle is normal too. Maybe you just managed to get out of the traffic & noticed the difference. If the gauge wasn't moving at all I'd check the thermostat & sender unit. If it aint broke don't fix it is my motto.

[imdying]

Cheers,
Generally where should it be sitting when the water is boiling?

Underneath the water it is good.

[mattd]

Underneath the water it is good.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Guess that was my fault for the lazy wording of the question. I'm guesing when the water is boiling, the neddle would be sitting around the top mark on the gauge?

[imdying]

Haha, I see! Probably just over halfway. Couldn't tell you for sure though, you'll get some idea of how it's working though.

[Henk]

Try disconnecting the temp sender and shorting it out. This should give you full scale and 0 readings. That will tell you if the gauge and wiring are OK for a start.

[JMemonic]

I have not had a lot to do with water cooled bikes but cars well there I have had plenty so this info my or may not apply.

Check that the radiator cap is operating correctly as well. Others have pointed out the thermostat and sender which are obvious but the cap can make a huge difference, if you find your car/bike is consuming small quantity's of water but there are no obvious leaks and it seems to be running cooler than normal, the cap can be leaking before its designed pressure.

[sizzlingbadger]

Hey guys,
For a while now my bike has been running really cool, on the gauge the neddle sits around the bottom 2 marks (see pic). It used to be sitting around half way. My question is do you guys think i should run some hotter plugs in her? Cheers for any input.
Oh yeah bike's a '94 zxr250c

your gauge looks ok to me. They are not very accurate in the first place. Normal running temp is usually around 70-90 for a water cooled bike so you could get a thermometer and check. My bike runs around 80 most of the time and gets up to over 100 in traffic. The fan kicks in at about 105. Hotter plugs won't make th engine run any hotter, only the plugs. Knackered or missing thermostat is the first thing to check if it is running cool.

Here is some plug info http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

[masterofpuppets]

I'd say thats about fine for a zxr250 tho, my zxr stays at that temp under normal conditions. as soon as i stop in traffic or on a very hot day it does shoot up though.