gets hot in around town traffic

**kickingzebra** · 24th March 2006, 22:01

A man needs a scooter like a frog needs a gas stove and a beauty therapist.

Scooters are only good for wheelies.

Even then its debateable!!

To keep your bike cool, you must lanesplit at obnoxious speeds. Its bizarre how just having the bike sitting, it'll pop up to 105 or more, but then fang the death out of it, and it cools back down...

**2much** · 24th March 2006, 22:16

Originally Posted by Flyingpony

Heard from some racers that engines with fuel injection can run on Methanol while those with carbs can't because Methanol consistancy is like vegetable oil.

Any way, whilst giving more bang, the engine actually runs cooler than is would on 100 Octane gas.

So why don't you guys run your bike on Methanol?
Solves the over heating problem.

Two reasons,

a) That shit's expensive (admittedly petrol ain't cheap either these days).

b) Accessibility, you can't just rock up to any gassy and fill up with methanol.

Also, as far as cars go (I'm sure bikes would be the same) methanol uses different fuel systems/injectors, and the a/f ratios are different so I doubt a stock ECU could handle it.

**N4CR** · 24th March 2006, 23:30

Originally Posted by Gremlin

Its actually rather nice on cold mornings, when the frame warms up, you get a bit of it on your legs, like automatic leg warmers

And on a ZX2R it comes with KILWS (Kawasaki Integrated Leg Warming System), along with KRAS and KIS-ARM etc etc. Sucks when you don't split.

I havn't had my fan come on the entire summer... I don't stop in traffic as I am much more confident. It used to be a case of hot legs for a long time though...

**iwilde** · 25th March 2006, 09:33

Don't worry about it, my ZX9R fan comes on sitting in heavy traffic as well, normaly turns of when moving again for a few minutes.

**thehollowmen** · 25th March 2006, 09:47

Methanol is cheep. $3 a 20L barrel. But no, compared to methanol it makes petrol look sticky. You'd have to do heavy carb tuning to get the flow right.

It ain't good with some plastics and it soaks up water from the air. You'd have to store your bike with petrol or something in it and run through the whole methanol tank.

My bike runs fine on a %5 methanol mix, but I don't want to rust out my tank so I don't do it.

Originally Posted by Flyingpony

Heard from some racers that engines with fuel injection can run on Methanol while those with carbs can't because Methanol consistancy is like vegetable oil.

Any way, whilst giving more bang, the engine actually runs cooler than is would on 100 Octane gas.

So why don't you guys run your bike on Methanol?
Solves the over heating problem.

**Toast** · 25th March 2006, 21:51

Originally Posted by Ixion

EDIT: Incidentally, running hot is GOOD. Engines should run at around 100+ degree C. Running too cold produces all sorts of problems and wears your engine and zorst out real fast. Pressurised systems can easily get to 150 degree without boiling.

Really? My Kwak used to run at about 69 deg C on the road, and on the racetrack, not more than 74 deg. I'd have thought compared to 100 deg that this is a bit cold...that bike has a reputation for being pretty bulletproof too. I'm sure that running cold can't be that bad then.

What's the theory behind it?

**Ixion** · 25th March 2006, 21:56

Combustion produces all sorts of acids. And water. If the engine runs too cold these don't get driven off. The lurk around, accumulating with time and cause corrosion .

Also, oil systems are designed to deliver oil when it is thinned by heat (not too thin of course). Cold oil is thicker oil.

Very old cars used to have unpressurised cooling systems, they boiled at 100 degrees. Then manufacturers put in pressurised systems, the pressure raises the boiling point so that the engine can run at 90-100 degree C. That's why your car or bike has a thermostat to keep the engine hot.

**Toast** · 25th March 2006, 22:10

Ok, makes sense....so how come Kwak still have the temp running at about 70 degrees? Do you think that they are 70 degrees on the outside but the important bits that kill the acid thingies are 100 degrees...?

**Ixion** · 25th March 2006, 22:18

I suspect that the 70 degrees may be misleading. One reason why many manufacturers don't show degrees , just a good/bad/shit scale.

As you say, the temperature that matters is inside the engine. Whereas, the temperature sensor, which feeds the guage, is, for reasons of practicality, usually on the outer edge of the machinery. Often the temperature there is cooler because of local air cooling etc.

I have even seen sensors mounted in the return hose , where they are actually reading the temperature of the water AFTER its cooling pasage through the radiator. I have read speculation that some manufacturers (Kawasaki perhaps one of them) do this because if they put the sensor in the "hot" part of the circulation system, people freak out at seeing 100+ degree temperatures, and insist "something's broken" A pain for warranty.

What *really* matters of course is OIL temperature. I have always thought it very strange that so very few manufacturers provide a guage, or even a light, for this.

**Toast** · 25th March 2006, 22:34

True...yeah, all makes sense. I can def understand why the manufacturers would do that to stop people freaking. I guess it's all just relative, know the normal operating temp, don't let it get miles past that if possible.

**quickbuck** · 25th March 2006, 22:37

Yep, 70 degrees is nothing. You can get metal that warm by leaving it in the sun. Well, almost.

Thermostats don't even flinch before 80 on most vehicles.

Oil temp is the big one, because over temping the oil wrecks it! As in, it doesn't lube your motor anymore, and wearout occurs at an alarming rate.

As mentioned earlier Suzuki did put temp guages on their SACS engined bikes, but the fluctuations disturbed the owners, so they took them off.

Ofcourse we are talking about the temperature of the cooling medium here, it is only an indication of how hot the engine is. The cylinder head temperatures will be vastly different to this, and will not be directly proportional in each case.

eg, high water temp in traffic, but low CHT (as air can't get through rad), conversly Low water temp (relativly) when fanging it at 180k's at Pukekohe, but high CHT.

**Ixion** · 25th March 2006, 22:38

A case of knowing the bike as you say. If one has ridden in all conditions for some time on a particular bike, and never seen more than 80, a reading of 100 would be cause for alarm

On the other hand if the guage usually reads 100, and enquiry shows that to be typical of the model then all is probably well.