Cooling / overheating problem?

[FJRider]

Shorter version...Have you checked the radiator cap is the CORRECT one for YOUR bike ??? It may have been on it when you got it...BUT...You said after your FIRST long ride. Have you not had this bike long.
If the cap was fitted by someone who didn't know differently... ie. if it fits on it, is not meaning,it is ALWAYS the correct one.CHECK !!!

[awayatc]

if he hasn't already...surging water. Have you any way (ie. know how or know who can) pressure test the cooling system. If it holds pressure, it should hold water.

Regarding surging water....the other day had something similar with a car i was fixing.....turned out impellor of waterpump was broken off.
Water in engine heated, did not get circulated...and steam forced its way out through bottom hose/radiator.....

I would take out thermostat and see if pump circulates water.....

[FJRider]

The old story...start at the beginning. Its always the LAST thing you check... so do that first...

[CB ARGH]

there is a thermal switch in yur cooling system......(bottom radiator?) with 2 wires, one going to the electric fan.
This switch is supposed to make contact at about 80 or 90 degrees or so....
which turn the fan on.
If that switch is faulty your fan won't turn on.
Either replace it, or make a manual/override switch ....

Thanks mate, yeah I'll give that idea a go. I don't want to risk it overheating, plus it's only five or so bucks and ten mins of my sad life to make an on/off mechanism haha.

[awayatc]

You got a bike ,so how can your life be sad.....?
Good luck

[Max Preload]

Having coolant will definitely keep it cooler...

Actually, coolant has a lower specific heat than water.

Richi, start with your radiator cap. Check the spring isn't broken and the seal is intact. Check the operation of the valve which allows coolant to be drawn back into the cooling system from the reservoir as the engine cools after it's stopped.

If all is well there, get the cooling system pressure tested. If you're losing coolant, the bike will overheat. If the system loses pressure and there is no external leak, the news is all bad. You're looking at a head gasket leak (combustion chamber to cooling system or oil gallery to cooling system) or corroded or maybe even a cracked head. You should not just nurse a bike home that dumps it's coolant - you should immediately stop and trailer it if the leak is not roadside repairable.

The fan shouldn't normally operate off the thermo switch in anything other than slow, heavy city traffic. The fan should come on automatically before the temperature reaches 3/4 on the gauge. If it's a 2 wire fan switch, just short the wires together to check there is power and the fan motor itself is operational. If a single wire system, ground it to do the same test. If the fan operates, the thermo switch is faulty. If the fan doesn't operate when you perform the shorting or grounding check for power with a test light or better still a multimeter. If there's no power, check the fuse. No problem with the fuse, power the fan manually with a direct 12V and ground connection to the fan plug (not the thermo switch plug - the one that you'd disconnect to remove the radiator). If it doesn't run with a direct connection the fan motor is dead. If it does run with a direct connection there's a wiring fault.

If you're going to fit a manual switch (I have one as a precaution now after my thermo fan switch died last year) for gods sakes do it properly. You'll be hard pressed to get a discreet waterproof switch that will carry the current required, so get a smaller rated waterproof switch and run a relay.

[racefactory]

hve you checked if your rad cap is ok?

have you checked if there is air in the system?

[awayatc]

If you're going to fit a manual switch (I have one as a precaution now after my thermo fan switch died last year) for gods sakes do it properly. You'll be hard pressed to get a discreet waterproof switch that will carry the current required, so get a smaller rated waterproof switch and run a relay.

You make it sound harder then it is....even on a 2 wire thermo switch both wires are neutrals and dont carry current.
All the switch does is make contact at a certain temperature, so that the circuit closes....
Any sort of switch will allow you to do this safely, it is just an earth wire....like a horn.