RC79NC001 Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Thursday I blasted up I77 from my home, carved some sweet twisty roads in NC and Virginia . On the interstate I was cruising faster than the flow of most traffic . My indicated coolant temperature frequently climbed above 200F. Sometimes when I was in heavy traffic surrounded by Big Trucks,cars, and SUVs all with their windows up and AC Blasting, my temperature exceeded 215. I'd guess the ambient air temperature was in the low eighties with moderate humidity. If I slowed my pace to cruising about 5000 rpm which is roughly 70 mph the coolant temp would drop down to what I consider a more normal range of 180-190. Off the interstate solo in "clean" air ( low traffic ) the indicated temperature always seems more stable. My cooling fan does turn on at 220. Is this normal ? I've observed these types of temperature ranges since I purchased this VFR in 2017. I think the cooling system is marginal or adequate at best. What do others observe for what they consider to be a normal coolant temperature range. Will it hurt the longevity of the engine to run at long periods above 200F ? If someone has tracked a gen 8 what does the coolant temperature go to ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ShipFixer Posted June 18, 2023 Member Contributer Share Posted June 18, 2023 What you are observing is pretty normal. They can get hot fast when it's warm but the fan should be able to bring it down. There are a lot of threads where people have re-engineered different things to make it slightly better, but only slightly better, and that's for stop and go slow speed scenarios. The main thing most people have trouble with eventually is a stuck open thermostat. If your bike drops below the mid-170s regularly or struggles to get warm in the morning, it is probably new thermostat time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer bmart Posted June 19, 2023 Member Contributer Share Posted June 19, 2023 Sounds normal to me. I'm in CLT also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC79NC001 Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 Thanks for the responses... I feel better now that what I am describing appears to be quite normal . Most of my riding is at or below 5000 but, especially on the Interstate, I seem to ride faster and my tolerance for motorists blocking the left lane goes to zero. I enjoy hitting the right lane and smokin' them ( unruly cagers ) like the proverbial pack of KOOLs.... It would be nice to have enough radiator capacity to keep the coolant temperature more stable but, I'm hoping this really is not detrimental to a long and happy ( engine ) life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubyRS Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 Your temp readings are normal for the 8th gen, so nothing to worry about. My fan kicks in at 220 while stopped at intersections on warm days. Otherwise the fans never turns on while riding for me. As far as the "riders" temp goes, my observation there is to not be in a hurry, stay back, and enjoy riding for what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted July 8, 2023 Member Contributer Share Posted July 8, 2023 If you see *continuous* temps higher than 220ºF or below 180ºF then trouble shooting is in order: Continuous engine temps above 220ºF or 104ºC is also a problem and the proper order of items to trouble shoot are: 1)Faulty radiator cap... system should hold 1.1 pressure ratio... 2)Insufficient coolant... 3)Passages blocked in the radiator, hose or water jacket... 4)Air in the system... 5)Thermostat stuck closed... 6)Faulty temp meter or thermo sensor... 7)Faulty fan... 8)Faulty fan switch... Engine temps below 180ºF or 82ºC is an problem... it means that the moisture produced during combustion is not getting hot enough to evaporate out the pipe as steam... instead that moisture will migrate to the oil and produce a milky white contamination... Note normal by products of combustion is water... . Every gallon of gas creates roughly 8 pounds of water vapor... we all have witnessed water escaping out of tail pipes on cold mornings... The sequence of events to trouble shoot are: 1)Faulty temp meter... 2)Thermostat stuck open... 3)Faulty fan switch... (stuck on) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareBrain Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 On 7/8/2023 at 2:05 AM, BusyLittleShop said: Engine temps below 180ºF or 82ºC is an problem... it means that the moisture produced during combustion is not getting hot enough to evaporate out the pipe as steam... instead that moisture will migrate to the oil and produce a milky white contamination... The normal running temp for mine, when not under any strain, is 79C. The previous bike, also a Gen 8, was about 81. I assume the difference is because of the Akro exhaust on the current one (which also seems to improve the mileage by almost 10%, unless there's another difference I'm not aware of). Incidentally, I don't often ride in the rain, but I had to ride in heavy rain the other day and the temperature never got above 76C. I'd never thought it would make that much difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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