2012 BMW 1600 GT Runs Hot ?

My 2012 K1600 GT has 600 miles on it and I have enjoyed every mile over the past month. One of the most smooth and comfortable moto's I have ever had the pleasure of owning. One question: I have had R1200 RT's and the engine temperature NEVER went above 2 "hash marks", even in swealtering Florida summers. I notice that my K1600 GT runs hot at idle during red light stops. My perception of hot is when the guage moves to the 75% point and the fan kicks on. Once moving again, it lowers to the middle or slightly below. I realize that this moto is a 6 cyl machine and significantly different from the R1200 RT and I may be over reacting. Still has break-in oil but now at 600 miles, I am scheduled for the first service on Monday. It has not burned a drop of break-in oil (I do an oil and tire pressure precheck each time I prepare for a ride. Curious if anyone has any comments or has similar concerns. I will ask my BMW Dealer Service Manager about this on Monday.

Relax. The condition you describe is very typical of water-cooled motorcycles, especially large displacement models and especially where the radiator is tucked away within a fairing. At a stop there is no airflow across the radiator and the coolant temp rises quickly. The fans come on at a preset temp to mitigate this. If the fans didn't come on and the coolant temp continued to rise, then you would have a problem.

realworld51 said:

Relax. The condition you describe is very typical of water-cooled motorcycles, especially large displacement models and especially where the radiator is tucked away within a fairing. At a stop there is no airflow across the radiator and the coolant temp rises quickly. The fans come on at a preset temp to mitigate this. If the fans didn't come on and the coolant temp continued to rise, then you would have a problem.

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As a long-time K-bike rider I agree. Your K1600 sounds like it's cooling as it should. Enjoy!

That's perfectly normal. At standstill, the radiator does not get enough airflow so the fans have to kick in. However, for them to kick in, the temperature must rise above a certain point which is above the temperature you perceive as "normal". Most, if not all watercooled motorcycles use fans so that their cooling systems can be kept smaller, lighter and more compact.

Similar experience on my Goldwing. Gauge runs about 1/2 way all the time, never varies much. In traffic, it increases very slightly just before the fans come on. On the Goldwing, the fans suck air in from the sides, and blow it out to the front (opposite of the air flow when moving). It does help clear out the radiators of all the butterflies when they are in migration! (Better not be crossing in front of me at a light when the fans come on, though!) Anyway, sounds like normal activity for a water cooled bike to me.

Something Harley Did Better?

realworld51 said:

Relax. The condition you describe is very typical of water-cooled motorcycles, especially large displacement models and especially where the radiator is tucked away within a fairing. At a stop there is no airflow across the radiator and the coolant temp rises quickly. The fans come on at a preset temp to mitigate this. If the fans didn't come on and the coolant temp continued to rise, then you would have a problem.

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I'm looking at trading my Harley Screaming Eagle Ultra Classic, so have just started to monitor the forum here.

Harley came up with an interesting work around for heat (yeah, somehow I expect the motor and exhaust to be hot around my legs, but here in FL, that becomes problematic in the summer). You can literally turn off half the cylinders at the stoplight by pushing the throttle forward.

"Turn the throttle all the way to full off ( back as far as it will go) and hold it till you see the cruise control light flash either green for "system is on" or red for "system is off"..... Turning throttle backwards turns it on and off. Just takes about 3-5 seconds for it to change. "

sfcacique said:

I'm looking at trading my Harley Screaming Eagle Ultra Classic, so have just started to monitor the forum here.

Harley came up with an interesting work around for heat (yeah, somehow I expect the motor and exhaust to be hot around my legs, but here in FL, that becomes problematic in the summer). You can literally turn off half the cylinders at the stoplight by pushing the throttle forward.

"Turn the throttle all the way to full off ( back as far as it will go) and hold it till you see the cruise control light flash either green for "system is on" or red for "system is off"..... Turning throttle backwards turns it on and off. Just takes about 3-5 seconds for it to change. "

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Interesting......do the cylinders alternate, or does it just run on one lung? I found an oil cooler which bolted simply onto the oil filter bracket (Billet Cool - billetcool.com) worked great on my old Road King. I actually prefer water cooled now, however. I always worried about the Harley, and the RT if I got stuck in traffic. Now, I just fire up the coffeemaker (standard in the Goldwing) and don't worry about a thing!

hlothery said:

Interesting......do the cylinders alternate, or does it just run on one lung?

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I watched a show recently with a demo of that design...seems it kills the rear cylinder which runs hotter anyways...a H-D Thumper!
Our K12S's run mid bar typically, never more than 3/4 even in traffic...which we will ride way out of the way to avoid.

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Harley calls that the "Heat Management Program". When the system is activated and the engine gets to a specific temperature, but ONLY at an idle, the rear cylinder cuts out. In essence the rear cylinder at that point is just sucking air and fuel to cool off the engine. As soon as you roll on the throttle the rear cylinder comes to life and off you go. It works pretty nice for riders in hot stop and go traffic. Problem is a lot of owners don't know what it is and they think they have an ignition or engine problem of some sort when it engages.

Rick

sfcacique said:

I'm looking at trading my Harley Screaming Eagle Ultra Classic, so have just started to monitor the forum here.

Harley came up with an interesting work around for heat (yeah, somehow I expect the motor and exhaust to be hot around my legs, but here in FL, that becomes problematic in the summer). You can literally turn off half the cylinders at the stoplight by pushing the throttle forward.

"Turn the throttle all the way to full off ( back as far as it will go) and hold it till you see the cruise control light flash either green for "system is on" or red for "system is off"..... Turning throttle backwards turns it on and off. Just takes about 3-5 seconds for it to change. "

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All internal combustion engines generate heat and it has to be dissipated somehow. Is this one way to quiet a loud chorus of heat complaints from H-D owners? Yes, for their large-displacement v-twin configuration. H-D also sells a bolt-on cooling fan as an accessory.

But better than water cooling and a radiator? Can't say - it's apples (water-cooled) compared to oranges (air-cooled).

re: GT running hot...

My 1600GT is real hot around my left ankle where the heat comes off the engine.... even with proper riding gear it seems extremely hot on my anle and leg... anyone with similar observation or experience. Doc

PedSurg said:

My 1600GT is real hot around my left ankle where the heat comes off the engine.... even with proper riding gear it seems extremely hot on my anle and leg... anyone with similar observation or experience. Doc

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Wait till July. Best protection is leather riding pants and boots. The heat has to go somewhere....BMW has, by their design, assigned the heat exit path to the left side, just like it was on the K1200GT. Just about bar-b-qued my left ankle off coming across Kansas, on a 106 degree day, back in mid 2000s, because of a similair design result.