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Normal temperature?
- Thread starter lbnyc
- Start date
My 2017 runs about 83°C pretty constantly, however she'll pop up to 99°C and then the fan kicks in.
Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk
lee
Debbie's Servant
Most Wetheads probably run at that temp. Both of our R1200RS run about 183 when riding at normal speeds and RPMs.
Outside temperature does not affect it much if you keep air moving over the engine and radiator.
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riderr1150gsadv
Well-known member
Mine runs between 180F and 182F on average and slightly higher on a hot day but not more than 185F at the most.
pglaves
#13338
It sounds like the low 180s is "normal", so 200+ would be high for typical riding. So, grunge on the radiator fins is suspect, and a faulty thermostat is suspect. There are other possibilities including a very lean running engine condition. Examine the spark plugs; clean the radiator with hydrogen peroxide sprayed on and rinsed with a garden hose - low pressure. If it persists I'd probably replace the thermostat.
akbeemer
SURVIVOR
If the bike has aftermarket radiator protectors installed, then they could be reducing airflow. There also could be a large amount of dead bugs and other debris built up behind the protectors. If they are mounted, then remove them and clean the radiators. See if that makes a difference. My 17 GSA tends to run in the mid-180s on the open road.
crucian
New member
I've seen 200+ F on several occasions riding in hilly country with the ambient above 110 F. I think I topped out one time at 205? The motorcycle was relatively heavy laden with me, cases and strapped on gear. My senses tuned to the engine did not feel that I was in an "overheat" situation, at least as far as the machine was concerned. This past September I rode in 100F+ temperatures every day for two weeks and my '17 GSA soldiered on.
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
I ride a 2014 RTW so unfortunately, I can't get a numerical readout of my coolant temperature, just have the scale next to the fuel level scale.
From those that have responded, it would appear that low-mid 180's F is the norm.
Having said that, 200-205 is quite normal for a car engine, especially newer and smaller displacement ones. This is a more efficient temperature for an engine to operate in.
A couple of questions:
From those that have responded, it would appear that low-mid 180's F is the norm.
Having said that, 200-205 is quite normal for a car engine, especially newer and smaller displacement ones. This is a more efficient temperature for an engine to operate in.
A couple of questions:
- have you checked your coolant level? Low levels will result in higher than normal operating temperatures
- does your fan come on very often? If no,
- has your fan ever come on?
Rinty
New member
IIRC, GM used to set Corvette engines to run at 210, for efficiency (another of the useful bits of information bouncing around in my head
).
I will check tomorrw
1- i will check the level tomorrow
2-3 it seems that if i am at low speed the temp rise pretty fast and the fan kick in very often. Now if i am in traffic, which is often, the fan in working most of the time.
Depending on weathef tomorrow i will take a ride and check for more precise data.
1- i will check the level tomorrow
2-3 it seems that if i am at low speed the temp rise pretty fast and the fan kick in very often. Now if i am in traffic, which is often, the fan in working most of the time.
Depending on weathef tomorrow i will take a ride and check for more precise data.
Maybe normal then
The GSA is the only bike I have with water cooling so maybe I worry too much. Will check better tomorrow weather permitting.
Thanks
The GSA is the only bike I have with water cooling so maybe I worry too much. Will check better tomorrow weather permitting.
Thanks
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Its not a bad thing to wonder and want to know.
Sounds like your bike may be running hotter than most, but not at a level that is dangerous. If you were getting up over 225-F under normal circumstances than I'd be very concerned. At 205-F, I'd want to find out why it seems to be running hotter than most.
If everything checks out okay, than I'd take it out on the freeway for about 30 minutes at normal speeds and see where the temperature is most of the time.
Presuming it is still under warranty (unless you've mileaged out), so if its still running above 190-F most of the time, I'd talk to dealer and make sure they're aware of it. Just in case there's ever warranty work needed.
The temperature you described isn't into a harmful range, but above what appears to be typical so best to let them know and try to identify the reason.
wbrownell9
New member
Mine normally runs around 180, fan comes on around 210 and shuts off around 203 or so. It doesn't take long in hot weather, stop/go traffic to get the fan to come on, and it takes a bit of uninterrupted traveling to get it back down to the 180 range, which makes sense - 95 degree air doesn't cool as well as 55 degree air. I don't really agonize over it as long as the fan comes on. Without a huge radiator and big fan, the temperature will oscillate noticeably as conditions change. My car radiator has about twice the area per HP as my bike. Also the fan is 10 times the area and it probably has more coolant flow as well, so overall it's much more effective keeping the temperature stable.
I heard a story that the GL1800 originally had a temperature gage that would indicate the actual temperature: on the magic line when moving, but it would creep up in traffic or hot weather/high load. The story continued that after numerous complaints about how the engine was "overheating", they fixed the problem - but without actually making any changes to the cooling system. Instead, they they changed the response of the temperature gage so it never went over the midpoint, I guess on the theory that if you don't know about the fluctuations you can't be concerned about them. Since I heard this on the internet I know it must be true!
I had one and remember that once the bike warmed up, the needle stayed in the same place whether the fans were on or not, whether I was stuck in traffic or moving, whether it was hot or cold outside.
I heard a story that the GL1800 originally had a temperature gage that would indicate the actual temperature: on the magic line when moving, but it would creep up in traffic or hot weather/high load. The story continued that after numerous complaints about how the engine was "overheating", they fixed the problem - but without actually making any changes to the cooling system. Instead, they they changed the response of the temperature gage so it never went over the midpoint, I guess on the theory that if you don't know about the fluctuations you can't be concerned about them. Since I heard this on the internet I know it must be true!
I had one and remember that once the bike warmed up, the needle stayed in the same place whether the fans were on or not, whether I was stuck in traffic or moving, whether it was hot or cold outside.
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
wbrownell9, hard to believe, but that particular piece of internet info is actually about 80% correct. ;-)
Most automotive water-temperature gauges are "dampened" to a significant degree. The dampening is set so that, as described, they display the optimal reading without any variations as long as the water-temperature is within a pre-defined range.
However, if the water-temperature goes above the pre-defined range then these gauges will reflect the actual temperature.
IIRC, the dampening works on two fronts. First, it slows down the response rate of the gauge, and second, it maintains the optimal reading once the water-temperature reaches a pre-defined range and doesn't move unless the water-temperature goes outside that range.
The reason for this is exactly as described - too many people were worrying over nothing and demanding dealerships fix a non-issue, normal operating condition.
As an aside, I've run high-quality aftermarket racing gauges in the past on a few cars that spent time on race tracks. These gauges have significantly less dampening. All have some, out of necessity for ease of reading and to eliminate meaningless transient data (proper data-logging is needed to capture small transient changes). With such a setup it is quite interesting to see how much longer it takes oil to reach optimal temp vs coolant. Ford and likely others, had an oil-cooler for certain heavy-duty applications, police cars etc., that used coolant (circulated around/through an oil filter adapter). This had four very good benefits:
Most automotive water-temperature gauges are "dampened" to a significant degree. The dampening is set so that, as described, they display the optimal reading without any variations as long as the water-temperature is within a pre-defined range.
However, if the water-temperature goes above the pre-defined range then these gauges will reflect the actual temperature.
IIRC, the dampening works on two fronts. First, it slows down the response rate of the gauge, and second, it maintains the optimal reading once the water-temperature reaches a pre-defined range and doesn't move unless the water-temperature goes outside that range.
The reason for this is exactly as described - too many people were worrying over nothing and demanding dealerships fix a non-issue, normal operating condition.
As an aside, I've run high-quality aftermarket racing gauges in the past on a few cars that spent time on race tracks. These gauges have significantly less dampening. All have some, out of necessity for ease of reading and to eliminate meaningless transient data (proper data-logging is needed to capture small transient changes). With such a setup it is quite interesting to see how much longer it takes oil to reach optimal temp vs coolant. Ford and likely others, had an oil-cooler for certain heavy-duty applications, police cars etc., that used coolant (circulated around/through an oil filter adapter). This had four very good benefits:
- It didn't add any additional oil fittings (no additional failure points for oil system)
- it brought the engine up to optimal operating temperature quicker
- Didn't require the vehicles to be moving to be effective
- No additional moving or electrical parts to fail
alegerlotz
Member
Normal for my 2016 RT is the temp line being at the same height as the number indicating the gear. The next segment of the line will illuminate if I've been riding hard or it is very hot out, and if one more segment illuminates, the fans come on.
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azgman
Addicted to curves
I have a 2017 R1200GS and have the BMW radiator guards in place. I have noticed no difference in temps with, or without, the radiator guards. Normal water temp variation is between 180 and 190. On a hot summer day and stopped in traffic I have seen 209 degrees but then the fan kicked on and it dropped into the 180s. No worries here in Southern AZ!
