2003 overheating, is there a mechanical thermostat on these bikes?

A 2003 as mentioned has been running hotter since I layed it down on the left side a few years ago. When the bike was bought new back in '03 the left side fan DEFINITELY blew OUT. After the repair from crash damage the fan blows in, and the bike runs much hotter. At idle, it will simply keep getting hotter, where as it used to start cooling immediately when the "pre crash" fan energized. I've ordered the VTR fan blades, and I've already burped and bled the coolant lines. Is there a mechanical thermostat on this model bike that could be shorting the flow of coolant?

 

The thermostat on the bike is a "mechanical" or physical restriction of the cooling system to allow the bike to reach operating temps. Without a thermostat the engine would take significantly longer to reach operating temp or not at all in colder weather. This usually leads to multiple bad things such as oil sludging and not reaching proper temps to burn off any condensation that forms. Running hot isn't good either, it's entirely possible your thermostat is stuck closed or partially closed causing the engine to run hot.

As for the fan, they suck in through the left radiator from stock. Is it possible someone had allready done a VTR fan swap on yours before you got it??

 

What you can also do is get rid of any glycol anti-freeze, it retains heat. Use just distilled water, a product like Water Wetter and a little rust inhibitor. Your temps should come down about 5-10 degrees. Of coarse if you live in a winter climate you may have to anti-freeze it for winter.

 

Would you recommend a rust inhibitor or are they all kind of the same?

 

Reading the included operators manual, there's no mention of a thermostat. I'll call Honda and put one on order this afternoon. Where's the damn thing located on the bike? Any special tools needed? I suppose I'll need a gasket as well?

 

Since the fan motor is DC, it would seem possible to reverse the rotation by switching the power leads around i guess. If not, it will only cost a fuse to find out.

Anytime there's overheating, you first need to verify that the cooling system is FULL by checking with engine cold UNDER THE RAD CAP.

Also, the rad cap itself should be considered a suspect in every case of overheating.

Reg is right that switching out a thermostat on your bike is a major PIA; in contrast, on any gen 2 700/750 only about 5 external bolts/screws need removal, and it can be done easily in about 10 minutes.

 

Thanks to all for the helpful advice. I'm back up and running and the bike appears to now be running normally, albiet hot. My VTR fan blades came in today, so I'll do the swap durning the next oil change when I have the left side fairing panel removed.