Water Temp Problems!

I put on a new radiator cap, thermostat and Honda Coolant.

My problem is, when driving in Ohio's 65 degree weather at night or even during the day, my bike takes a long time for it to reach normal operating temps, like 2-3miles in this cold weather.

Could be from me driving like an old lady...I don't know.

Questions:
Is before the needle reaches the wider section normal operation??

When is too hot on the gauge?

From driving in this temp out side, and going from stop light to stop light with 4mins of riding between each stop and about 45seconds at each stop, guessing, where would the needle sway?

Would it be obvious that the fan would need to come on in these conditions??

This is my first Water-cooled bike!

Would one think it could be my mixture? The bike is really responsive!!!

But i haven't adjusted the Pilot screws since the rebuild.

The bike has a hair under 7k miles.

It just seems it rises really fast just from riding the back roads for when I come to a stop to idle.

Again, this is my first water-cooled bike...I drive sohc-4's.....Huge differenc

Any help on this is appreciated,

LL

 

Sounds like everything is normal. These bikes are pretty cold-blooded and it takes them awhile to get warmed up.

The gauge is more of an approximation of the temperature. If the fans come on before coolant starts spouting out of the radiator cap, or the temp gauge reaches the top, you should be good to go.

Temp_Sensor - SabMagFAQ is aimed toward the V65's but the temperatures are correct. Get a cheap infrared thermometer from Harbor Freight and see what your actual temperature is.

 

Yes, the thermostat was tested in water before installation.

Around 183F the thermostat started to open and at 198-203 it fully opened in 3mins!!

Well, now that I know the warm-up procedure is normal, can anyone tell me where the danger area is and where normal operating temps register on the gauge??

Thank you

 

I will also test the radiator with my thermo gauge.

I'm glad I already bought one from my local hobby shop. Goes up to 412f.

Thanks for the idea

LL

 

Could it be that the bike is running lean?

Someone told me it might be poor flow of oil to my heads, which will cause the engine to run hotter.

But by now, I would think it would start knocking or at least ticking from the lack of lubricant.....

Should I shoot my temp gauge right at the radiators fins or somewhere else in particular??

Thanks for the help

LL

 

Shoot the temp gauge right in the center of the "V". You want to find the hottest temp of the engine.

 

Right in the V....Got it!!

I'll try to post tomorrow or Sunday at the latest.
I've been too busy driving another Honda....

Thank you

LL

 

does your fan come on at all?