No Fan running hot

Ten minutes into my 150 mile ride home after purchase, new to me 98 VFR temp gauge quickly climbed to 242 before I bailed out of stopped traffic. Once moving temp was 180-190 and any stop resulted in the temp rising. Fan never came on. Made it home but concerned about fan issue. Where to start, fuses I guess? Unfortunately my mechanical abilities do not match my passion. Any help advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mike

 

Check your coolant level. Also, check to make sure there is no air in the system. Check for voltage at the fan switch and pressure check your radiator cap. Make sure your fan isn't jammed by something and also run a jump wire directly from the battery to the positive side of the fan to see if it's getting electricity. Also, check the ground.

 

All Lint's suggestions, except check the ground to the thermal switch first, it is the easiest!

 

You can also wire in a toggle/rocker switch so you can turn the fan on if you get in heavy traffic before the temp rises high enough to activate the temp switch

 

I also recommend getting the coolant flushed. You alluded to the fact that your mechanical skills aren't the greatest, so this is an opportunity to learn. However, if you don't feel confident in it, then bring your bike to a shop and get it fixed. It will be much less expensive to fix a dead or dying fan than to buy a used engine and pay to get it swapped out.

 

I think your first task should be to learn how to take of the side panels for routine maintenance. Take your time, do not force any thing. After removing fasteners, you will have to gently find the way to release Honda's interlocking tabs. Hopefully someone here has one like yours can add specific hints.

 

Thanks for input. Plastic off without a problem. Fuse changed out with no change. No fluid in reservoir. In the shop next week for a manual fan switch and flush.