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     Froggy |
I did some more measuring today, being that we are in the middle of a heat way in NY. It is now approx 100°F out so I went for a ride, this time the same route as before but reversed (going to work instead of home). I brought the thermometer with me and recorded all my temperatures to be exactly 30° hotter for the 100° test than when I did it at 70°. Highest CT was 185°F. Also, I rode it a bit harder and faster, maintained 70mph instead of the usual 60. I didn't notice any discomfort from the bike, I did not feel the heat through my one piece leathers. I was nice and toasty, but I blame that on the sun, not the bike. The frame and pods were in the 110's, while the airbox and flyscreen were at 100°. While the frame was hot and I wouldn't ride with bare skin against it, I doubt this is still hot enough to cause burns. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dmhines |
Froggy ... you got a magic 1125 for sure. Last time I rode in the high 90's .. my CT hovered around 202 ... and that was on the highway ... I rode all highway today to work. It was around 85 degress .. coolant temp averaged around 185 and maxed around 195 at the stop lights ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mavrick813 |
Well, Dan over at Brian's says my bike should be done tomorrow. I asked him if when it's done are they going to take the bike for a ride and see how hot it gets and he says Oh yeah definitely. I feel bad for the tech cause if his leg gets cooked half as bad as mine, He's going to be pissed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rex |
so living in arizona where it is 108 and 110 in the shade, I should really have some high temps, huh? REX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
So wouldn't that mean I have two magic bikes then? Neither have hit the 200 mark. Both have never had an ounce of coolant added, and I know they are low. The Race ECM didn't make any noticeable change in temperatures vs stock. Don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps you are one of the few with the magic really hot bikes? Michael, keep us in the loop on what they do and what they figure out.  Rex, yes please take some notes on the temperatures you experience, being one of those in a warmer climate. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court |
I went for a 250 mile ride yesterday and confess that I neither carried a thermometer nor got burned. These bikes do get quite hot. But . . as with McDonald's coffee . . if my leg started getting hot, I'd remove it from the source of the heat. There is an affirmative duty to mitigate injury/damage. Even if the bike got unusually hot I think it'd be hard to assert a case that you, even feeling the heat, kept your leg there. I'm ill qualified to speak on this since I always, including yesterday when it was 101o when I headed home from Bear Mountain, wear an Aerostich suit so even if it got unusually hot I would not have gotten burned. I, unlike Froggy, am not fluent in the 1125's traits . . but the "Comfort Kit" made a tremendous difference on my Ulysses. One thing to consider (I learned a lot about the differences in how men and women sit on bikes during the days of the S1 heat shield travails) is how different folks sit on different bikes. I tend to ride up on the air box. My "take your hand out of the flame" thinking is not idle comment. . . . I got my first lesson in how to respect the hot parts of a motorcycle at the age of 14 when I dumped a Honda CL77 305 Scrambler in a patch of sand and the high pipes laid on my leg. Certain memories stick with you. I hope this get resolved well. It appears the MOST folks are not having such problems and are really enjoying their 1125s. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dmhines |
Not sure Froggy. It was 88 when I left work today. I hit CT of 190 within 5 minutes and 3 stoplights ... maxed at around 197 and averaged 193 or so the entire ride ... No Highway this time. I'm using AMSOIL and my Coolant is full. If I remember old posts ... I think you are are smaller guy ... I'm weighing in at 200+ LBS to maybe it has to do with the load the bike is carrying ... Take a passenger with you next time and see if temp gets higher. I will add the bike has never burned me ... but my right foot does cook after a while ... Gonna be nice all week so I'll get lots more riding in ... need to bring the IR Thermometer tomorrow ... (Message edited by dmhines on July 06, 2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jdugger |
If you have ever ridden in the rain it's worth pulling the shrouds and checking the radiators for mud. I was shocked when I pulled mine and ended up hosing out a good 1/3rd of each radiator clogged up with bugs, dirt, grime and other crap. Also, bleeding the coolant system from time to time just for good measure makes the bike run best. If you have had a drop or spill, it's not unusual for a little air to get mixed in there. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mavrick813 |
I'm checking in at 220 Lbs atm. And as for the info about moving my leg away as the frame warmed up I would have. But it was unavoidable as The burn was instant. As I said I was riding in Stop and Go traffic. My legs weren't always on the frame. The burn came when I touched the frame, It's second degree burns, Blisters and all. I didn't leave my leg on the frame to cook my leg I actually yanked my leg right off the frame. That is what makes me nervous, If for some reason the frame gets hot while I'm riding and I get burned like that and have a knee jerk reaction and end up on my ass on the side of a road or worse. The frame has always gotten warm, Too hot to touch with the back of my hand for any period of time. But not unbearable through my jeans. But hot enough to peal and bubble my decals that H/D put on my bike, And hot enough to melt my fairing. One this one instance it was hot enough to Burn the heck out of me... Mike | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dannybuell |
Could the fairing be holding some of the heat in? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Datsaxman |
Wow...very interesting thread. My 1125R just arrived this week. And I am going to be spending three days next week out in Death Valley. You know, the official "Hottest Place On The Planet" and all that. Forecast is for 116F - 120F highs, 80F at night. My AAA card is current, but hoping not to need it. Of course, I will prep the beast for the trip, but any advice from those with more 1125R experience? 2008 model. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brumbear |
hey now it was 103F in NJ yesterday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jdugger |
> hey now it was 103F in NJ yesterday Amazing. It's been unseasonably cool all year in the Dallas area. With highs in the low 90s mostly, we are a good 5-10 degrees below normal. I keep waiting for it to actually get hot so we can cut some of this humidity. I'd way rather it be 98 with 40% humidity than this 88 with 85% humidity crap. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Westmoorenerd |
Jdugger, I know what you mean, when I lived in Oklahoma and Central Californica it was 100-110 degrees with 40-50% humidity during the summer, but that feels way better then the constant 85-90 degree and 90% humidity out here.... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court |
It was indeed 103oF here in Gotham yesterday . . . the 3rd hottest day in recorded history. I left early, went home, worked in the yard, washed cars and went for a 5 mile run. >>>>You know, the official "Hottest Place On The Planet" I know very well. I had the pleasure of spending a week with European journalists from BIKE magazine in St. George, UT one year and I recall what it was like at 120oF with a black bike, black Aerostich and black helmet . . the shower sure felt good at night. One thing I'd share with you is that when temps . . . forget the instant issue of the bike for a moment . . start to approach those extremes . . . don't forget "rider maintenance". When I was doing lots of test riding I kept a bit of a written emergency procedures for riding above 100 oF and below 32oF. You need to really be mindful of hydration and, if you are going into Death Valley, I recommend a written and rehearsed procedure in the event ANYTHING goes wrong. You need to be ready, without delay, to ignore the problem with the bike and tend to yourself at those extremes as you've consumed a good deal of your safety margins. . . . . sorry. . . I'm lecturing . . . tales from a test rider. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dmhines |
Does anyone know what a thermostat is rated at on the 1125? Theoretically the CT should be around the same as the Thermostat. In a car .. if you run a 180 degree thermostat you coolant should always be 180. If you run a 195 thermostat ... your coolant should always be around 195. I do have a feeling that a car's cooling system is more efficient than the 1125's is ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 99buellx1 |
At Road America this weekend, flogging the bike around the track with temps right around 90*. Bike never went over 190* while on track, when back in the pits it would get to about 210* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zacks |
In a car .. if you run a 180 degree thermostat you coolant should always be 180. No... the thermostat rating is what it wants the water jacket in the block to be before allowing the 'cold' water from the radiator to flow around the engine. Your engine/coolant temps can - and will - exceed the thermostat ratings. But, not answering your question. To that, I checked the service manual. Initial opening is 157 F, fully open is 182. Temp light comes on at 230F. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D_adams |
It's ok, we'll take the lectures. There's usually some very handy/good info in them. Please do continue. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dmhines |
An efficiently running and properly sized car Cooling system will indeed run very close to the temp of the thermostat .... If the Buell Thermostat is full open at 182 then I would expect 182 to be pretty near normal operating temp .... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jdugger |
> properly sized car Cooling system will indeed run very close to the temp of the thermostat .... At what weight penalty? Sportbikes *often* trade things like radiator configuration and size for thermal exchange capacity. There's dozens of design decisions on any given Sportbike where performance, weight, cost and reliability are all functions of each other and a balance must be achieved. Letting bikes run hot is one of those. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Hmmm...
(Message edited by blake on July 07, 2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Some info from the internet...
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| Dmhines |
Took some temps today when I got home from work. Bike sitting for no more than 60 seconds while I ran in and got the thermo. Outside temp was 94 ... CT was 199/200 all the way home ... no highway. Right Frame: 140 Left Frame: 136 Heat Shield on Header: 290 Clutch Cover: 193 No wonder my right foot cooks with the clutch that hot! FYI .. reading around the internet it seems everyone with 1000cc+ bikes complain about the heat. The issue with the Buell is the large metal frame you clamp you legs to ... most other bikes have plastic covering the hot parts ... (Message edited by dmhines on July 07, 2010) (Message edited by dmhines on July 07, 2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mavrick813 |
Blake, Thanks for the info. Nice to know that my Frame temps were 150F + It did go through the jeans so I'm assuming the temp would have been higher then 151F. Mike | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Or you have you some nice baybayh soft skin. Don't tell Jeremy.  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mavrick813 |
Got the Buell back this afternoon, 98 Degrees out said the bank sign. AT Temp 118, Coolant Temp 234, No burns through the jeans but I couldn't touch the frame with my bare hand for more then a few seconds. Also noticed the frame was A lot cooler after I filled up the tank. So I rode around my neighborhood and zipped back up the highway at 75-80MPH for 10 Miles and the frame was remarkably cooler with a full tank. Bike stalled 4 times on the 20 minute ride home. 1 time I was cruising at 35 or so and it just died. Had to grab the clutch and start the bike while I was rolling. Wasn't fun. The rest of the times I was stopped at lights and it would die when I went to pull off. I'd give it gas and it would die. I literally have to rev the engine up to about 3 - 3.5 k RPM before letting the clutch out. Decals are still pealing off, Fairing is still on the header and melting. Talked to Jay about the Fairing and he said that they fixed it. I said no, it's the same way it was when I dropped it off and that's not how it was when I bought it... He said theirs nothing he can do about it. But since it melted through the Heat pad that's on the back of the fairing he'll order me a new pad. It just pisses me off because it was fine before they took the engine out to insulate the frame. Found some Red Goo on the left side fairing I have to try and get off. And some kind of Spray over from something they must have sprayed the bike down with when they were done. So she needs a bath. The Frame on the left side has a bunch of small scratches on it right below the seat. They weren't their when I dropped it off either. I am gonna have to try and buff them out... I am pissed about the stalling issues, But the tech says he can't replicate it. So Jay says their is nothing he can do about it. Also, it seems I needed a new Battery, and the tech also says he couldn't duplicate the Check Oil light coming on, But it came on and went off several times on the ride home. Just hope it doesn't burn me again... Mike | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Datsaxman |
Court, Thanks for the lecture. I will be working in my capacity as a race official for the AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon footrace, widely considered the toughest athletic event on the planet. So I will be lecturing runners and crews on hydration and safety. But I appreciate the reminder. True story that most of the safety margins evaporate immediately in that climate. And stay on the margin once you lose that tiny cushion between OK and TROUBLE. I think it is an article of faith that none of us is immune from needing to be reminded constantly. So...about keeping the Buell healthy under those conditions. Recommendations? I am considering taking the VFR since it knows the course and all...but I would rather take the 11255! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dannybuell |
Dmhines - It seems that the exhaust system is the primary source of the heat. Is your exhaust system stock? Could it be that these systems are holding and radiating too much heat? Erik Buell Racing takeoff headers were $100.00 now $250.00. Ceramic coating headers is at least $200.00. Is there a greenhouse effect with the inner air box base being too close to the perimeter of the frame? Would it be better without this close fit to allow heat to escape to the side? Is the denoided-NOID in the way of air flow too? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dmhines |
I have stock exhaust. I see they raised the price of the headers at Erik Buell Racing within the last couple of days. I was thinking about getting them JETHOT coated inside and out to reduce heat but may just try to wrap them first. I like to do things right but hate the idea of rotating the engine to remove the headers ....  |
