| Author | Message | ||
     Puredrive |
So my coolant reservoir was low from the get go. I actually decided to take out more coolant and add more DI water to have a more water to coolant ratio. To see if it would help. Yesterday I rode to work and the weather was probably close to 100F with about 33-35% humidity. Traffic was not as heavy as it could be. My commute back home is 14 miles. Six of these miles are done in almost bumper to bumper traffic. The rest are almost clear. So the highest CT I saw yesterday was 227F  It took awhile to drop down below 206F..maybe 3-4miles..These are done at about 40-50mph with no stop signs. I'm just going to take the bike to the dealer soon. And have them checkout the issue. It might just need the new flash or have the coolant system burped.   | ||
| Xl1200r |
Slow traffic and 100 degree temps are going to produce high coolant temps. I've touched 220 on mine, but I was bumper to bumper and down hill, so I just shut the bike down for a mile or so. Even if traffic is moving at 40mph, if you're right behind someone else, there still isn't much airflow over the rads. I have yet to ride in 100 degree (though I've been close) so I can't compare. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Did you bleed the radiator correctly? Maybe you have air in the radiator? | ||
| Puredrive |
Fresnobuell I just disconnected the small diameter hose. Let out just a few drops of coolant..Max 2 1/2" lower then the cold reading on the expansion tank. And then I added the DI water to the proper COLD reading level. I'm just going to have the dealer double check the latest flash. A lot of 09 models still run an older flash. So maybe that's the reason. But man..It sure did get hot. It got hot if not hotter then my XB.  | ||
| Chadhargis |
Mine seems to stay plenty cool. I've not done a 100 degree day, but I did a 92 degree commute the other day. My XB would get hot and ping...the CR did fine. No ill effects from sitting in traffic. | ||
| Marcodesade |
I hit 220 a couple times when my bike was brand new, before I noticed my coolant was also low --- about 1/2 qt low --- right off the showroom floor. Now I rarely see it go over 200 (in So. Cal.; yes, we do get in the 110's sometimes!), and never yet over 210. Still, the frame gets pretty damn uncomfortable on my thighs. I am inclined to have the heatshield installed at my 12K mile service. | ||
| Puredrive |
Marcodesade I hit 220 a couple times when my bike was brand new, before I noticed my coolant was also low --- about 1/2 qt low --- right off the showroom floor. Now I rarely see it go over 200 (in So. Cal.; yes, we do get in the 110's sometimes!), and never yet over 210. Still, the frame gets pretty damn uncomfortable on my thighs. I am inclined to have the heatshield installed at my 12K mile service. I'm still in my break in period. (300 miles) The ride from the dealer after I bought the bike was even worse. 229F or so. I shut the bike off..and the temp went upto 239F. I read on the manual that at 230F you will get a coolant warning light. The temps that I am seen are definitely too close for comfort. I'll update the post once I talk to the dealer. To see what flash my bike is on. | ||
| Ccryder |
I've seen the 220 but it was in 98 deg 90% humidity waiting on a train (I don't have any real traffic to speak of unless it's waiting for a long freight to pass. Color me curious, why do you want a lower % of anti-freeze? I was always of the school of thought that the mixture gave you two things: 1) A lower freezing point. 2) A higher boiling point. Granted in a complex thermo system like this wetting ability and other factors have a lot of play into the effiency of the total cooling system. I can kinda see how adding "water wetter" might help cooling if as the name implies it enables the water/ anti-freeze to "wet" the internal surfaces better and thus better conduction of heat and subsequent removal. Where is Blake when when we need these technical answers???? ;+} TIme2Work Neil S. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Supposedly, straight water cools better than 50/50, but I've never tried it. I value my water pump seals too much. I run Engine Ice in my track bike, and have used Water Wetter in the past. | ||
| Jdugger |
I switched my track 1125r over from 50/50 to water and water wetter. The result was about 12 degrees cooler! I was regularly seeing the temp light come on (230!) on the track, and now its rarely much above 220. It works. | ||
| Puredrive |
Here in Austin TX.. We might see maybe a few days out of the year below freezing. So a 50/50 mix is not required. So by reading on the forum, people have stated that the 1125 bikes come with HD dino oil. I bet if you run a quality ester based oil the drop in temp would be noticeable. At least it should. On my turbo car the oil temp drop was about 20F. Specially in stop & go traffic. Went from PentiSynt to Amsoil. | ||
| 1_mike |
Simple fact that I figured was for the most part...common knowledge now days. Anti-freeze is not a "coolant". It does do a lot of other things, but its ability to transfer heat is VERY low. This is not a big secret, on the net...look it up. It's one of the things I also did to my CR...drained all the "easy to get to" liquid, not counting the liquid in the left radiator because of the mess it creates. Then poured fresh distilled water (not DI water?) to full. Morning temps. (So. Cal.), clear traffic, are in the high 160's, afternoon temps. mid 180's. In the afternoon, in the heavy So. Cal freeway traffic, the water temp. just touched 200 yesterday. Normally, it stays in the mid 190's. I've also removed the divider inside the scoops...along with a bit more gas and ignition timing. Mike | ||
| Ccryder |
Thanks for the info. Here in TN we get cold enough to need anti-freeze and so far the heat has not bothered me enough to switch. Yeah I know I need it when I have come out of work with frost and even snow on the seat! That's about the time I let the weather warm up, a little. Time2Ride home Neil S. | ||
| Blake |
>>>And have them checkout the issue. This is going to sound flip but it needs asking. What issue? Your bike is running within acceptable range. Check the coolant level and ensure that the mixture is per the manual. Your Buell 1125 employs a pressurized cooling system that with the proper amount of glycol will support operation well above the temperatures that you are seeing before any issue wrt the engine arises. Furthermore, you may have created a new problem. Reducing ethylene glycol concentration lowers the boiling point and may increase the probability of cavitation, which can destroy a water pump. Until an engine is fully broken in, it will run significantly hotter. As long as it is not hitting the caution level you should have zero concern. Even if it hits the caution level, simply keep an eye on it. The caution/alert is simply to make you aware that their may be an issue BEFORE it develops into a serious problem. If the coolant is full and of proper mix, even then you should have no worries. If the temperature approaches 240oF with properly apportioned coolant mixture, then you should be concerned. | ||
| Chadhargis |
+1 Blake. That's my take on it. It's not like an air-cooler where you're looking at REALLY high heat that can cause detonation and such. Even 230 degree coolant is still pretty dang cool compared the combustion temps. Neil is a little hard core. I don't ride in freezing temps. Heck, my bikes are parked inside my house which is kept at 70 degrees all year round. Yeah...I baby them.  | ||
| Jdugger |
The 1125r motor is safe to operate at temperatures above the 230F point the temp indicator light comes on. It's really hot on the rider. And, you will loose power. But I know for a fact Buell tested the motors to temps above 250. | ||
| Blake |
And that 230 degrees F is as the coolant exits the engine. Entrance temperature, as coolant exits the heat exchanger, is significantly lower. | ||
| 1_mike |
Well...as far as my bike is concerned...I...don't want it running 230 degrees when there no good reason for it..! With a better designed cooling system, they wouldn't run as hot as they do. The fans blow the air "forward" fer Christ sake. Check THAT one out. As far as the anti-freeze% is concerned...done this same thing to my cars and bikes with very good results for over 35 years (bikes since 84). As I said...look it up, it's NOT good at transfering heat. As for raising the boiling point...? The radiator cap does a very good job of that all by itself. So I guess we'll just have to disagree! Mike (Message edited by 1_mike on August 22, 2009) | ||
| Marcodesade |
Yeah, if my car got within an eighth-inch of the red, I would take that in too. The techs at Skip Fordyce told me 220 is the top end of "normal" in their eyes, even though the light doesn't fire until 230. | ||
| Black |
The tech manual (section 5.3) says that at 230 degrees F., the temp light illuminates. Above that temp, the ECM will command a soft skip spark. That means what Blake said is correct. Also didn't Anonymous come in a while back and remind everyone to use the factory specified coolants and mixtures? I have a truck that uses 5W20 oil. I spoke to a manager of an auto shop, who told me that once, in his own truck, he decided that he was a mechanic and knew what he was doing, and that he had used 30 weight oil for years and that he would just use 30 weight. Guess what? The manufacturer was right. His truck wouldn't run. Must have been something about bearing clearances. No manufacturer of anything will honor a warranty if you don't follow their recommendations. I would be very careful about substituting parts or materials not specifically recommended. | ||
| Blake |
>>>(ethylene glycol) is NOT good at transfering heat. Actually it does fairly well. It's not as exceptional a hear transfer agent as pure water, but it does okay. I once ran pure ethylene glycol in my truck for lack of distilled water. Even in hot Texas Summer, it was fine, no overheating. Mike, you said that "we'll have to disagree". What have I stated that you disagree with? | ||
| Blake |
You know,we're talking about stop and go traffic induced heating right? Anyone try a slight throttle input to raise idle by a couple hundred RPM? The increased circulation rate of coolant might be most effective in reducing temperature. But again, from what I've read so far, some folks seem to be chasing a non-issue. | ||
| Jdugger |
It's not a non-issue on hot track days. The bike gets remarkably hot. STUPID HOT. The heat coming off the radiators and headers will absolutely COOK your foot. I actually wear a "winter" race boot because the insulation helps keep from burning the skin on the top of my feet. Switching to water + water wetter made an enormous difference in my comfort and the bike's temperature. The fact that I'm not running glycol in case I crash is just common sense for the track. In normal street riding, I've not had an issue. The bike gets hot in stop-and-go, but never hot like it does on the track. | ||
| Blake |
Heat coming off headers is another issue entirely, not related to coolant temperature. Let's not confuse the two. Where did you find "Winter" racing boots? No glycol on the track is the typical rule. That's true enough. | ||
| Jdugger |
I realize the header heat is a different issue, but I'm here to testify that when the motor gets above 220, you notice it more. So, perhaps it's not header heat, but just radiator heat? By "winter" I mean they have no provisions for airflow and are waterproof. | ||
| Rsh |
Is traffic splitting illegal where you live? Even moving at 5 to 10 mph makes a big difference and is way better than sitting and getting cooked. | ||
| Jdugger |
In Texas, lane splitting is not explicitly against the law, but an officer who decides s/he does not care for you doing it has a bevy of possible traffic codes to choose from to enforce. It's really a pot-luck change. I will frequently lane split in very heavy traffic when on a street (like a highway) that has ample space in the lanes and where I can to it "politely". I think it's generally accepted, but not always. Certainly "filtering" at stoplights will piss off a lot of other drivers in Texas. | ||
| Blake |
Jim, I don't see how the heat exchangers are going to put heat onto your boot. Of course an engine that is running harder, like on a race track at WOT, will heat the headers more. The fire coming out of the cylinder heads when the exhaust valves first open is at around 1,200oF. Yeah, that's hot! Track day at Oak Hill Raceway next weekend. If you are a CMRA associate member and your bike is track prepped (safety wired and with belly pan), then you can ride. | ||
| Jdugger |
Blake, Maybe the heat is entirely the headers? No doubt it can cook my foot... My bike isn't safety wired and does not have a belly pan. It's a "track bike", no lights, etc., but isn't a "race bike". It meets the requirements for a track private member day, but not a race organization. And, I'm not CMRA licensed. I'd like to try Oak Hill some day, but on a Motard, not an 1125r! | ||
| Tonedeath |
my bike spit out coolant at redlights it got so hot. it would leave puddles under it. i had plenty of suzukis that never ran hot especially 230 thats crazy and a engine cant last forever like that. this was the last straw in me getting rid of my 1125r |
