Engine temps-

[cornerslider]

    I use my bike 90% track, 10% street. I recently had a six month stint out of state for work (in AZ). I took my bike with, and made it "street legal" again. I noticed when "cruising" in the heat of the desert southwest, the engine temps usually ran about 178F-180F. I'm back home now, and it's back in "track-trim". I've done a couple track days, and noticed it runs about 190F-195F on the track. I've never actually looked at the engine temps on track before? Is this normal? I can understand running it harder would produce more heat, but I figured with all the airflow through the radiator, it would be able to keep up? Maybe I'm over analyzing it, but would like to hear what other track folks have experienced-

[mossrider]

Have another beer & taco and stop thinking. Thats not hot. You have a 195° thermostat in there. Mine runs much hotter than that and has yet to over heat. The highest I've seen on mine is 247°, which is high, but did no damage. When I get it over 230 I drop the glass and put a fan on the radiator to keep it from heat sinking too high (remember I don't have a fan on mine like you do, your fan will come on when off track or hot). Normally mine runs around 200°F. 

 

[shinyribs]

The stock fan doesn't even activate until 220 degrees. I wouldn't sweat it, like Mossrider said. 

[pwr2wh8]

195 is not a problem at all. i'd start to worry at 250 and above.

[phanomenal07]

This coincidently is good timing. I have a similar question. At my track day on monday I seen a little bit of dry fluid on my radiator side cover at the end of the day. I have no idea what my bike temp is while on track but I've never had any over heating problem before and at no point did the bike give me any warning that it was overheating.  I check the cap and it was on tight and my coolant reservoir was almost at the full line at the end of the day. Should I be worried?

[sorkyah]

19 hours ago, cornerslider said:

    I use my bike 90% track, 10% street. I recently had a six month stint out of state for work (in AZ). -

Yet you didn't once come over and say hi

[sorkyah]

Also, as for cruising temps out here, as long as you aren't in stop and go ~190° is the norm for me

Freeways I see 175-185

Tracks you see higher temps and Les stints of moving at speed

[mossrider]

Just now, phanomenal07 said:

This coincidently is good timing. I have a similar question. At my track day on monday I seen a little bit of dry fluid on my radiator side cover at the end of the day. I have no idea what my bike temp is while on track but I've never had any over heating problem before and at no point did the bike give me any warning that it was overheating.  I check the cap and it was on tight and my coolant reservoir was almost at the full line at the end of the day. Should I be worried?

Altho not normal it's not unusual either to see a whisp of fluid/dried fluid around the radiator cap area or any other place there is a fitting, line, hose or clamp. When the system heats, or over heats, the fluids inside expand. They have to go somewhere and since the system is sealed they will find a place to go (overflow tank hopefully) if one is not provided.  This is when we find little bits of evidence that some fluid has sneaked out where it shouldn't have.

Here's a good description taken from a carparts.com article;

"Pressure cap and reserve tank
As coolant gets hot, it expands.  Since the cooling system is sealed, this expansion causes an increase in pressure in the cooling system, which is normal and part of the design.  When coolant is under pressure, the temperature where the liquid begins to boil is considerably higher.  This pressure, coupled with the higher boiling point of ethylene glycol, allows the coolant to safely reach temperatures in excess of 250 degrees.

The radiator pressure cap is a simple device that will maintain pressure in the cooling system up to a certain point.  If the pressure builds up higher than the set pressure point, there is a spring loaded valve, calibrated to the correct Pounds per Square Inch (psi), to release the pressure.

When the cooling system pressure reaches the point where the cap needs to release this excess pressure, a small amount of coolant is bled off.  It could happen during stop and go traffic on an extremely hot day, or if the cooling system is malfunctioning.  If it does release pressure under these conditions, there is a system in place to capture the released coolant and store it in a plastic tank that is usually not pressurized.  Since there is now less coolant in the system, as the engine cools down a partial vacuum is formed.  The radiator cap on these closed systems has a secondary valve to allow the vacuum in the cooling system to draw the coolant back into the radiator from the reserve tank (like pulling the plunger back on a hypodermic needle)  There are usually markings on the side of the plastic tank marked Full-Cold, and Full Hot.  When the engine is at normal operating temperature, the coolant in the translucent reserve tank should be up to the Full-Hot line.  After the engine has been sitting for several hours and is cold to the touch, the coolant should be at the Full-Cold line."

 

I wouldn't be worried but I would keep an eye on it. If it's recurring or gets worse I'd fix whatever and move on. 

$.02

[phanomenal07]

Thank you moss

[cornerslider]

4 hours ago, sorkyah said:

Yet you didn't once come over and say hi

I worked too much

[sorkyah]

3 hours ago, cornerslider said:

I worked too much ">

Get your ass back out here then

you too moss

[Beemer]

My fan comes on in stop & go traffic but I know it's doing it's job so I don't worry about it.

[firstyammerha]

I don't think my fan has ever come on. And the level in the overflow bottle doesn't rise or fall either. I guess my engine is not getting hot enough putting around like I do. My FZ09 fan would cycle very often in traffic and on shut down. Same fluid level situation with that bike. Pulling the caps on the radiators showed fluid at the sealing ring level so don't know what to make of it.