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Bike is running hot.

RideTheLightning

RideTheLightning

Active Member
Hey guys I am trying to figure out what is up with my bike. It seems to run hotter than it should. I'll be sitting at a stop light and it becomes extremely uncomfortable on the exhaust side of the bike because it's hot. Now, I understand that the pipes are supposed to run hot but not THIS bad.

I checked the service manual a while back and first thing it says this could be is heavy carbon deposits. That seems to be the easiest so should I try and tackle that first?
 
You may be chasing a ghost.
You just can not guess and say "it's too hot" without knowing what the temperature of your cylinders actually is. Can you really tell the difference between 270 degrees and 290 by heat rise.? If you can, then you are GOOD.!

For me the magic number is 314 degrees. When my front engine cylinder hits that number the engine is overheating. I need to get the bike moving soon. If I can't, I need to shut it down especially if the entire engine/trans/primary is cooking. Once those parts are at the same temperature as the engine case, they can no longer sink heat and a point of equilibrium is reached..
 
Hoople said:
You may be chasing a ghost.
You just can not guess and say "it's too hot" without knowing what the temperature of your cylinders actually is. Can you really tell the difference between 270 degrees and 290 by heat rise.? If you can, then you are GOOD.!

For me the magic number is 314 degrees. When my front engine cylinder hits that number the engine is overheating. I need to get the bike moving soon. If I can't, I need to shut it down especially if the entire engine/trans/primary is cooking. Once those parts are at the same temperature as the engine case, they can no longer sink heat and a point of equilibrium is reached..
Click to expand...
What is the best way to measure the temp. of the engine? I have never done that before.
 
I use two ways. One is the cylinder temp "data field" using a SEST. That data field tells you the front cylinder temp only. It is a great way to record temp while riding the bike, then come back and down load the data to the laptop and play it out.

The other of course is using an infra-red temp gun. A hand held gun you point at an object to measure temp. If you go this route, there are right and wrong ways to use those guns. Read the directions, understand their limitations and learn how to use them properly. Also the low cost entry level guns are,, well so so.

There are more accurate ways of doing it, but they require attaching a thermocouple to the cylinder.

But a quality Pyro will work well when used properly.
 
Dr.Evil said:
Can you use the oil temp to estimate the engine temp.?
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Dr.Evil, and others,,,

I have found that on my 2006 Carbed sporty... On a very HOT day, the idle temp would come up in Slow moving or just Stopped Too much at lights or in slow traffic... I Also could "feel" the Heat from the exhaust on my leg,,,,,IT usually was a Build-up of heat From being stopped Too long and not really Over-Heated "YET".. Once just to see,,,,I kept an Eye on my oil temp with a Radio shack temp., hand held checker,,,,Very accurate if used properly...
Never found my temps of the oil Over 220* at any time,,,BUT my leg was sure HOT...
I never would allow my bike to Over-Heat Long enough to show up in the oil... That would be like plugging in a deep-fry-pan and allowing it to get up to cooking point...

I found my 06 sporty running Cooler than any big bike I owned.. I bought a JAGG oil cooler for that bike when new and never Needed to install it on the sporty.. I will put it on my 09 FLHR as it DOES need the oil cooler when running in Slow traffic, especially in 3 digit temps..

My sporty has full synthetic Redline 20/50 oil,, IMO,, runs cool enough and would Have to Over-Heat a Very long time to show up in High oil temps... Much too Late by then and probably would damage to the pistons and rings...

Now on my TC motor, The "oil temps" seem to show up really Early-on in the slow and idle modes on my bike. After full stage one and using TFI, I DO FEEL a BIG difference in the temps on that bike.. Just the Sound of the engine NOT going into parade phase and cooler on my leg is the GOOD results.

signed....BUBBIE
 
I wanted to keep an eye on the temp on my bike, or at least monitor it so I put an oil temp gauge on it. One from HD too. I guess I have never noticed my oil temp getting hotter than 190 degrees F. Every now and then, especially on a hot day, I feel the pipes, but of course the way that mine are set up, I would expect that.

I guess I wouldn't be too concerned with rising temps too much when you are in slow motion or at a stand still. What would one expect from an air cooled engine? No air flow to cool it down. If you are experiencing rising temps as you are riding? Now you have a problem.

I am a big believer in oil coolers and I am considering on for my ride. Cooler oil is better.:14:
 
Johnny,
I never owned a early year bike but I would guess you have a lot less to worry about than the guys with post O2 sensor injected engines. The heat that comes off these 96" late model cylinders is incredible. Even under no load conditions such as idle, you don't have much stand still time until the tops of the cylinders are over 314 degrees and still climbing. I really don't know what the guys in Dallas Texas & Arizona do. The hottest day I have seen on my bike has been 95 degrees and with just that, you can't stand still for more than 2 minutes before the heads are cooking.

Cool oil does help but head temps and oil temps are two different things altogether. The heads will get hot so quickly, the oil does not even have a chance to cool them down since the oil flow at idle just is not all that much. Maybe a set of pipes or high volume oil pump would help me.(?)
I am still running stock pipes.

Hang on to that bike!
 
Hoople said:
Johnny,
I never owned a early year bike but I would guess you have a lot less to worry about than the guys with post O2 sensor injected engines. The heat that comes off these 96" late model cylinders is incredible. Even under no load conditions such as idle, you don't have much stand still time until the tops of the cylinders are over 314 degrees and still climbing. I really don't know what the guys in Dallas Texas & Arizona do. The hottest day I have seen on my bike has been 95 degrees and with just that, you can't stand still for more than 2 minutes before the heads are cooking.

Cool oil does help but head temps and oil temps are two different things altogether. The heads will get hot so quickly, the oil does not even have a chance to cool them down since the oil flow at idle just is not all that much. Maybe a set of pipes or high volume oil pump would help me.(?)
I am still running stock pipes.

Hang on to that bike!
Click to expand...

Hoop, you would be amazed at how much cooler the older bikes ran, but we had better fuel and less EPA in our face Stock Pipes Eh, we will have to see abut that in Daytona:s
 
JohnnyBiker2 said:
I wanted to keep an eye on the temp on my bike, or at least monitor it so I put an oil temp gauge on it. One from HD too. I guess I have never noticed my oil temp getting hotter than 190 degrees F. Every now and then, especially on a hot day, I feel the pipes, but of course the way that mine are set up, I would expect that.

I guess I wouldn't be too concerned with rising temps too much when you are in slow motion or at a stand still. What would one expect from an air cooled engine? No air flow to cool it down. If you are experiencing rising temps as you are riding? Now you have a problem.

I am a big believer in oil coolers and I am considering on for my ride. Cooler oil is better.:14:
Click to expand...

I talked with my Redline rep. after quizzing him on the oil temperature I had on the 2006 1200 sport R... always under 200* running 20/50 Redline full synthetic.

I was never over 200* even after a run in Az. 95* day... He said I would NOT need the oil cooler on my bike.. He would prefer the oil to run Hotter than it was showing in my sporty... He said that the oil should get Hot enough to cook out the moisture that accumalates in the engine... Too Cool of oil Is Not such a good thing..

I know of a few bikes that have built-up Crud in the Upper side oil tank(sludge) over a long time from moisture Not boiling off... That is something that caused me NOT to install the Jagg on the sporty After buying it... Now I have the Jagg for my 09 FLHR that Needs All the Help it can get in the Cooling process...

signed....BUBBIE
 
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