'06 temperature gauge high when bike is not moving

[Dan23]

Lately, it seems my bike reaches higher temperatures according to the gauge when I'm stuck in traffic.

Once moving the bike runs at what I consider historically normal temperatures; in fact, the temperature drops amazingly quickly to normal once the bike is moving.

A couple of times recently, all but one bar was showing on the temperature gauge while sitting at a red light.

The coolant overflow tank is "full" (IOWs between the lines) and I've made sure the fins of the radiator are not blocked up with bugs and dirt. I'm pretty sure the fans are coming on and the side vents are open. The ambient temperatures have not been very high when I've noticed this, about mid-70s F.

Any suggestions or help? I tried searching this section and the site, but didn't find much.

 

[Fred W]

Pretty normal for any bike, really.

When the bike is moving the coolant in the radiator is always being reduced by the forced air flowing through it. When stationary the radiator is allowed to get pretty darned hot before the fans turn on. This results in the bike engine running considerably hotter when stationary.

No worries.

 

[McRide]

Normal operating procedure. I'll hit 3 or 4 bars (gen 1) at a long stop and it will pull back to 2 bars after a few minutes of air pouring over the radiator.

 

[huron52]

As long as the fan kicks in I won't worry.....

 

[TomInPA]

Time to enact lane sharing in your state.

It may be normal, but let's not dismiss this offhand. If the temperature is really steadily higher you could check the fan thermostat on/off settings. It's in the manual and I'm not looking it up at this point. The temperature should increase to the point where the fan comes on, and except for the hottest weather, once the fan is on, the temperature should begin to drop back or hold steady and not increase. If the coolant temperature continues to rise with the fan on, then I would start looking at a bad thermostat (not opening all the way), obstructions and pump issues.

For those riding a Gen III it is my understanding the temperature is meaningless and swings wildly. Gotta love Gen III.

 

[kamal]

Dan.

Have you flushed the coolant system lately? My '04 was doing a similar thing to yours last summer, dumped the coolant and replaced it (didn't do a flush). It now runs 'normally' at 2 to 3 bars, the fan kicks in at 4 and brings it back to 3 even on the hottest days stopped in traffic. Did a full flush this winter, but haven't ridden it yet.

Al.

 

[dcarver]

Funny, me too. Even in cool weather it seems like the bars are going 1 minus full tilt and the fan is running. Then again, my radiator is full of bird feathers, dirt and DG.

 

[escapefjrtist]

My previous '06 displayed very similar symptoms. As background, it would always run 4 bars at highway speed, no matter the ambient temperature. All of a sudden it began running 5 bars at higher ambient temps and would heat in traffic more rapidly than before. Coolant was always changed every two years.

I finally dug into what (I thought) was a problem and fixed it. First, although the radiator appeared clean, I soaked and back-flushed it to wash out the bugs, sand other debris. I was surprised at the amount of "junk" that came out. Second, I installed a new thermostat as I suspected it might be doing funny things as the bike seemed to take longer to warm up too.

Short story, after this work the bike went back to behaving normally. There's a thread here somewhere...

--G

 

[blrfjr]

Lately, it seems my bike reaches higher temperatures according to the gauge when I'm stuck in traffic.
Once moving the bike runs at what I consider historically normal temperatures; in fact, the temperature drops amazingly quickly to normal once the bike is moving.

A couple of times recently, all but one bar was showing on the temperature gauge while sitting at a red light.

The coolant overflow tank is "full" (IOWs between the lines) and I've made sure the fins of the radiator are not blocked up with bugs and dirt. I'm pretty sure the fans are coming on and the side vents are open. The ambient temperatures have not been very high when I've noticed this, about mid-70s F.

Any suggestions or help? I tried searching this section and the site, but didn't find much.

I would want to be VERY sure my fan is working properly before you get stuck in a long construction parade this summer.

 

[WWWobble]

Dan23 -- Sorry, kind of late response, but I wouldn't dismiss this offhand either. Something not mentioned so far is to check, or replace the radiator cap. Just a little loss of pressure in the system can cause temps to rise. I'd also be suspicious of the thermostat -- as previously mentioned, but the cap's an easier "first try."

If you locate the cause, please let us know what it was.