[ThisWayUp]

Any thoughts on what you guys would view as normal running temperature?

Being a new Blackbird rider, i'm trying to gauge whether my new bike is uncomfortably toasty, or whether it's just the new norm' for me to adjust to...

I'm aware that the consensus is that they generally get a bit hot, being a large engine in a (very) faired bike, but coming from a VFR800 (which being a V4 are viewed as tricky to cool effectively and therefor given to getting hot quickly when not constantly on the move) which ran at about 76 c given a constant supply of lovely cool breeze through the radiator, my new BB seems to run at 83 c in the same circumstance, but gets hot very much quicker indeed in traffic, and cools off faaaar more slowly, if at all. It also seems to reach running temp from cold very quickly indeed. 2 or 3 minutes to let it warm and suddenly I'm thinking "damn, I'm not putting my gear on fast enough here, she's almost at 90 c!"

Coolant is topped up, and the thermostat and fan are operating at 101-102 c, but when they do it seems to struggle to lower the temp' and just seems to manage not to let it rise any higher. I'm accustomed to the fan kicking in and lowering the temp' to mid to high 90's, and shutting off, to repeat as necessary, but on the BB they just seem to have to stay on and work away until I'm out of traffic and moving swiftly enough for it to cool off a little :crap:

On a bike with a headlight I can't turn off, and a reputation for charging issues, this worries me a little given the constant drain on the battery whilst this is going on.

Am I worrying unnecessarily, or is there something I'm missing? I like a cooled and happy motorcycle, not one on the verge of boiling its coolant!

 

[teef.au]

Just for reference the thermostat opens around 80º - 82º and yes the fan comes on somewhere around 100º - 104º on most Birds.

You're spot on, there is loads of horsepower tucked away inside a full fairing, so there is more heat and you will feel it more. That said, your bike appears to be running normally so my firm advice is don't worry about it. There are Birds running around with over 100 000miles on them suffering no ill effects from heat, even in some of the hottest climates in the world.

Heat is actually healthy for an engine, causes better fuel vaporization which leads to more horsepower and fuel economy at the same time. The only downside to heat is if coolant goes over 132º and metal bits start to twist and melt. Also the chemical reaction of burning petrol in air happens at a fixed temperature, so the less dramatic the heat difference between the inside and outside of the engine (within tolerance) the better, it can actually harm an engine trying to make it too cold.

Ride it and love it.. Twist the throttle and you are reminded why there is more heat there. As you own it for longer and realize nothing bad is going to happen despite all that heat, you will eventually forget about it. Many of us have been on that same journey.

 

[RollinOn]

Do a search for manual fan switch

 

[BinosXX]

Do a search for manual fan switch

absolutely necessary to the blackbird.

A second fan is also possible as the 1000RR.

 

[Epoc]

There's a member on here who fitted a temp gauge to his oil filler cap. Even when the bike got to 105°, the oil never went above 80°. Unless your seeing temps well over 110°, do as teef says and enjoy the magnificent machine that the Bird is as everything is normal and as Honda designed it

 

[TheDuck]

On a bike with a headlight I can't turn off, and a reputation for charging issues, this worries me a little given the constant drain on the battery whilst this is going on.

....you could of course fit a manual RH bar cluster as fitted to earlier Birds, it's plug n play, the 'manual' wiring is still present on later looms.

 

[aussiekev]

Wire in a manual fan, it's probably the best mod you could do to the XX, used properly and early enough you can control the heat soak till your back into full flight & clean air. :thumb:

 

[TheDuck]

Wire in a manual fan, it's probably the best mod you could do to the XX, ...... :thumb:

Contentious comment there kev, in Aus and other hot climes yes, but in the UK having stowage for waterproofs and fitting heated grips are probably better :smilebig:

 

[deadman]

84 is where mine starts, 107 in the city, stop start traffic, but once moving it drops down very quickly,
I have had 124, But it was running in 45 Celcius, My legs were getting burnt from the hot tank,
Very cold days, Ive had 70, which does worry me, running a very cold motor,

If you have steam coming out of it, Then you start to worry, But other wise, Just enjoy it,
It is very efficient in its running habits,
Ive done over 100,000 kays on two of them, Both were the same,

 

[bullit]

They Shouldn't overheat unless your in a low speed , start stop traffic situation , above 60 ks or 40mph
Even riding in temps above 30C as long as your getting the air across the bike it shouldn't be a problem , if you do then the replies above should should be apllied
The bird likes above average highway speeds.

 

[mikeyw64]

The bird likes above average highway speeds.

So do a lot of riders

 

[Patuleia]

Normal temps, dont worry, just ride her.

 

[deadman]

Whats, Above Average Highway Speeds, Is that a secret code, Does it require a secret hand shake,

 

[aussiekev]

Contentious comment there kev, in Aus and other hot climes yes, bu

Very good point pete. :thumb:

 

[TigreST]

As I ride a carb'd machine (which are uber cool ) I do not tend to focus on the analog temp gauge all that much. It typically runs below the mid point on the indication and maybe touches just above mid point when at idle in summer heat. I do still feel the engine heat when at a stop or in slow traffic, there is no escaping that experience.

Having said that, I had my 1000RR/R out today and it does have a digital read out for temp. Normal rolling temp at speed it stays at/near 80c to 84c..even in colder fall/winter type ambient temps. Slow down in traffic in town and it runs upward to 98c and higher in summer operations. At a summer time stop at idle 100 to 103-104c with the fan on. As soon as I move off the light it slowly drops down degree by degree to 100..than 98 and so on. Very normal as I see it. One thing I do sort of practice is not "lugging the engine in a higher gear" as one might to get the fuel mileage up by keeping the rpms in a lower range. If the traffic pattern is slow, in summer heat conditions, I'll drop a gear and bring the rpm up as a means to perhaps increase the coolant circulation through the rad. This I think has some effect to keep the temp a degree or two cooler. But in the end it is all relative. The lower the differential between engine temp and the ambient air temp the less effective the cooling system is when air flow is at a lower volume.

You will (as I did today on the 1000RR/R) notice the heat coming off the engine to a more extreme degree in summer slow traffic pattern operation then when at cruise speeds above 70kph. Yes I said above 70kph, my 1000RR/R does not seem to need to be moving much above that before the temp begins to come back down from the upper regions.

FWIW.

T.

 

[BLK'N'BLU]

There's a member on here who fitted a temp gauge to his oil filler cap. Even when the bike got to 105°, the oil never went above 80°. Unless your seeing temps well over 110°, do as teef says and enjoy the magnificent machine that the Bird is as everything is normal and as Honda designed it

Here's the item
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191211046223

 

[WildDoktor]

I saw an older post here that suggested replacing the thermo switch with one that turns the fan on at 85c rather than 100 (or whatever stock is). Sure enough, I found one for less than $7 on ebay. This replaces the stock on on my '01, Honda part 37760-MT2-003.

I *was* going to install a manual switch, but this seems much less painful, so I think I'm going to give it a try.

 

[aussiekev]

Manual suggested turn on temp is 96c, mine would kick in at 104, have been over every sceric of the system and won't turn on any earlier ( maybe ecu ), have you got a link to this Thermo sensor ???

 

[MikeSydneyCBR]

seems normal. i dont like high temps in traffic so try to get some space in front when i can. they do run hot as such but ive never seen over 103 and ive been out on some hot as days in some mean traffic. I get 80 on the cruise and about 90 in regular traffic. im a bit special when it comes to servicing though and the cooling system is flushed every 5k. keep the fins as clean as you can also.