snailrider Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 The coolant temperature gauge only seen 227F in the worst of traffic, probably in high 80 low 90 days. The fan kicks in at around 210F, and operating as I expected. But the frame spar area right above my foot pegs get quite hot for the touch of hand. My thighs and buns are roasting in that heat. I kind of worry that it may melt the wirings around the battery. It seems to get hotter since I started using Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W40 about 7k miles ago. But that's when the summer heat really starts to kick in too. And I don't see any problems from others around here with Rotella. I was thinking maybe 20W50 would improve this heat issue. But I am not sure about the consequences if I switch back to 20W50 dino oil now. Please help, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porterb123 Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Your choice of oil has very little to do with how hot your bike is getting...unless your using WD-40 or a special anal lube Unless your bike is boiling over and glowing dull red , your not in much danger of cooking your battery or wiring. The XX has a tendency to run on the warm side, but mostly without any ill effects Porter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I been using Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W40 for quite a while, I'm not 100% sure but mine may run cooler with Rotella over Mobil One. 227F isn't bad at all for driving in city traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snailrider Posted July 29, 2005 Author Share Posted July 29, 2005 Thanks for all of your responses so far. I didn't think the oil is a major factor if at all. Just found a similar post from May, the consensus seems to be the coolant temperature may not be a true representation of how hot the engine is. So I am going to pull the thermostate and test it, most likely will replace it as well as the radiator cap. If not, the cooling fan temp sensor and water pump will be next. One fact remained the same. Just a short commute back home, most of the metal frame area under the seat is too hot to touch by hand. This is definitely not what it should be under normal operation. Fortunately, nothing seems to be affected by this issue so far. But so much about Honda quality. 30K on my last Suzuki and it needed nothing but gas, tires and chain. Makes me wonder owning a Ducati may not be such a scary thing after all Thanks agian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey_XX Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 From what you are describing, your bike is fine. FI XXs run hotter. Hugo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XX Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 The coolant temperature gauge only seen 227F in the worst of traffic, probably in high 80 low 90 days. The fan kicks in at around 210F, and operating as I expected. But the frame spar area right above my foot pegs get quite hot for the touch of hand. My thighs and buns are roasting in that heat. I kind of worry that it may melt the wirings around the battery. All normal complaints and spoken concerns. In fact, wait until it hits 240, you thought it was hot before?! :shock: Recent post from a guy that hit 251 or something like that and the bike turned itself off..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snailrider Posted July 30, 2005 Author Share Posted July 30, 2005 Now I can sleep over it.......in the 90 degree heat Honda seems to go sub par in recent years. The new VFR subframe crack, the ST1300 engine heat, now even XX, a long time model since 97. I guess either my expectation for Honda was too high, or other bike manufacturers have catched up with the modern day standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr dos equis Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Dude what are you talking about sub par, have you seen the issues other manufacturers have had in the same time span as compared to Hondas. The FI birds run hot...but they don't have an over heating issue. The bike has a big lump of a motor and it's pretty much sealed up in that bodywork. If your really that concerned try adding some water wetter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xfuctx Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Only one bird i know of has boiled over completely, and that is My 99. Standstill traffic 95F wind from behind. I'v never heard of another bird boiling over elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snailrider Posted July 30, 2005 Author Share Posted July 30, 2005 yes guys, I still love my bird, don't get me wrong. The fix, if needed, is quite cheap and simple. It's comforting to hear that you all have the same experience on this issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rockmeupto125 Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 The fix, if needed, is quite cheap and simple. You're assuming something is wrong. If you can lower that temp gauge by pulling out on the highway and putting 1-2 miles on at regular speeds, then its not the engine that's overheating...its the temp sender. Anybody who has actually overheated an engine knows that it take a long time for it to really cool down. If your temp drops right back down once you resume "normal" operation, then there is NO problem. (normal meaning highway or free road running at speeds greater than 45 mph and not lugging the motor) Don't be fixing something that ain't broke. That motor makes a lot of BTU's out of that gas, and if you've noticed, convection cooling isn't all that great in the northeast this summer...think how hot YOU are. The higher than average temp and higher than average humidity are significant to consider in this situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Dude what are you talking about sub par, have you seen the issues other manufacturers have had in the same time span as compared to Hondas. Yeah try a 2003 Buell for instance. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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