Hot enough for ya?

[MisterCinders]

Now that it's warmed up, here's a question about engine heat.

In the city, bogged down in traffic or a stretch of badly timed red lights (I.e., anywhere in Chicago), I worry about engine heat.

A couple times I have had to idle through stop and go traffic for almost an hour. I'd never let the bike idle that long without a fan on the engine. In those situations, I kill the engine at longer lights to let it cool a bit. I've even pulled over for a few minutes to give it a break.

All of this is just caution, and I've yet to encounter a problem or symptom that prompted me to shut the engine down. That's my question.

What are the signs of too much engine heat? Are there any things to watch for as a danger sign telling you to pull over?

Discuss.

[gearhead13]

Do you have an oil temp gauge? I have one and also and oil pressure gauge.
The biggest worry for me would be cooking the oil. If my oil pressure drops below 3 psi at idle then I know its getting real hot. I am running Rotella 15-40 so its a bit thicker for hot days. The oil temp gauge might be medium-high, but the actual alu temp around the spark plugs will be much higher.
I dont go for rides when I know there is heavy traffic like on friday rush hour etc. The worst thing for me about heavy traffic is having to hold in the HD clutch if I cant slip it into neutral before stopping.

[Flyboy]

Don't sweat it, no need to shut down at all, these engines can handle bucket loads of heat with no ill effects.
Jennifer has had more than her fair share of stop/go operating in traffic, and never had a problem, ever, and she has got really hot at times, these motors are bullet proof, worst thing that happens is a thinning of he oil, but they have low pressure oiling systems anyway, so it really is no big deal.
I have seen these motors abused to the ridiculous and just keep ticking.
back in the '80s the Johannesburg traffic dept. used the GS850G as their primary bike with a few 1000G's for their longevity and low running costs.
On more than one occasion I saw a traffic cop at the side of the road pulling off motorists for random checks, with the 850 on the side stand idling away merrily for hours at a time.....unbelievable.

Of course there are a few things you can do to ease the load on your motor.
Always make sure your oil is filled correctly ad is not low.
Make sure your oil is well within the oil change intervals, and is not old.
Not necessary, but synthetic will deal with heat better than dino oil due to its higher flash point.
And lastly, make sure you keep your motor clean, it will disperse heat to the free air a lot better than one that is full of crud and muck effectively insulating it from the air.

[evan132]

Ive got another question about heat. On my gs1100 my temperature guage almost never goes above 200. It usually likes two hover around 180, and also takes a while to get there, about 15 minutes of riding. So I guess my question is what do these engines normally operate around because that seems low. Im not running a cooler either. I was just wondering because I think my temp gauge is faulty and dont really like not knowing the engine temp, thanks.

[Nessism]

Ive got another question about heat. On my gs1100 my temperature guage almost never goes above 200. It usually likes two hover around 180, and also takes a while to get there, about 15 minutes of riding. So I guess my question is what do these engines normally operate around because that seems low. Im not running a cooler either. I was just wondering because I think my temp gauge is faulty and dont really like not knowing the engine temp, thanks.

Maybe the gauge is off?

You can check the calibration by removing the sensor and dunking it in boiling water, which will be 212 F, while watching the gauge to see what the indicated reading is.

[evan132]

Sounds like a plan, thanks Ed. On a side note, it did use to stay around 220 and the only difference Ive made is switching over to rotella t 15w 40. I cant say when exactly it started happening but Im very doubtfull it would cause a 40 degree difference!

[MisterCinders]

I don't have any temp or oil pressure gauges on the bike. Just the oil light.

[MisterCinders]

Here's a related question on engine heat.

Of course I have no temp gauge, so this is all based on my "feel" of things.

After some recent rides, however, the top end seems to get much hotter than usual. A spray bottle mist of water on the cam cover and/or cylinder fins vaporizes like it would on a hot header pipe. Not drenching the engine down to cool it, mind you, just misting it to see the results.

I don't recall the block/cams getting that hot before. My rides are not especially hard -- not drag racing, mostly just tooling around town and burbs. If anything, the urban terrain combined with my timid riding skills has me lugging the engine, since I tend not to break 4,000 RPM without more open roads. In the city, staying in lower gears and higher RPMs makes it too torque-y for me, stuck behind some SUV or crappy soccer-mom in an MAV.

Oil is fresh and definitely circulating, as the sight glass shows the oil level drop when the engine starts and the oil level slowly returns after I shut it down.

Thoughts?

[1_v8_merc]

Better question...why do you sit in traffic, on a motorcycle!?