heating up too much - seafoam, a/f mixtures?

[KitKat]

so i think my bike is getting a bit too hot. I mean that clutch cover and the other cover(don't know name) is getting pretty hot. and if i let the engine sit for about an hour and a half after riding, the engine fins are pretty cool, but the covers still have a little heat in em.

i've heard that using seafoam in the oil helps, how much do i add??

also, i've heard getting too hot might be that im runnign lean? i've read that to fix it, you need to adjust air fuel mixture screws. (the bike is stock, airbox +exhaust). where are these screws located on the carbs and how far should they be turned?

Thanks

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Seafoam will not help your engine run cooler. Seafoam is sometimes used to clean the oil system's passages. Use a couple of ounces in fresh oil for only 50 to 100 miles and then change the oil again.

What color are your plugs? If they are white then you are indeed running lean and you'll need to check carburetion and air intake system.

The idle mixture screws are on top of the carbs under sealed caps. Look on page 6 of the Carb Rebuild Guide for the location. Note that on the guide they are labeled "air screws" but they are actually "mixture screws" and adjust fuel rather than air. As for adjustment, read about the "highest idle method" on my website.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mike_of_bbg]

and if i let the engine sit for about an hour and a half after riding, the engine fins are pretty cool, but the covers still have a little heat in em.

I don't think it's that unusual. The cooling fins are made of metal and have a high heat transfer coefficient, plus a lot of surface area for their mass. That's what makes them cooling fins. After you're done running your hot oil sits in the crankcase with the stator and clutch covers, not circulating beyond free convection. Less surface area, much lower k. Takes longer to cool down. They shouldn't be scorching, mind you.

[tlepac]

If you are concerned you might also look into a oil cooler for your bike--lots of good info on the site. Do a search for oil cooler

[Nessism]

Sounds normal to me (but check the plugs like Basscliff suggests to be sure). Get some synthetic oil as a hedge against the heat- Shell Rotella synthetic is a good choice for reasonable money (Walmart sells it).

[KitKat]

plugs - one was blackish, hard, flat

while the other was blackish, but glistened, so it had some oil on it im assumming, (i posted another thread about that)

So what does this mean in terms of my heat issue?

[eddiev]

I've been concerned about heat issues for awhile on my 82 gs1100gl. A couple of years ago I rebuilt the top end and it seemed to run much hotter since. Many posts and much advice led to the opinion that these bikes run hot and what I'm seeing is about normal. The bike has run well and I've put thousands of miles on it since with no major engine problems so I guess it's true.
I've corrected some lean running issues with new o-rings and richened up my mixture. My screws were with 2 of them about 2 1/4 out and the other 2 about 2 3/4 out. This seemed to be the best idle that my ear could pick up. I decided to try them all at 3 out and I have to say it does seem to run a bit cooler. I'm still playing with it since I'm getting a bit of a bog down at about 4,000 rpm.
My fins and clutch cover are still too hot to touch after running awhile. Even my stator cover seems too hot to touch. Another heat concern is that I have to rev the bike a bit higher when the engine is hot to get the same charging voltage at the battery. Where I get 13.5 volts when cool at about 1000 rpm. I need to rev to about 1500 when hot to get the same 13.5v.

Hope it helps and any comments are appreciated.
Thanks.
Eddie V

[revrev]

The plugs would indicate that you already running a bit rich, which will tend to make the bike a bit cooler. If there are not built up deposits, probably within acceptable mixture.

I concur with those above, what you describe is normal. The cooling fins will cool rather quickly compared to the oil in the sump.

The first sign your bike is overheating often is the clutch becomes fussy. On my bike ('80 GS110e) the clutch will start to get grabby and neutral goes into hiding. The problem is mucj less pronounced (and the trans shifts much better) with synthetic oil. I also use Shell Rotella Syhtetic. (I was pointed to it one this forum.)

If you only symptoms are what you descibe, and no more, I think your just describing normal on an air cooled motorcycle.

[KitKat]

ok.

thank you all for the info. i will consider switching to synthetic oil next oil change.

Thanks!