Overheating question

[Guest]

OK my 1981 GS750E does not have a temp gauge. Riding this afternoon in traffic with temps in the low 90s, I wondered if there are signs that I should watch for to tell me that it is in danger of overheating.



Thanks
Mike

[bonanzadave]

When mine got really hot (400 degrees) the valves really started rattlin. I believe 10w40 wont go much higher than that. If you think you cooked your oil, change it.

[brveagle]

white smoke out the tail pipe is a sure sign

[RJz1100E]

My valves rattle a little bit when I'm taking off from a stop, warm engine, around 210 degrees according to the gauge. Also rattles a little when I roll into the throttle while cruising in 5th gear, and sometimes 4th gear especially when riding uphill. Does'nt have to be steep either. I've been thinking about checking the valves clearance. This has been bothering me since I noticed it.

[mriddle]

Thanks guys for the tips. .

- Noise from valves increases

- White smoke from exhaust

Any other signs come to mind ?

What is the best action to take when we suspect overheating .. keep moving or find a shady spot and let it rest ?

Thanks
Mike

[twistedwankel]

Thanks guys for the tips. .

- Noise from valves increases

- White smoke from exhaust

Any other signs come to mind ?

What is the best action to take when we suspect overheating .. keep moving or find a shady spot and let it rest ?

Thanks
Mike

I usually drip the sweat from my nuts onto the tranny as I always wilt long before any problem with the bike in extreme heat. Dealer in FL recommends using 20-50W oil in the summer. That should solve your traffic concerns. Just letting the bike sit off for 5 minutes will cool it immensely while you drink some water. But it will heat right back up in 10 minutes. I notice that my 81 750E when really really hot, humid and no breeze sitting at a light will actually increase the rpm at idle all by itself by 200rpm. I personally have never had a reason to use other than 10-40W Suzuki oil no matter what the outside temp because I avoid stalled traffic. It's been 95 this week and the only thing I can tell you is I can start it without using the choke - just a blip of the throttle.

Seriously, the one thing riders here don't do enough of is to rehydrate themselves!!! Watch that clock with wind and sun at 90F.

[Red Rocket GS1100]

Switching

I change over to 20w-50 sythetic in the summer months. (eastern states)
I always run synthetic anyway (Amsoil)
Being air cooled I take every precaution I can against overheating. I want to keep this ride for a long time. Getting to Weirs (Laconia) last weekend I had to pull it over and grab something to drink. I let her sit in the shade for a half hour. Twisted is right tho...it heats up again pretty fast with an already heated engine.
Also you may want to make sure your not running too lean. That will make it run hot.
My idle also goes up like that when it is getting hot. Never noticed the white smoke thing tho. I bet its the same for me...but never actually noticed.

[Lonthemon]

What might cause the white smoke? I've only seen this when headgaskets blow on liquid cooled engines, as the antifreeze starts to burn off.

[tconroy]

Thanks guys for the tips. .

- Noise from valves increases

- White smoke from exhaust

Any other signs come to mind ?

What is the best action to take when we suspect overheating .. keep moving or find a shady spot and let it rest ?

Thanks
Mike

When you turn your bike off you will have lots of ticking noise from the pipes.My bike did do this till I cleaned it up and got new 0-rings and intake boots.After riding, when you turn your bike off ,you will have little or no ticking from the exhaust.Make sure you have a clean air filter too.Keep the engine fins clean so air passes thru and over them.Having dirt on the fins will act like a blanket and keep the heat from escaping.

[49er]

Keep the engine fins clean so air passes thru and over them.Having dirt on the fins will act like a blanket and keep the heat from escaping.

Good advice. When rebuilding my engine, I found many small stones wedged in the air passages between 1&2 and 3&4 cylinders. One passage was completely blocked. Not ideal for air cooled, inboard cylinders.

[tconroy]

Yes, there is a reason that they are made that way.If you look you will see passages that are cut open to the spark plug area to keep the top backside of the engine cooled down and cuts in the cam cover above the spark plugs also.Keeping the engine clean will make a big difference!

[ikazuki]

http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

[Brando]

Get an oil cooler and a temp gauge

You have to have a temp gauge to really know what's going on with your motor. Especially when you bore it out. I put a 1166cc kit in my 1100 and the temp in the Winter time shot from 210 to 270. I decided to buy an oil cooler before the summer and found a GS1150 cooler for $100 on Ebay. Have been running synthetic 10-40 Mobil motorcycle oil but I noticed the clutch is slipping and I want to go back to my old regular motorcycle blend. That will happen after the oil cooler is on.

[tconroy]

My valves rattle a little bit when I'm taking off from a stop, warm engine, around 210 degrees according to the gauge. Also rattles a little when I roll into the throttle while cruising in 5th gear, and sometimes 4th gear especially when riding uphill. Does'nt have to be steep either. I've been thinking about checking the valves clearance. This has been bothering me since I noticed it.

Mine did that till I cleaned the carbs, replaced the o-rings in the air/fuel mixture screws and reset them.This got rid of all rattling.

[BlackStar]

I can usually notice a little spark knock or ping when the engine starts to get a little hotter than normal. This is on both my GS1000 and my Warrior 1700.