Cooling

[Stu23]

Hi Everyone,

A question on cooling, in particular my track bike. Yesterday at Alex's race school, my bike was sitting around 100 to 107 ( peak ) temp. Now it was a hot day but these temps are a bit hi ?? Should I be looking at flushing the rad, checking fins to make sure they are clean and open, or does it sound a bit more detailed than that, blocked cores etc...As i keep on saying im not used to the heat yet and what it will do to the bike so any advice is welcome. Should I be looking at a replacement radiator ? Does one from an R1 fit for example ? All advice welcome

Stu

[Dave75]

I would be keen to know as well.

[Dr freedom]

Mine can hit 100 with ease in this sorta weather .. the thermos kick in at 101 lol.
Although for mine, the normal temps when running are 70- 90, the 100 happens when sitting in a little traffic & its never been an issue.
I put it down to thermo fans doing their job & the redline water wetter I use.

[seals]

Hi Everyone,

A question on cooling, in particular my track bike. Yesterday at Alex's race school, my bike was sitting around 100 to 107 ( peak ) temp. Now it was a hot day but these temps are a bit hi ?? Should I be looking at flushing the rad, checking fins to make sure they are clean and open, or does it sound a bit more detailed than that, blocked cores etc...As i keep on saying im not used to the heat yet and what it will do to the bike so any advice is welcome. Should I be looking at a replacement radiator ? Does one from an R1 fit for example ? All advice welcome

Stu

Stu - were these temps while stationary? or on the move? or lots of stop and starts? If stationary or "stop / starts" and considering you prob only have water in the rad (i'm presuming here as you race it), that would be fairly normal IMO. Also considering the fairing keeps the heat in, not allowing it to escape very well.

If this is on the move then I would check things. Or run coolant on school days, presuming you have only water again here.

[SIX36]

You swap to silicone hoses for a better coolant flow?

[Stu23]

These temps are fresh off the track, coming into pit lane or when in the garage basically as soon as I can I look at the temp, i cant run any funny stuff in the rad as I race this bike, can only run water.

[zenodamper]

Ironically, for 636's (and in experience with 2 only long-term) this would be abnormally high - usually the 2 Kwaks run around 85-90 when wheeling into pit lane - that said, our 2003 R6 runs high, whatever that means.... ;)

Have you insulated the fuel tank (beneath)?

[Stu23]

Hi Zeno, insulated the fuel tank ??? noooo not that I know of.....presumably to keep the fuel temp lower ?

[zenodamper]

Yeah, run some of that std on Suzuki's stuff (silver) - keep fuel temp. lower, will affect what runs through carbs/bodies into inlet - oddly enough on 2 projects with Hondas 5 years back, I lost 10 and 15 degrees like this (tho' some other stuff done too) - worthy a shot?

[Stu23]

Thats a great idea, what didyou use ? can it be bought over the counter somewhere ?

One another thought, once the bike is done up at Tex's I will bring it to you for a refresh etc
Cheers
Stu

[zenodamper]

Maybe have a look at a Suzuki parts fiche, ring a dealer - though one would think it might well be sourced from a refrigeration/air-con mob too - dunno

[seals]

As you use water only do you flush it regulary? As water will cause corrosion of the alloy engine and could block things / foul the pump.

[RIPPERTON]

More info
what bike ?
have you removed the thermostat and still got the bypass hoses ?
Does you oil cooler return water to the water pump or the radiator ?

[jasonbw]

In regards to the tank - and keeping heat off it... line the underside of the tank with the same stuff used on fairing lowers... Thermo-Tec Cool-It insulation tape. It's big in the US, not often found here... these guys have it, I've bought a few things through them, good guys!


PART NO: TT14002 $32 + GST./in stock
THERMO SHIELD ALUMINIZED
ADHESIVE TAPE1 1/2" X 15FT.ROLL

+ PLUS FREIGHT $$

Heres their site: http://www.rocketindustries.com.au/

[zRoYz]

My bike runs hot because that pesky temp gauge is showing me dreaded 3 number read out problem.

This is an extremely difficult question to answer due to so many variables but the most important gauge is stand in the sun yourself. That may sound strange but if it is an extremely hot day the air following though your radiator & intakes is also extremely hot. You normally will also notice your bike will seem a tad down on power or the performance your used to. The problem is the cooling system etc is designed around a engineer determined ambient air temp & an exceptable range. Our climate is getting hotter so if you own a older bike the cooling system can struggle at times as when designed the climate wasn't as hot so the formula the eng used would be out a tad.

This is also the reason oil has changed allot over the years to also deal with more extreme temps with the additives they now add. 100deg on a extreme day is very common & nothing really to worry about so long as your running a quality oil & your cooling system components are operating correctly, thermostat, fan, pump, etc.

With modern coolants the likely hood of scale build up in your system which works as an insulator is very unlikely but if your bike is say a race bike that can only run water that can be a cause at times of high temps.

Bottom line you get a extreme day with temps around the 36-40deg mark you will see your bike running very hot & at the extreme end of it's exceptable range.

On extremely hot days my VFR will be over 100deg most of the time except when moving at a decent speed.

[Stu23]

Thanks for the info guys, its appreciated.

Rip my bike is a 2000 R6, its is my race bike that i use for club days, it just has a full Arrows system on it. I have noticed quite a few fins bent over on the rad ( stones and bits thrown up i guess ) so I should get those straightened out carefully. I have not flushed the rad. As for a thermostat I do not honestly know, however the rad is hot so must be open ?? Hoses are the std ones that it was built with i guess ? I use Motul fully synth. The engine is standard but thats going to change very soon , head work and compression increase with a seat job and timing so am expecting even more heat to be created !!

On cooler days Roy its not a problem, usually 90 to 95 running hard ! on track. Its just when its hot this bike gets really hot, I suppose there just isnt much of a margin in the design ( age of components wont help ) So you could well be correct. But I do not want to damage the engine if something can be done.

I did fit a larger rad on my steely ( cbr ) that i once raced in the UK, as that had some serious tuning done to it and ran hot as......fitted a radiator off a kwaka ! ( similar hose ins and outs ) made up some brackets and that sorted it, was quite a bit larger...

[Lopeman]

On extremely hot days my VFR will be over 100deg most of the time except when moving at a decent speed.

I Had a VFR before my 750 and yeah they always run hot. i put it down the side mounted radiators, much closer to the engine and not as much flow through

[Zee]

I ran 100 degrees on track (moving) all day on Saturday.
In the cooler months, around 85.
Stock 03 CBR 600RR.....just the BS slip on and PC.

[Marcus]

I was sitting at 110 to 117 all weekend on an 06 r6

[Stu23]

ouch marcus isnt that a bit too hot ?

[SLAC]

Clickers R6 over heated on saturday 138C... All stock.. Be keen to find out some suggestions here as well, as i have to help fix it and havent looked at it yet.. Stu PM Jarrad as he is a air con techo and may have some of that insulation for you, i think he owes you a favour for the screen.. FWIW my bike (GSXR1000) sat at 86C all day, but has coolant in it at TD..
STU have you thought of running ICE in it at TD and drain it and replace with water for race meets?

[Nuff]

You could also run water wetter with water, it has corrosion inhibitors and other stuff, but first you might want to flush your radiator/engine with a 50:50 mix of water and vinegar, it should clean out the cooling system.

[Cooked Goose]

iI have an 07 R6 running water. i first had trouble at last years formula xtreme event (first warm weather races) when i first put on my new black fairing, went as high as 114 after returning to the pits. I shat myself as I have blown an RGV due to an air bubble in the radiatior, checked water level saw it was low and felt like a twit for not filling it. Filled it but still heat problems, kept trying to flush it, clear airbubbles etc. when one of the Aitken team guys quizzed me and pointed out it was fine the day before when i was running my old white fairing, turns out the other fairing was not just black, but had much poorer airflow over the pipes. Swapped it and dropped 10 degrees. Heat hit 112 again another time out at Oran Park in the pits (black fairing with bigger airflow holes), but never miore than 85/90 while moving. Still concerned I went around and looked at the temps of some of the other bikes in the pits, including Pat Medcalf who would be half a second or so faster than me (those of you who know the national 08 class champion will know I am joking) and his was 120 or so. Speaking with other racers I then decided to fill it with glycol for track days, as even cast aluminium motors can get rust in parts, and the collant lubes the seals also. I am about to flush the coolant before the WSBK race in 3 weeks, but will go one step further and use distilled water as some of the track water is pretty milky. so my summary....bikes get hot in hot weather, especially in pits but if bike is not overheating while moving I'm not as concerned, fill with glycol for track days between races, hopefully distilled water with less impurities will lower temp, see if its worth cutting more airflow in fairing.

[Cooked Goose]

Nuff, i went looking for water wetter but couldn't find any, apparently its legal to race with in UK and non Glycol based. As long as its not coloured and the same viscosity as water, it might get by scrutineering. Where do you get water wetter from?

[Cooked Goose]

Now an inflammatory comment "Our climate is getting hotter". Zroy, we have had several hot days this year, but every year this decade has been cooler than last decade and trending down. Global warming will be debunked by end 2010, there is no link to Co2 and temperature increases. Europe and North America have record colds, polar bear populations are increasing, ice is thickening, and many experts are starting to tip global cooling. I won't make that claim, as the science is not conclusive either way, I also believe we should reduce real polution, mercury, lead, toxins etc, but CO2 induced global warming is a leftist hoax pushed by the IPCC who will look very silly soon.....and australia will be the laughing stock of future generations if we try to push through an EMT that will cost jobs. www.wnho.net/global_warming.htm Ignore the editors comments (hes clearly biased), go for the reputable links here and its pretty hard to back the global warming claims despite media hype, especially links to man made C02. Hmm...maybe I got off topic, maybe Roy wasn't even talking about global warming, and maybe I just hate leftist media and emotive unsubstantiated calls for us all to feel guilty about everything......

[Nuff]

Nuff, i went looking for water wetter but couldn't find any, apparently its legal to race with in UK and non Glycol based. As long as its not coloured and the same viscosity as water, it might get by scrutineering. Where do you get water wetter from?

I think autobarn in auburn has it.

[zRoYz]

Now an inflammatory comment "Our climate is getting hotter". Zroy, we have had several hot days this year, but every year this decade has been cooler than last decade and trending down. Global warming will be debunked by end 2010, there is no link to Co2 and temperature increases. Europe and North America have record colds, polar bear populations are increasing, ice is thickening, and many experts are starting to tip global cooling. I won't make that claim, as the science is not conclusive either way, I also believe we should reduce real polution, mercury, lead, toxins etc, but CO2 induced global warming is a leftist hoax pushed by the IPCC who will look very silly soon.....and australia will be the laughing stock of future generations if we try to push through an EMT that will cost jobs. www.wnho.net/global_warming.htm Ignore the editors comments (hes clearly biased), go for the reputable links here and its pretty hard to back the global warming claims despite media hype, especially links to man made C02. Hmm...maybe I got off topic, maybe Roy wasn't even talking about global warming, and maybe I just hate leftist media and emotive unsubstantiated calls for us all to feel guilty about everything......

I won't even start on something that the science is beyond me but our climate changes for what ever reason. Example Sydney used to have very hot days just like it does now when I was younger but it was a dry heat. Now we seem to have a much higher humidity which has a completely different effect on things. That has probably more to do with pollution than anything else & the dense population with less trees.
I was under the impression the experts were worried our polar ice caps were melting I spouse it all depends what day of the week it is & what scientist does the research.
Maybe it's getting cooler or hotter my real point was things are designed from formulas & if the engineer used say 35deg as the hottest ambient temp when designing a cooling system then anything over that will be pushing the limits of said system.

[Cooked Goose]

yeah ok....but lefties are still evil.......and my wife gives me more than enough to feel bad about!

[zRoYz]

yeah ok....but lefties are still evil.......and my wife gives me more than enough to feel bad about!

You wont get an argument from me lefties are a right pain & predict doom & gloom all the time. The emissions legislation is a perfect example there not cutting them back but going to charge more for things that produce high emissions thinking that will cut them back, accountants are running the world.

Your just pissed because you can't do the fx race meeting due to having to go out with the wife :stirthepot:

[Marcus]

I was pretty sure that water wetter was OK to run for competition events?!

Maybe im getting it confused as its legal in the US.

Bleeding the 06 on radiators can be a pain! I found the easiest and quickest way was to fill it up 1/2 to 2/3rd of the way, run it till the thermostat opens, rev it, shut it off and wait for it to cool a bit.

Fill it up and repeat and make sure your overflow is full. It should suck what it needs back down from there. There isnt any bleed bolts