Did I overheat????

[dsmirnov83]

I got stuck in trafic and didn't move for about 20 minutes :guns: , the idle speed slowly droped bellow 1/2 K RPM and then the bike started stalling . It stalled out about four times beffor I had enough and turned around and lane split ( ) my way out of trafic.

Did I overheat??? :dunno:
Should I change my oil??? (it still looks good) :dunno:
When this hapens should I try to adjust the idle speed while standing in trafic??? :dunno:
-Denis S.

[The Buddha]

OK turn it off... and let it cool off... after 10 mins or so you can spray water on it. Usually I ride off an exit or shoulder it to a exit and get to a gas station after ~ 5-8 mins of stoppage. Then I shut it off for 10 mins with it air cooling off. Then douse the Mofo with water... as much water as you can for as long as you can... get it cold cold cold. Then back on highway. Spraying before 10 mins might make the thing cool off too quick from too high a temp and make it warp something.
Cool.
Srinath.

[cozy]

If i'm stopped in traffic and it's not moving > 2min. i usually turn the bike off.

[dsmirnov83]

I went for a ride later on that night and the bike ran fine... I hope I didn't screw anything up .
Where do you get alot of water???  :dunno:
Won't the air cool it off if I start going 45+mph??? :dunno:

[scratch]

I've never heard of a bike overheating and losing rpm's. Gaining rpm's, yes. Maybe if the lower end overheats and the bearings swell or the crank swells then I can see losing rpm's. Maybe I'm missing something. Someone want to explain?

In answer to your last question: No, with the engine still running it's still creating heat internally; and faster than the finning can cool, even at 55 mph. You really want to pull over and stop for 10-15 minutes to let the engine cool down.

[aslam]

Really...  I didn't realize you probably had to go that fast to cool it down.

:dunno:

Anyways, when I got my bike (97 used) it already had a warped front fender.  doh.

ASLAM.

[Kerry]

Did I overheat??? :dunno:

Hard to say, but I doubt it.

Should I change my oil??? (it still looks good) :dunno:

I'd leave it in.

When this hapens should I try to adjust the idle speed while standing in trafic??? :dunno:

When I get stuck in traffic, especially in the heat, I just turn the bike off until I can move again.  If I only get to move a block, or just a few feet, I turn it right back off again.

I used to worry that with the bike off the oil wouldn't circulate, and that the engine might overheat just sitting there.  But the alternative was to leave the bike running which meant that the oil, although circulating, would just keep getting hotter and hotter with no way to cool off.

About the stalling.  If there is any chance that your choke was on even a little bit, the stalling would be expected with a hot motor.

[The Buddha]

The bike with 40 pilots and 3 turns out on mix screw will be about rich enough for a canadian winter, now in summer if the bike is real hot, you could be too rich to hold decent idle... and that will make it drop rpm and want to stall out. Too rich for the temperature.
Cool.
Srinath.

[scratch]

Really...  I didn't realize you probably had to go that fast to cool it down.

:dunno:

Anyways, when I got my bike (97 used) it already had a warped front fender.  doh.

ASLAM.

I'm not saying that going faster will cool it off any faster...it wont.

[mp183]

The point of having a bike is not to be stuck in traffic.  Go between the damn cars.  Just be restpectful of any cops that are directing traffic.  Don't do it in front of them.  Once you pass them they don't care.  The only time I was stuck and not able to move, was in the Lincoln Tunnel.  I was there for about 15 minutes.  I was stuck behind two buses that were close together and I could not get between them or on the side of them.  I had a headache for two days.  The way I see it it's not lane spliting it's commuting.

[Blueknyt]

and faster than the finning can cool, even at 55 mph

dont think quite that bad unless something isnt adjusted right,(too lean, vacume leaks ect)  most dyno fans only push 35mph air. though standing infront of the fan feels like more. even in cars, cooling fan wether belt driven or electric is useless above 30mph. Though i do want to setup an oil cooler with a small electric fan on half of it for stop and go, figure if its cooling the oil, then it will aid in cooling the inners.

[Lars]

I think it could be overheating. After 20 mins. of idling the engine will be extremely hot. The drop in rpm's can also come from the pistons that expand and start contacting the cylinderwalls.  If it happens don't ride further but shut the bike off immediately and let it cool down. after 15 minutes or half an hour you can try again.
Watch your oil level from now on, if there is any damage from the overheating, your oil consumption will go up.

Next time, try to go between the cars. I don't know if it is legal in your country, but here in Holland it's semi-legal. If you don't go too fast between the cars they won't stop you. It's also an excellent way to get faster to work than with the car

[The Buddha]

Where do you get water... radiator fill hose or car wash or water pipe that some gas stations have. Done it many times, but also not done it many times. Time just works fine. Just dont go back and stand in the same traffic again. I wish it was legal around here... seen some people do it... so maybe its semi legal.
Cool.
Srinath.

[dsmirnov83]

So from what I understand I did the exact oposite of what I was supose to...Douh...double Douh :mrgreen:

I never rejeted this bike, however there is a slight chance the previous owner did... makes me wonder if my choke cable is catching on something... if it IS tight, then maybe this is what's cousing my left handle vibe (an aside from a previous post)

OK, how do I check if my choke is on (the switch itself is fully disengaged)?  :dunno:

[The Buddha]

Ok Lie down to the left of the bike, and look up at the carbs. The choke pull rod... OK operate the choke a few times and you'll know what moves and what is pulled. The part that is pulled is a plunger, and the rod should go back far enough to let the plunger fully close.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Kerry]

Here's a picture to help out:



I'm not sure if you can "unhitch" the choke cable without taking the tank off - I've never tried it.  But here's one possible diagnostic technique:

1) Put a mark of some kind on the plunger piece (it's directly behind the cable and return spring on the bike) where it disappears into the hole.  You could scratch a mark or paint one with, say, white fingernail polish or model airplane paint or something.

2) Remove the cable and see if the plunger moves any further out of the hole.[/list:u]Make sense?

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[Richard UK]

The GS is an unusual design in that it is an "oil and air" cooled motor.  The oil sump capacity is much greater than needed for lubrication alone, and some of the oil circulation in the motor is for cooling effect rather than lubrication.

If an engine is over heating seriously it will start to seize.  As it does, it will become harder and harder to keep it going, and you will find yourself changing down and having to give it more gas to keep it running (the wrong thing to do, of course!).

When it does get too hot it will seize, with the pistons jammed in the bores.  Until it does actually reach this state, you can still save it by switching it off and letting it cool naturally.  Providing nothing, usually the cylinder head, has warped in the heat it should be OK afterwards.  You'll know if the head has gone.  So just switch off, leave it a while, then head off again when it has cooled down.

That said, oil operating outside its specified performance range doesn't lubricate too well, and chronic overheating will result in accelerated wear in general.

[The Buddha]

Oh yes from the right side the choke cable runs down  the middle of that spring... and the choke cable should go slack when choke is fully off. Check with it pulled partially on, and again with it off.
Cool.
Srinath.