Temp gauge seemed to get pretty hot this morning. Almost up to the red line
It gets hot if I going slow or stuck at a light and cool down once I got up to crusing speed. The fan wasn't kicking on near as I could tell riding and definately was not on once I stopped at work.
Could it be the thermostat in the water pump?
I checked the fan by shorting the fan thermostat and it works. I'll have to take a look at the fan thermosat this weekend may be other one too.
I've read that the V45, (and probably the V65), are notorious for running hot when in stop and go traffic, slow cruising and ESPECIALLY in the Texas summer. It has been my experience that the engine will run hot, even almost to the red-line, during these conditions. Even now, during the fall, the temperature will rise up if I'm not constantly moving. The temperature does go down when up to cruising speed. I've only had the fan come on a few times and that was when it was 100+ degrees and only if I wasn't moving AT ALL like when I was at a traffic light or after I had parked in my garage. I doubt that there is a MAJOR problem. However, your motorcycle is 20 years old. It's likely that the water pump is not as efficient as it once was.
Check your coolant level in the overflow resevoir behind the right side cover. Add coolant to the resevior if it is below the COLD line. You can also check it at the radiator by removing the cap, (you'll have to loosen / remove the retaining screw in the cap). Check the condition of the coolant to make sure it is clean and a clear amber or green color depending on the type of coolant used. If it is murky or you see signs debris or corrosion in the coolant, you should drain and flush the system and refill it with new coolant.
Anyway...some guys have added fan override switches that will allow them to turn the fan on manually. You might consider this if the higher operating temperature during stop and go riding continues to be a concern. Otherwise, as long as the temperature stays cool during regular riding, you're probably OK. Like I do, just continue to keep a watchful eye on it. I hope I've been helpful.
Happy Trails...!!
John
Thanks for the input John.
Friday on the ride home, the temp stayed right in the middle, where it has usually been, except for those 100+ days of last summer.
Coolant is pretty skanky looking so ...
I've got new coolant (honda) and three gal of distilled water. tomorrow I'm flushing her out!
For what it's worth the service schedule for my 3rd gen Magna says the coolant should be flushed/changed every 24 months or 24,000 miles whichever comes first. I think most people don't think about flushing it every 24 months.
You might also check that bottle of coolant from Honda most of there stuff I thought is premixed at least when I got mine it was...
Allen is correct. The honda coolant is premixed 50/50.
Thanks guys.... I've got a biger problem now.
I drained the coolant adn filled it up with distilled water adn she won't turn over at all ! The starter just seems to engage and nothing more.
I'll open another post on what to do about no start
I know that on a V65 you can replace the fanstat with a cheap auto fanstat from Napa and it will kick the fan on 10 degrees cooler. Echlin (NAPA) FS-130. I think it was about $15 and connected to the existing bike terminals with no mods. My V65 never gets above 4 bars even on the hotest days.
Hopefully someone can verify if this fanstat would work on your bike.
Anthony
Take a look at my webpage http://www.geocities.com/kdf9511/ and click on the cooling system link. It will give you the cross refrences for the thermostat, thermoswitch and coolent hoses. Hope this helps.