i had the same problem that many others had with temp's that seemed way tooo high....asked many times for suggestions on how to make it run cooler....never got any help other then buy the carbon fiber shrouds....not a true fix in my opinion....it still comes down to the direction of air flow
the vfr has pretty much the same problem...this was the same thing i did with my rc51 and it worked flawlessly!!!! the vfr has only one fan...as does the super hawk..the rc51 has 2...getting the picture? i was told this wouldnt fix the problem....so as usual i went my own way and tried this....you figure it out for yourself....
I've also seen a lot of talk about how the RC runs hot..... this and that.... But has anyone really overheated????
I was at the Pahrump, NV last year and it was 116 degrees on the track.
I removed my left fan, reversed the right one and ran it with Honda coolant and water wetter, and removed the V shroud..... it never over heated!!!
My water temp got to a high of 243 degrees, and the engine ran like a champ. No water spewing out the cap nor any warning lights.... the bike just kept running. The cooling system was awesome and it did its job.
I wonder if Honda just designed their bikes to run a little hotter. I don't think there is anything wrong with a hot running bike as long as it runs.
I've also seen a lot of talk about how the RC runs hot..... this and that.... But has anyone really overheated????
I was at the Pahrump, NV last year and it was 116 degrees on the track.
I removed my left fan, reversed the right one and ran it with Honda coolant and water wetter, and removed the V shroud..... it never over heated!!!
My water temp got to a high of 243 degrees, and the engine ran like a champ. No water spewing out the cap nor any warning lights.... the bike just kept running. The cooling system was awesome and it did its job.
I wonder if Honda just designed their bikes to run a little hotter. I don't think there is anything wrong with a hot running bike as long as it runs.
the pig just runs hot. that being said, here's my humble :
i recall a lot of folks saying they're running engine ice or water wetter and experiencing better heat dissipation via that route. i still run the coolant/ deionized water in mine and have a switch to reverse my fans to push air out thru the rads rather than pull it in (i just switch back for city/ traffic riding, and reverse for canyons/ highway). the RC fans pull air from outside the fairings, which simple fluid dynamics dictates is inefficient (fans trying to pull high speed, low pressure outside air and shove it into a low speed, high pressure area inside the fairings just doesn't work too well).
i noticed a drop of about 5-25 degrees F by running the fans in reverse from conventional on the same 50-mile backroad loop.
they're simple stator motors on the fans... put power in one direction, the fans turn that way. put power the other direction, and the fans turn the other way. but of a pain to wire in, but i have a bit of a schematic for the switch if you want. cost all of about $20 including parts and gas to go get the stuff from my local radio shack (with a good bit fo help from the much more knowledgeable folks on the board here... thanks RVT MAVERICK!!!).
hope this helps some.
-mike
__________________
I am convinced my only Saving Grace is that Death has discovered he must catch me first, and I am Faster.
I've tried everything but front-mounts and I've come to the conclusion that the only way to make my 51 run cool in summer is to ride in the morning or ride in the evening. I've seen 60 degree swings in one day (180 to 240). It has to be the most inefficient design possible - but it still runs.
__________________ "...let us not ignore the truth among ourselves, that we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down."
David Ben-Gurion (the father of Israel) "When fascism comes to America it will be draped in a flag and holding a cross." Sinclair Lewis I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.
I live where it gets up to 120 deg. in the summer on a regular basis. My bike has got up to about 240 on its hottest day. I just run coolant and water. I think this year im gonna try water wetter and see what happens. Even when it's that hot it runs great.
Maybe the senders are all screwed and we've all been running at 180 and didn't know it.
__________________ "...let us not ignore the truth among ourselves, that we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down."
David Ben-Gurion (the father of Israel) "When fascism comes to America it will be draped in a flag and holding a cross." Sinclair Lewis I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.
Dood same mods here ....
Just ask Rig .. the only internal combustion engine that can sustain 250 + water temps is the infamous leaning tower of power 225 slant six mopar
It is not as much as losing power at high temp but you are losing longevity. Have you heard stories about flaking plating on cylinders and what it would cost to replace?
My other bike's fan goes on at 221 and shuts off at 208 again. Only in real heavy traffic and after a long while did I ever hear the fan go on. Sure the SP2's fans bring the temp down quick, but it only takes one long light to get up to 220. For how long would you think the engine will last if this keeps going on and on?
The guy who said he reached 240 I have a hard time picturing. 223 is the highest I ever saw. I imagine he lives in NM or AZ and I also imagine he rarely if ever sees traffic. A few upshifts and he is off to desert land. Some of us have to travel through a town to get to nicer areas to ride and with full gear on having a 220 engine between your legs is not what I call a fun ride. Having a little switch to flip the fans on above 190 when you encounter traffic can't possibly hurt anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wingnutt
.. the only internal combustion engine that can sustain 250 + water temps is the infamous leaning tower of power 225 slant six mopar
I had one of those, real old, with adjustable valves! Nothing would kill the beast no matter how much you tried. But there is no magic to engine that weighs as much as a Honda civic and makes 90hp at 2800rpm. Diesels are heat monsters and weigh twice as much as gas engines but their cooling systems are so enormous that they can;t tell the difference between snow and 125' weather.
__________________ "The most violent element in society is ignorance" Red Emma Goldman
I wonder if Honda just designed their bikes to run a little hotter. I don't think there is anything wrong with a hot running bike as long as it runs.
That's one way to look at it (an optimistic way). But the quick way that temps rise and fall relating to speed is what tells the story. The RC is fine at speed (especially if you have the scoops) but anything slow and it's nervous time for me. I've seen fifty degree (F) changes in as little as twenty minutes (from a high altitude downhill to stuck in traffic in a hot valley). The bike is meant to be ridden...fast, and as a street bike the cooling system is deficient because you can't be moving all the time. True, they don't seize, but Honda gave us a cooling system that is barely adequate in stock form.
__________________ "...let us not ignore the truth among ourselves, that we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down."
David Ben-Gurion (the father of Israel) "When fascism comes to America it will be draped in a flag and holding a cross." Sinclair Lewis I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.
i was running at 246 all day at one of our trackdays. i have to say, i was worried because ive never seen it go up that high ever since ive owned the bike.
overheating rc51? how about a fix? must read.
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