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285 Posts
Hi all,
A week ago I went to visit my SV in the garage after not having seen it for a week or two. I noticed a small fresh puddle underneath it. Well, puddle is generous, it was more like maybe a dozen or two dozen drops - already soaked into the concrete, not wet to the touch. I looked at the lower left side of the bike and traced a dry trail on the lowest nut up to what looks to be coolant (green) coming from I dunno where. I rode the SV just to warm up the chain and lube it, seemed fine, temp didn't go above 160 or so but that's cuz I was just going 10-15 in a parking garage. Parked it again.
Came back three days later, a couple drops on the ground (I parked it over a different section of concrete so I would be able to tell for sure) underneath the same nut on the bike that has a drop of coolant dangling from it. I trace the dry trail again, doesn't look any worse or wetter than before.
I then took the bike for a ride on a road where I was cruising at 55-65 indicated, no stoplights. It was 40 degrees or less. I was watching the temp indicator closely. The thing was going up and down from about 160 degrees to 197 degrees in short periods of time - like within 15-20 seconds it would go from 160 up to 197. Then it would go back down in 15-20 secs. Then back up again. There would be no difference in circumstances (e.g. not like I started drafting a huge truck with less airflow, wind gusts, changed speed, etc.)... but the temp would continuously swing up and down.
Parked to check idling temps, checked the coolant level, still almost full (maybe a couple mm below the full indicator at most). At idle, I observed the temp indicator, it fluctuated between 200-216, which told me the fan was working (and when I eventually killed the engine the fan was running), though I'm still not sure if it should be running that hot when it's 40 degrees out. The garage is open-air, and the bike was idling right next to a huge parking garage "window" (no glass - you know what I mean) to the outside air.
So my questions:
- Are continuous, wide swings from 160-197 normal in the space of 15-20 seconds?
- Is 160-197 normal temp indication when cruising 55-65 in 40 degree weather?
- Should the bike be idling at 200-216 in 40 degree weather?
I know I have to deal with the coolant leak, I'll post pics on that later. Right now I'm more worried about if the temp gauge is unreliable or if the bike is actually running poorly somehow. The leak *seems* to be slow enough that it shouldn't cause a serious problem, and like I said, the coolant level is still almost full.
Thanks in advance!
A week ago I went to visit my SV in the garage after not having seen it for a week or two. I noticed a small fresh puddle underneath it. Well, puddle is generous, it was more like maybe a dozen or two dozen drops - already soaked into the concrete, not wet to the touch. I looked at the lower left side of the bike and traced a dry trail on the lowest nut up to what looks to be coolant (green) coming from I dunno where. I rode the SV just to warm up the chain and lube it, seemed fine, temp didn't go above 160 or so but that's cuz I was just going 10-15 in a parking garage. Parked it again.
Came back three days later, a couple drops on the ground (I parked it over a different section of concrete so I would be able to tell for sure) underneath the same nut on the bike that has a drop of coolant dangling from it. I trace the dry trail again, doesn't look any worse or wetter than before.
I then took the bike for a ride on a road where I was cruising at 55-65 indicated, no stoplights. It was 40 degrees or less. I was watching the temp indicator closely. The thing was going up and down from about 160 degrees to 197 degrees in short periods of time - like within 15-20 seconds it would go from 160 up to 197. Then it would go back down in 15-20 secs. Then back up again. There would be no difference in circumstances (e.g. not like I started drafting a huge truck with less airflow, wind gusts, changed speed, etc.)... but the temp would continuously swing up and down.
Parked to check idling temps, checked the coolant level, still almost full (maybe a couple mm below the full indicator at most). At idle, I observed the temp indicator, it fluctuated between 200-216, which told me the fan was working (and when I eventually killed the engine the fan was running), though I'm still not sure if it should be running that hot when it's 40 degrees out. The garage is open-air, and the bike was idling right next to a huge parking garage "window" (no glass - you know what I mean) to the outside air.
So my questions:
- Are continuous, wide swings from 160-197 normal in the space of 15-20 seconds?
- Is 160-197 normal temp indication when cruising 55-65 in 40 degree weather?
- Should the bike be idling at 200-216 in 40 degree weather?
I know I have to deal with the coolant leak, I'll post pics on that later. Right now I'm more worried about if the temp gauge is unreliable or if the bike is actually running poorly somehow. The leak *seems* to be slow enough that it shouldn't cause a serious problem, and like I said, the coolant level is still almost full.
Thanks in advance!
