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A question about cooling systems and VV heat

14K views 77 replies 18 participants last post by  Scott_in_TX 
#1 · (Edited)
As I/we have discussed many times in the forum our bikes run hot. The Kam's kit and wrapping the pipes has mostly sorted out the rider discomfort. However as I have said in other posts my bike runs up towards the red line (Temp) a majority of the time and there are a couple of others experiencing something similar

I had engine ice and now a product available in Australia called 'liquid intelligence 115' it has a boiling point of 192 c. . The bike runs close to the red line on the gauge but the bike shows no symptoms of running hot.

I spoke to the Liquid Intelligence company tech's and they suggested that as the sensor for the temp gauge is high in the system it may in fact be reading water vapour trapped during the change over from OEM liquid. They have had this reported on a few occasions and once the water is completely gone from the system the bike runs normally again. Both my self and the dealer have checked there is no trapped air and have tried to ensure no water was left in the radiator on fluid changeover.

They suggested it isn't hard to "miss" and quite a/few custom cars and bikes as well as water cooled dirt bikes are often affected. They asked that I run the bike (idle) with the radiator cap of until it gets to about 100c, if necessary disconnect the fan so it heats up quickly. They suggested that doing this without letting it get to the red line should allow any trapped water in the system to evaporate.

Not being a mechanic myself what do others think? I guess this would also apply to engine ice users whose bikes run hotter then one would expect.
 
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#48 ·
No It is an overall heat solution Designed to take away heat tn two parts This is to direct the heat flow from the rad under the bike and heat from the engine down beside the left passenger footboard. The kit includes a new radiator, shrouds, blower fan and the electronics.
The kit number is 99994-0370, and is $399.95.
Don't assume go look it up. and complain to Kawasaki We are being bent over here.
 
#49 ·
Everything I see indicates something like the following:

"New for 2012, Kawasaki Air Management System (KAMS) maximizes rider and passenger comfort when stopped or at very low speeds in warm weather "

This is why I'm of the assumption it's a comfort issue, rather than an issue effecting the operation of the bike.
 
#52 ·
the kams kit was desigend to adress a rider comfort issue... not an engine overheating issue... for a little perspective on this take your car out on a hot day then when the engine is good and hot stop in a parking lot open the hood and sit on it... bet its gonna be pretty warm !!!!! well that is basicaly what you are doing on a 1700 you are straddling a 1.7L engine and expecting it to be cold....now if there was a overheating issue ie: the coolant boils over, then i am sure kawasaki would adress the issue !
 
#54 ·
I agree...in principle. :D

A 1700 is going to be hot.

I think the smaller radiator and the fact that only the top 1/3rd of the cylinders are liquid cooled result in MARGINAL cooling performance.
This is how the bike was engineered and it is operating as designed.

In hot climates the stock set-up flirts with running too hot for some peoples preferences. (and close to the red line on the gauge too)
Pipes, breathers, fuel controllers, 70/30 mixes, additives and other tricks can bring the temps down (a bit) to a level that doesn't approach "too hot".

If Kawasaki thought the bikes were running in a manner they believed would cost them in warranty claims they would fix any issues.

But the warranty is only 3 yrs. What if I want to ride mine for 10? Running cooler can help prevent wear.

Scott
 
#53 ·
flatop I like your idea and will do the same.

I have had the Baker wings on other scoots but what they did for the Voyager is overkill I think.

Plus it is more than I would spend......
 
#55 ·
I wish there was an "easy" way to know what kind of engine temps are being experienced by other big-bore water-cooled bikes, like say the Yamaha Venture, and by other big-bore air only bikes, like the Yamaha Road star, or some of the Harleys. I know that a good friend of mine who has a big Harley says that his performance suffers when it is really hot outside, but I wonder what the actual NUMBERS are for cylinder temps on any of these bikes. I think the Kawasaki gauge on these Voyagers is a BAD design, and is causing a lot of concern, but we do not have exact temperature numbers for comparison.
Tom
 
#59 ·
All I know is that my friends who own Ventures and Harleys complain about the heat off the engine.

Many of the riders of full fairing sport bikes who refuse to wear full leathers complain about the heat off the engines.

My naked 1600 Mean Streak gets very very hot on my upper thighs when caught at a long light. Of course, once I get moving again there is enough air flow on the naked bike to move that heat away from me.

Kawasaki had to redesign the fairings on the Concours to move the heat away from the rider. Don't put your legs out where the vents are or you will feel that heat.

There are many who complain about heat on all the big bikes. The more wind protection the more complaints. At least Kawasaki addressed it with the KAMS kit.

BTW: they even installed the KAMS kit on the new Ninja 300. Don't want to scare off the new riders who might move on to larger displacement bikes.
 
#56 ·
My dealer had a product from France..called Mo Cool made by Motul. It runs my VV within the first half of the dial. In the hottest summer, it goes a bit over. I have my pipes wrapped and sprayed all the way to the mufflers. With these two changes, I'm able to ride with decent comfort in TN in July/Aug.

The website for the product is: www.motul.com
 
#57 ·
Did not see Mo Cool but did see Motocool.

I know people that use their oil and swear by it, but they all have air cooled engines rip roaring dirt bikes. I would assume the coolant isn't bad either. And Ebay has both of them......
 
#58 ·
Thanks for all your input, I've been away for the festive season but managed to get a few miles in once I put the new cooling fluid in the bike. I bleed it according to Kawa and then went back a fed. More times to check for air bubbles.

End result in our 35 deg Celsius temps here over summer it runs cloe to or on the 5 th white mark. At around 29 c or below it sits on the 4th white mark moving with the thermostat. In cold weather it doesn't always get to the 4th mark. The Kams kit works a treat so I suppose I'm happy. But can't shake the feeling it shouldn't be like this.

Thanks again for th input
 
#61 ·
My bike sits on or near about the second mark or just over traveling at 100kph at 30C degrees ambient temperature,about half way or a needle width in stop and go traffic
That'd be right. Kawasaki reckon mine is within specs so too bad. What year is yours?

I wonder if they have altered the sensors, gauge of readout through the ecu on later models.

According to temp checks the last two white marks are "normal" operating temps

All I can do is put them on notice I'll be chasing them for a repair or replacement if it blows up.
 
#62 ·
I became so disenchanted with my Voyager running hot, almost too hot to ride in our hot Australian summers that I considered getting rid of the bike. Then I noticed that the new Vaquero had a different style of lower fairing. I didn't want to change bikes, it's a costly exercise, so I took a risk and ordered online from the USA Vaquero cowling lowers and crash bars, had them painted by my local smash repairs and fitted them. For less than a thousand Aussie dollars and a few hours work it has so far made a very significant difference. Trundling through heavy traffic yesterday was no worse than any other bike I've owned. And they look good too.
 
#63 ·
I became so disenchanted with my Voyager running hot, almost too hot to ride in our hot Australian summers that I considered getting rid of the bike. Then I noticed that the new Vaquero had a different style of lower fairing. I didn't want to change bikes, it's a costly exercise, so I took a risk and ordered online from the USA Vaquero cowling lowers and crash bars, had them painted by my local smash repairs and fitted them. For less than a thousand Aussie dollars and a few hours work it has so far made a very significant difference. Trundling through heavy traffic yesterday was no worse than any other bike I've owned. And they look good too.

I've been debating having a chrome cowling made to go around the Radiator to try and achieve the same scooping effect the Vaquero lower achieve. You solution suggest it might jut work.

got any photos?
 
#69 ·
Well that kills that theory mines an 09 updated ecu. Thought there may have been a programming difference.

I guess min is just a hot one
 
#74 ·
A couple more photos, note how narrow the lowers are from the front compared to the Voyager cowlings, allows lots of air flow and heat t dissipate when in traffic.
Looks good Roody. I had thought about doing that when I saw a used lower come up on ebay, but then I remembered that I would have to find another location for the CB if changed the lowers. The CB for the Voyager goes in the left lower in that 'unused' space.

Some guys have just removed the lowers and put Nomad lowers on their Voyagers as well.
 
#72 ·
I am thinking the stock lowers on the Voyager might be the major culprit in the heat saga. The Vaquero riders don't complain about the heat and it is the same motorcycle. Just has different lowers....

Maybe Roody has answered that question about why the Voyager rides hotter than the other 1700's....
 
#76 ·
Solved, at least my issue is and it's embarrassing

Well after a couple of years struggling with the engine temp running up to the top of the gauge an old time mechanic fixed it........:)

He was standing looking at the bike scratching his head getting up a Kawasaki Dealer who wouldn't believe it was running hot or out of specs. Anyway when he finished the call he stared at the bike a while longer and asked me when I put the Vulcan laser cut radiator trim on.

When I replied about two years ago he told me to take it off reasoning that if one was to move all the solids into one area the new solid piece of chrome would cover about 1/3 of the radiator thereby reducing its effective surface area.

I took the trim off and the gauge came straight back down to normal operating specs. Even on the hottest days since it has never gone more than halfway between the 4th and 5th marks on cooler days it's not even making fan on.

So I am suitably embarrassed for not thinking of it sooner and a little angry that the various dealers who had the radiator out looking for reasons didn't think of it

So my heat problems are solved. Thanks to all who offered their wisdom and experience, it's nice to be able to go for a ride and trust the bike again.
 
#78 ·
Thats great news Dozrtravlin!

I hope I have as much luck with mine when warmer temps come back to Texas.

Ride safe
Scott
 
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