Steamers..... Cold Runners?

[KamikazeKunze]

Hey all,

Just a weird question.....Do Steamers tend to run cold?
If it's below 45 degree Fahrenheit my bike refuses to get warm. Forget getting on the highway. I need to be in traffic for the needle to even get to the middle of the bottom two gauge lines and it really doesn't want to run well until it's warmer.
I guess the upside is I shouldn't overheat in the summer!

I forgot to add I used duct tape to cover the lower half of the radiator and it made ZERO impact on the running temp, per the gauge for a 10 mile ride home in the city after getting my center stand installed.

Thanks

[JayDub]

At 5°C mine is showing just under the first bar and on a hot ( ) day last July - around 21°C and in slow town center traffic - it wasn't that much above the bar.


My other steamer seemed to never go above approx half way 

I've known bikes (and cars) which after really overheating the gauge reads lower than before, probably due to the magic bits inside stretching or sumfink 

[threepot]

Mines about the same. Especially in colder weather.

[KamikazeKunze]

Thanks guys, that is good to know.
I was initially thinking the thermostat was stuck open or had been removed all together. 

[nickjtc]

Mine never used to go much above 'cold' either, even in 30+c weather. But it was certainly 'hot'.

[Sin_Tiger]

It'll run with the thermostat out but you won't see anything at all on the gauge. Don't worry, even with a brand new thermostat, a sender and a gauge that I'd bench tested both OK it rarely gets above the second mark and never for long.

Even stuck in traffic in the 35°C + of Thailand it barely got to half way. That was how I knew my stat was shot, when it went over half while on the move in Wales. 

And yes it ran well even that hot 

[Nick Calne]

Well this is a worry mine gets quite warm in traffic in the summer.

[bemusedinsojo]

Mine is colder than a grave diggers butt. Unless stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Then it goes to half and the fan starts. Still runs a bat out of hell.

[LeighSA]

Mine has new thermostat, clean water galleries etc. and at traffic lights goes to at least half way on the gauge and in summer in Australia it will easily go nearly to maximum on the gauge.
Maybe I better check the gauge itself, either the temperature comes back down after moving along (airflow increase)
My sidecar Tiger 900 (close to going) has a alloy radiator and different thermostat, housing etc. so I'm real interested to see how that runs temperature wise, I keep you posted

[GavD]

Well this is a worry mine gets quite warm in traffic in the summer.

Mine too Nick, reading this post has got me worried a bit about my thermostat, but having seen Sin's symptoms in Wales I'm not too worried about it because it takes quite a while to get to the stage that the fan kicks in, and it'll cool down ok once i'm on the move again.

i think my high mounted front mudguard doesn't help because the rear end of it sits right in front of the radiator. i've cut a few extra slots in it to help a bit.

[London_Phil]

Am I right in thinking the fan cut in sensor/switch on the Rad is not the same as the one reading temp on the gauge. As long as fan cuts in and out in traffic, all is good, regardless of the sensor in the head.

[Sin_Tiger]

Correct. The gauge sensor is on the left side of the head next to the hose spigot. The fan switch is on the left side of the rad.

So if your gauge reads high but the fan doesn't cut in, feel the hoses. If the recirc hose is hot but the hose to the rad is cool, it's probably the stat jammed shut.

[ssevy]

My 99 Legend and my 95 Tiger both run cool except in stop and go traffic, and then they get hot pretty quickly. I modified my Legend based on a thread in the classic triples forum over on triumphrat. The mod kicks the fan on at a lower temperature so you don't have such a rebound effect with wide extremes. I'll probably do the same mod on the Tiger when I have it apart to check the valves. I'll find the thread when I get home and post a link for anyone who might be interested.

[threepot]

Read somewhere that a Volvo item fits,and cuts in at lower temp??

[ssevy]

http://www.triumphrat.net/maintenance-tips-and-tricks-for-the-t3-classics/170450-fan-temperature-switch.html