You can just look at the oil in the sight glass and see if it is a milkshake.

Did it actually overheat? 220f is the stock temp at which the fans turn on, so that is normal. Any bike will sit and idle and reach that temp in about 5 min or so. Did it get to 240f?

Take a hose and flush the fins on the radiator, make sure it can flow air through there, and the fans can actually cool the coolant. Check the water level in the radiator to see if it is even full.

It is worth doing some simple checks before jumping to omg blown head gasket.

 

You can just look at the oil in the sight glass and see if it is a milkshake.

Did it actually overheat? 220f is the stock temp at which the fans turn on, so that is normal. Any bike will suit and idle and reach that temp in about 5 min or so. Did it get to 240f?

Take a hose and flush the fins on the radiator, make sure it can flow air through there, and the fans can actually cool the coolant. Check the water level in the radiator to see if it is even full.

It is worth doing some simple checks before jumping to omg blown head gasket.

I guess it depends on what constitutes overheating. It gets to 105 degrees (about 221 F) in a minute or so, and riding and/or the fan seems to have no impact.

I'll start to work through the various options. The nervousness is the speed that it heats up - and also the starting isn't brilliant which leads me to suspect possible head gasket.

I'll do the easy stuff and report back.

Thanks

BSR67

 

When the bike is cold and on the kick stand, pull off radiator cap. Let the bike run while resting on kickstand. Squeeze the lower hose a few times. Let it run for awhile then shut it off. Recap and top off next morning.

I'd start there then the water pump next.

 

When the bike is cold and on the kick stand, pull off radiator cap. Let the bike run while resting on kickstand. Squeeze the lower hose a few times. Let it run for awhile then shut it off. Recap and top off next morning.

I'd start there then the water pump next.

Thank you - coolant level and this is the first step.

I've bought a thermostat, rad cap and compression tester (always useful to have).

Will report back,

BSR67

 

Hey,
Whatever you do, don't get those cheap high psi (advertised anyway) china amazon/ebay radiator caps. I got one and it sent me on a wild goose chase. It was bad. I ended up getting a reputable brand cap that was still a bit higher pressure, but not the china one. You know it when you see it. Trust me... it's not worth it...

Mine was losing pressure in the old hoses by the thermostat, and boiling over. I replaced everything in the end. Radiator, cap, hoses, thermostat. The coolant reservoir had some cracks in it and I plastic welded it. It's not a hard job and it's not that expensive and you will be happy to know everything is fresh. Radiator $80 Cap $25 Hoses $45 (had to wait for these overseas tho) Thermostat $25i (all usd). It's not that bad and then you are not fretting over it, testing this testing that, overheating at the traffic light...

In the end, the bike still runs a bit (10-15f) warmer on average than my 954rr, but it's fine. You will notice also most of the heat is on the right side of the radiator... so I replaced the stock right fan with a high powered aftermarket one. Forgot about that detail, $55. I didn't need this, but it made a big difference. Then I made a manual fan switch. In the beginning it was overheating in 75f weather, and now it survives just fine 115f. So hey, it was worth it. I leave the fan switch on in town, and turn it off when I get on a long stretch or highway.

I also worried like hell about the head gasket. Ive bought 3 sport bikes that all had temp issues when I bought them, and every one of them I worried about head gasket, and none of them were. This is why if I had to do it again, unless I had really good reason to believe it's head gasket (check the oil, let the bike run and warm up with the rad cap off, make sure it doesnt volcano early) then I would just replace all of it fresh and never try this that and the other...

 

Thank you Alan, very useful information indeed, and very much appreciated.

So, as an update, yesterday I placed the bike on the side stand, and took the radiator cap off. I could not see any water in the radiator. I had started it an ran it earlier on the side stand, and it went from 'Lo' to '100 degrees (centigrade)' in actually three minutes, not one or two.

So I topped up the radiator and continued to add water bit by bit and the temperature actually fell (down to 77 degrees from a starting position of 83 because I'd just ridden it a very short distance). I kept running it and topping. I got several small bubbles and then it seemed to stabilise. I obviously ran it too long because it started chuffing water out at 99 degrees! My error! I rode it again for circa 3 minutes and the radiator temperature dropped to around 77 degrees and then sat at around 79-80 when riding. Is that normal? (around 182F).

So, I have refilled and left it overnight so far. There are no visible external leaks at present. I'll run it up again later and see what gives.

Can't understand why it was so low on water then the seller told me he'd flushed it (but did say he'd not removed any airlocks'. It didn't have an airlock, just insufficient coolant.

I've purchased a Yamaha Cap! Also, a compression tester - that's a job for another day at present.

Thanks All,

BSR67

 

Thank you Alan, very useful information indeed, and very much appreciated.

So, as an update, yesterday I placed the bike on the side stand, and took the radiator cap off. I could not see any water in the radiator. I had started it an ran it earlier on the side stand, and it went from 'Lo' to '100 degrees (centigrade)' in actually three minutes, not one or two.

So I topped up the radiator and continued to add water bit by bit and the temperature actually fell (down to 77 degrees from a starting position of 83 because I'd just ridden it a very short distance). I kept running it and topping. I got several small bubbles and then it seemed to stabilise. I obviously ran it too long because it started chuffing water out at 99 degrees! My error! I rode it again for circa 3 minutes and the radiator temperature dropped to around 77 degrees and then sat at around 79-80 when riding. Is that normal? (around 182F).

So, I have refilled and left it overnight so far. There are no visible external leaks at present. I'll run it up again later and see what gives.

Can't understand why it was so low on water then the seller told me he'd flushed it (but did say he'd not removed any airlocks'. It didn't have an airlock, just insufficient coolant.

I've purchased a Yamaha Cap! Also, a compression tester - that's a job for another day at present.

Thanks All,

BSR67

it would have had an airlock. The air heats, blows out water via the overflow, has insufficient water then overheats. That's why you take the cap off and let it idle, plus squeezing the hoses helps push more coolant around and get rid of the entrapped air.

 

I have an 04 r1 and kept smelling antifreeze, but couldn't find any leaks. Turns out that radiator pipe number 3 is plastic, and developed a crack in one of the seems. It was losing coolant and overheating but the coolant was evaporating and leaving very little sign. Pipe number 3 is a 20yr old plastic radiator pipe. Even if it is not an issue on your r1, it very well could become one. The pipe is part #25 OEM diagram. Good luck, and ride safe. Scott

 

That sounds like it’s air locked, it heats up way too quickly


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