MrOflam Posted August 10, 2015 Share #1 Posted August 10, 2015 Hello! New to the forum, looking for some help. Just bought a 1987 xvz1300 about a month ago, and I have noticed after riding a while, at slow speeds going through town with a lot of stops it gets pretty hot.... Temp gauge gets up real close to the red area (have not seen it actually get into the red though). Once moving and getting air flow it goes back down, into a range I would assume is much more normal... So Im wondering, what am I looking at here? New thermostat? Maybe water pump?.... Im rather new to bikes in general, so Im sorta taking stabs in the dark here. Any ideas would be awesome! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 10, 2015 Share #2 Posted August 10, 2015 Welcome What you are looking at is perfectly normal. That is just the way Yamaha set up the gage on this bike. Most all newcomers have the same concern. Mine runs on the edge of the red whether it is 70° or 100° out there. At 10° it will run lower...... The fan should turn on just below the edge of the red, drop the temp some and cycle back off. You can test this just idling in the driveway. We have some rules on this forum. We all love to see pics of bikes, especially new to you bikes. Don't let that @cowpuc character catch ya posting without pics, he aint far from ya is is just liable to ride down there to take pics and then take you and make you eat hot dogs....... Maybe even ice cream..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted August 10, 2015 Share #3 Posted August 10, 2015 When the temperature rises, does the fan kick on?? You may have a bad fan or temperature sensor, or a disconnected wire from the sensor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiehammer Posted August 10, 2015 Share #4 Posted August 10, 2015 1. Insure that the cooling system is filled to the proper level. In the right fairing there is a radiator coolant reservoir. Check the coolant level there. Are there any apparent leaks? 2. Does the fan come on when the gauge nears the red? 3. Check the temperature gauge sending unit connector for cleanliness and tightness. 4. Check that the cooling system drain cock is properly set. The drain cock is located below the radiator. "OFF" on the drain cock should be pointing to a mark on the valve body in the 2 o'clock position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOflam Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted August 10, 2015 Awesome... This forum is more helpful than I thought it might be. The fan does kick on when the temp goes up, and I shall look into those other tips posted, thank you so much... As for pics, I only have one at this moment... And its not actually that great of one, but here ya go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great White Posted August 10, 2015 Share #6 Posted August 10, 2015 If it bugs you too much in traffic, you can swap out the fan switch for one that comes on at a lower temp: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?72219-Lower-Temp-Fan-Switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOflam Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted August 10, 2015 If it bugs you too much in traffic, you can swap out the fan switch for one that comes on at a lower temp: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?72219-Lower-Temp-Fan-Switch Niiice!.... Totally doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted August 10, 2015 Share #8 Posted August 10, 2015 Niiice!.... Totally doing that. I wouldn't. At low RPM you don't have a lot of output from the alternator. If that fan runs too much you'll discharge the battery and end up pushing it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOflam Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted August 10, 2015 I wouldn't. At low RPM you don't have a lot of output from the alternator. If that fan runs too much you'll discharge the battery and end up pushing it home. Sounds like a reasonable point... But brings to mind other things I had thoughts of adding/modding... Would this low output also be effected by additional lighting?... Is there a way to create more output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 10, 2015 Share #10 Posted August 10, 2015 If you are going to do a lot of additional lighting, you may want to turn it off if the bike will be idling for long periods. Once up to cruising speed the output is much better to handle things. It is just at low RPM that you might have an issue. Which brings up another point, these engines like to sing a bit, don't try to ride it like a Harley, it wont like it. Keep the RPMs up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted August 10, 2015 Share #11 Posted August 10, 2015 I have found that if I keep my driving lights (2 X 55 Watts) on in stop and go I can get into trouble. I shut then down if I'm not moving. I also needed a jump once after pulling a trailer about 8 miles in rush hour traffic. I've since switched the trailer to LED lighting. It appears that the electric ant-dive units draw a bunch of power during braking. One of these days I'm going to disconnect them and see if things are better...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great White Posted August 11, 2015 Share #12 Posted August 11, 2015 Sounds like a reasonable point... But brings to mind other things I had thoughts of adding/modding... Would this low output also be effected by additional lighting?... Is there a way to create more output? Unless your battery already has one foot in the grave, no real need to worry about your cooling fan coming on 10 F cooler than stock. If you're in traffic long enough for that to make a difference, you weren't getting out of there anyways.... Driving lights and such are a different story. High power draw and low rpm is a bad mix. The low RPM is the issue, not so much the output. Get a couple revs in and it will charge fine. Better off to look for low power draw lights like LED's when looking for additional lighting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyday58 Posted August 11, 2015 Share #13 Posted August 11, 2015 Welcome What you are looking at is perfectly normal. That is just the way Yamaha set up the gage on this bike. Most all newcomers have the same concern. Mine runs on the edge of the red whether it is 70° or 100° out there. At 10° it will run lower...... The fan should turn on just below the edge of the red, drop the temp some and cycle back off. You can test this just idling in the driveway. We have some rules on this forum. We all love to see pics of bikes, especially new to you bikes. Don't let that @cowpuc character catch ya posting without pics, he aint far from ya is is just liable to ride down there to take pics and then take you and make you eat hot dogs....... Maybe even ice cream..... Scary juujuu, you speak PUCish fluently...don't have him locked in your basement feeding him greasy burgers, do ya?!?! :dancefool: :clap2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 11, 2015 Share #14 Posted August 11, 2015 Scary juujuu, you speak PUCish fluently...don't have him locked in your basement feeding him greasy burgers, do ya?!?! :dancefool: :clap2: Well Puc and I do both drink from the same water source. Hows that for scary. Not greasy burgers, BUTTER burgers, this state is Americas Dairyland after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyday58 Posted August 11, 2015 Share #15 Posted August 11, 2015 Well Puc and I do both drink from the same water source. Hows that for scary. Not greasy burgers, BUTTER burgers, this state is Americas Dairyland after all. WOW. Nickname: The Bypass State?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowpuc Posted August 11, 2015 Share #16 Posted August 11, 2015 (edited) Awesome... This forum is more helpful than I thought it might be. The fan does kick on when the temp goes up, and I shall look into those other tips posted, thank you so much... As for pics, I only have one at this moment... And its not actually that great of one, but here ya go. [ATTACH=CONFIG]101029[/ATTACH] Sheesh kapeesh,, cant a guy get no rest around this joint!!! Couple of things,, first Mr. O, THANK YOU for being so quickly responsive to the hints of the forums unwritten rules found in our little reminder that - ! That bike of yours is GORGEOUS:scared:!!! 2nd thing is,, dont let these lop eared varmints push ya around.. When it comes to bike advice they are second to none BUT - when it comes to personal advice concerning gentle/quiet and non people, especially about their fellow members - BEEEE CAREFUL!! THANKS for taking the hint though, taking the time to :photographing: and showing these folks how its suppose to be done!!! Hopefully you learned em something! Now the important stuff.. IMHO, It sounds to me like your scoot is performing exactly as it should. I know it can be intimidating to see that temp gauge riding high like it does but I assure you from my perspective, thats normal. I have personally spent a fair amount of time in extreme temps (including some Death Valley touring - 120 degrees) and found that zone on the temp gauge is where these puppies run.. As mentioned, as long as your fan will activate before the gauge gets into the red - all things sound normal. Concerning the stator output.. If I had it to do all over again and had had the advantage of modern day LED lighting that we now have, I would have researched (with the advice of people like that sneaky @Flyinfool) the means to switch all of my running lights over to LED. I only say that cause I have a hunch it may involve a little more than just plugging in LED's. I have personally never been that impressed with the stator output on our 1st Gens (cant speak for 2nd Gen's/1999 or newer Ventures as I have never even ridden one - much less worked on one). I think lessening the draw on the system would be a HUGE improvement across the board!! Anyway, all the chatter you are hearing about running the battery down thru over usage of the fan motor is spot on - I have experienced it several times! Fact is, I think the whole electrical system on our 1st Gens was designed by some back yard mechanic sipping Saki when he should have been thinking of what these scoots were going to be exposed to.. One of the HUGE advantages to a person jumping to LED lights would be the end effect of not using the limited power source of your battery on lighting amp draw and having it available for those slow moving traffic jams in high temps when your fan is vitally needed.. Bottom line, as mentioned, check the anti-freeze - make sure its full. Warm your scoot up to operating temp, let it idle its way to fan on, watch the temp gauge and see if it drops a little as the fan is forcing air thru the rad. Should all happen just below the red zone. Keep a GOOD battery in your scoot - tired batteries are your bikes worst nightmare and hard on EVERYTHING. Chat with these varmints who 'd ya about the pics and see if ya cant pry some info from them about whether or not some things have to be done with the Reserve Lighting Unit in order to drop one of these modern day LED headlights in.. Switch over to LED's - your stator/battery/electrical system will LOVE ya for it!! Now all that said, another point to be considered here.. THOUSANDS of bikes just like yours have been ridden THOUSANDS of miles functioning exactly like your scoot is functioning (at least, from what I am reading here - it sounds that way). You could just ride the living daylights out of it like it is!! I mean truthfully, even if you do run the battery low enough thru over fan usage in slow traffic that it wont restart after you shut it off to refuel, it's only a one ice cream cone wait for the battery to regain enough charge to get her going again Edited August 11, 2015 by cowpuc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 11, 2015 Share #17 Posted August 11, 2015 :sign yeah that: Heheheh I knew I could wake @cowpuc up. As far as the converting to modern lighting, it does help a LOT. Unfortunately I never took any amp readings before I did the conversions so I have nothing to compare to other than the system voltage. Mine was also changed little by little over several years. I so far have around 525 LEDs on the bike, and I still have about 1500 more LEDs in a box waiting for me to decide how I want to mount them ALL. Before the lighting change, when I came to a stop all of the lights would dim and the voltmeter on the dash would drop to about mid scale. With the brake not applied. The brake applied not only has the extra power of the brake lights but also activates the Electronic Anti Dive circuit, which draws a lot of power. Now that i have replaced the headlight with a HID and all other bulbs with LED, the voltmeter does not drop at all while stopped, and non of the lights dim, even if I have the brake on. There are a number of changes that have to made to the bike to convert to all modern lighting, but it is not real difficult to do, time consuming yes, but not difficult. But to keep things simple, since this thread is about cooling, It is best to start another thread about lighting. Or do some searching, there are a few threads already done with everything that has to be done along with lots of discussion for the various conversions. For LED headlight http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?107457-Installed-an-LED-headlight-in-the-1986-1st-Gen For HID headlight http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?45603-Just-got-my-new-HID-headlight For the rest of the lights to LED http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?77042-MORE-lights And even more LED lights http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?41588-Lighting-up-my-Venture And there are a bunch more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOflam Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share #18 Posted August 11, 2015 Awesome!... You guys are awesome!... I swear... Just a couple of posts in this thread has more info than I could dig up in 2 days of digging through google searches lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 11, 2015 Share #19 Posted August 11, 2015 Awesome!... You guys are awesome!... I swear... Just a couple of posts in this thread has more info than I could dig up in 2 days of digging through google searches lol. Kind of makes the $12 to be a supporting member the best $12 you will spend on your bike....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrOflam Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted August 11, 2015 Kind of makes the $12 to be a supporting member the best $12 you will spend on your bike....... Very true... Im still a "trial" member... But I think Ill be sticking around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted August 11, 2015 Share #21 Posted August 11, 2015 One thing I don't see mentioned here about the charging circuit...(probably because this thread is about cooling??) is that when I come to a long light or a train crossing during the heat of summer. I let off the brake and rev/blip the engine just once. For some reason, on my scoot, the gauge goes up higher and sits there after I release the brake and goose it a bit. Seems to set the system into a higher charging mode without the brake light load. At least I feel better about the battery not discharging with the fan on! As far as cooling...yep...I ride in the desert and during the infrequent times I'm out running when it's 100 degrees, I watch the gauge zip on up to just below red and then stay there. So far, (knock on wood), never gone over. Not to shabby for 25 year old technology. Mom Yamaha built these bikes right! david P.S. And yep...best $12 bux I've spent...ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great White Posted August 11, 2015 Share #22 Posted August 11, 2015 Here's a spot to check for lower than expected output from the alternator: corrosion in the connectors to the rectifier assemble. Any there plays havoc with output and is also the cause of the infamous "melting" plug. Deox-it is supposed to work well, although I've never used it. I take the connector apart (literally), clean the contacts, lubricate and reassemble. My 83 has never had an issue with not enough output or running the battery down, but I also don't have things like grip warmers, running lights, driving lights, stereos, etc. Right now, I'm waiting for my bank account to recover from buying front and rear rims to convert my FJ1200 to radials and I'm probably going to explore converting the Venture's RR to the MOSFET FH020AA unit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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