07 Overheating

I'm new to the FJR, but lots of miles on other bikes...anyway, 07 FJR has a problem, I'm just not sure how serious.

Bike as just over 600 miles on it, primarily back and forth to work (other bike is getting all the riding until my wife heads out of town). No problems until this morning. I made my normal 13 mile freeway ride to work, and as I pulled into my parking space I noticed the temp gauge jump up from the middle to almost the top in literally the blink of an eye. I had ear plugs in so I couldn't tell if the fan was running or not, so pulled the helmet off quick and the fan was running...first time since I bought the bike. I turned the bike off and then turned the key back on and the fan continued to run.

Did my 11 hours and then checked the bike over before heading home. Coolant level was okay. Bike ran fine, but by the time I got about 5 miles toward home the temp gauge was pegged, but not flashing, and I could hear the fan running (no ear plugs going home). Finished the ride home, pulled in the driveway, and left the bike running. Fan was running, and gauge was pegged, but again not flashing. Heat coming off the bike though didn't feel any hotter than normal. I turned off the bike and then turned the key back on...fan came back on, but it cut in and out...it would run strong and then almost stop and then run fast for a while and then cut almost off again.

I'm getting ready to take the bike in for initial service, but I was wondering if any of you have had a similar problem and what the fix might be? I'm thinking it's actually not overheating, but possibly a sensor has went bad or a connection has come loose in turn sending a bad signal to the gauge and the controller for the fan.

Also, another question...on my old Concours when it got hot enough for the fan to come on, the fan would run after the key was turned off. I noticed the FJR doesn't do this...is this how it should work?

Curt

(07 FJR & 06 RSV)

I've got about 6K miles on my 07, and when the fan comes on, the bike is HOT!!! If you don't detect abnormal heat, it's probably a sensor or loose connection...

jeremybhm said:

I've got about 6K miles on my 07, and when the fan comes on, the bike is HOT!!! If you don't detect abnormal heat, it's probably a sensor or loose connection...

Click to expand...

The dealer couldn't replicate the problem...but all seems fine now. Today it was hot and muggy when I picked the bike up and rode it home and temp gauge never went past midpoint and fan never came on. Maybe it was an air bubble the other day...who knows?

But, did get the clutch redone under warranty while the bike was in :yahoo: .

Curt

Concours said:

jeremybhm said:

I've got about 6K miles on my 07, and when the fan comes on, the bike is HOT!!! If you don't detect abnormal heat, it's probably a sensor or loose connection...

Click to expand...

The dealer couldn't replicate the problem...but all seems fine now. Today it was hot and muggy when I picked the bike up and rode it home and temp gauge never went past midpoint and fan never came on. Maybe it was an air bubble the other day...who knows?

But, did get the clutch redone under warranty while the bike was in :yahoo: .

Curt

Click to expand...

Clutch redone? is there a recall? does it affect the AE?

The temperature light on my '03 Honda Magna used to come on whenever the fan came on. The dealer fixed it. It may be that your fan operation is affecting the temp gauge. You might ride around slow enough to get the fan to come on again and see if the gauge goes berserk again.

Living in Calif:I have always been "wary" of Liquid cooled bike & have ALWAYS added a Switch to be able to run the FAN myself!! On the FJR it's simple: the fuses are next to the battery! It's a good feeling to be able to turn the fans on in Traffic & off once on the open road. Also if you forget the fans will work auto!

The fan should run when needed and it's really not necessary to hook up a manual control.

"Clutch redone? is there a recall? does it affect the AE? "

I don't know if there's a recall or not...I was having a hard time getting the bike (07A) to downshift if the bike wasn't up to operating temp....similar problem described by another member earlier.

The dealer pulled the clutch, resoaked the fiber plates, and clean the metal plates...put it all back together and the bled the clutch. Now I have the "snick snick" I'd expect out of bike of the FJR quality...I'm a happy camper.

Curt

p.s. I was at Road America today for the 1st round of the Superbike Races...I was pleasantly surprised by the number of FJRs I saw. As the saying goes..."they're everywhere!".

Well my 07 FJR went back in the shop again today :angry: The tech couldn't replicate the problem when I took it the week before last so they declared the bike had no problem...after today, I doubt they ever looked at anything than seeing if the gauge went up :angry2: .

Today I went out at lunch to run a quick errand...5 minutes later and two stop signs and the temp gauge is max'd and the last bar is flashing....then the check engine light comes on. I pull around the corner to shut the bike off, and just as pull to right I look down the gauge is back in the middle and the check engine light is off. Ran my errand and back to work, gauge stayed in the middle.

I called the dealer and told them I'd bring it out after work. I left the office, got one block, and the gauge was max'd and flashing...stayed that way for a mile and then dropped by to the middle. Of course it never went back up the rest of the way to dealer and was right in the middle when I got there. Dealer wants the bike for the week to see if they can replicate the problem...telling me if they can't get it to do they won't know what to do...HUH?? I gave them symptoms, there should be an error code from the check engine coming on...how hard is it to check sensors, connections, and codes like this owner asked?

Curt (07 FJR & 06 RSV)

p.s. Bike is NOT overheating...it's a gauge or sensor problem...just wish I could get the dealer to listen to me :angry:

my guess is that you have a bad temp sender, or a bad connection to the gauge somewhere.

modern cooling systems are designed with a fail safe. if they dont get a propper signal from the sender,

they turn the fans on. it's better to run too cold, than run the risk of overheating.

you can test the fans by turning the ignition on, then disconnect the temp sensor. as soon as you do, the fans will come on.

and you will probably get the check engine light too.

the fans on my 06 AE only come on when there is only two bars left on the gauge.

i would point the dealer at the sender, or the wiring that connects to it.

keep us posted.

jason

85turbo said:

my guess is that you have a bad temp sender, ....
i would point the dealer at the sender, or the wiring that connects to it.

keep us posted.

jason

Click to expand...

Jason,

They called this afternoon...you were correct...bad sensor. Still not sure why I had to take it back a second time to fix something they should have found the first time, but at least they fixed it this time.

Curt

glad to hear it's all sorted out. i was fairly confident that it was the sender unit.

if the bike was actually overheating, you would be in no doubt about it. they run hot enough when its at normal.....

jason

Hey guys, great post. May I ask where is this sensor? I always like to know where the solution lies with a potential problem. Now that my bike is apart (panel swap), will also check the radiator to make sure it's full. Take care.

JC