Triumphrat

03-12-2007, 02:19 AM

Just bought a new '07 Sprint.
Had some bad luck and ended up in stop and go traffic, mostly stopped, on my first ride. The bike temp gauge pegged out and the temp light started flashing. The temp outside was only 88 degrees F, which is cool for Phoenix, AZ. I let the bike cool down and made it home (just a couple miles) OK. I called the dealer immediately and told him what happened. The dealer wasn't concerned since the bike cooled down and I was able to make it home. The bike hasn't overheated again, but I haven't been in any more stop and go traffic. The bike is typically running with the temp gauge at 6 bars, which seems to be at the upper end of the "normal" range. Anyone have any similar experience? I am definitely looking for some advice.

monkinwitz · 03-12-2007, 04:59 AM

had a heat suitation the other day on my new 06 sprint coming come from the dealer in the middle of a friday afternoon, hot summers day, traffic was unbelievable,cars were stacked up for miles and miles jammed tight,i had to cruise down the outside next to the wall on our motorway,my bike was reading 7 8 bars and the heat coming out of the side was unbearable had to keep my legs away from the frame as it was generating so much heat. I thought about just pulling off the road and waiting ,but managed to keep a reasonable speed up but i was concerned at the heat levels.checked everything next day and no problems (avoid***** traffic on friday afternoons) by the way i found the heat more bearable on my old 955 sprint. :???:

ruscook · 03-12-2007, 05:03 AM

My 05/06 Sprint never ran higher than 5 on the open road, and 6 in free flowing traffic. 7 & 8 were reservered for 40degC plus days in traffic. The fan came at 7 bars and the bike NEVER got above 8 in any weather/traffic combo (including 44degree C days in Sydney traffic)

The 07 S3 runs hotter than the Sprint, i.e. it gets to 6 & 7 earlier. The fan comes on at bars not 7 but still it has not gone over 8 bars.

If yours did go over 8 I suggest there's a problem. Either calibration or real, demand to have it checked.

Russ

[ This message was edited by: ruscook on 2007-03-12 03:03 ]

Snake · 03-12-2007, 07:00 AM

I am going to have to concur with ruscook. I had a situation like that with my bike, not the ST, but it was essentially the same.

The bike kept coming into ridiculous heat levels during casual riding, in normal surface streets. The mechanic told me it was normal, but I was insistant, and they ended up finding some problem with the coolant, and fixed it.

Always be persistant, if there is a problem its better to know ahead of time.

SoCalSprint · 03-15-2007, 04:38 AM

I know it's simple but have you checked your coolant level? It can be common for dealers to not prep correctly.

My '06 runs at 5 bars and if it's real hot (over 100 in heavy traffic) it will get up to 7 bars.
Also new engines can run hotter as they're breaking in.

[ This message was edited by: SoCalSprint on 2007-03-15 02:40 ]

NikosR · 03-15-2007, 11:50 AM

if the temperature gauge was pegged out and the warning light had come on, then this is DEFINITELY not normal.

The bike is designed so that the cooling system and the fan keep it within normal temperature tolerances for any kind of normal conditions even in real hot days in stop and go city riding. Abnormal condition would be revving it hard and for long time on a dyno bench in a hot room without forced air ventilation, or something similar.

All the people here who are saying that it can be normal, confuse the case of the bike getting hot and the fan coming on with real overheating (i.e. gauge pegged and warning light flashing) that you describe.

There might be any number of things that caused that. Most common would be a faulty fan or fan thermostat. You didn't tell us if the fan switched on while you were having the problem.

The test you can perform is easy. Just start the bike and leave it standing and idling until the fan switches in. If the fan doesn't switch in when the gauge gets to about 7 or 8 and/or the temperature keeps rising, you have a fault.

hANNAbONE · 03-15-2007, 11:57 AM

Pegging the coolant ??--I thought my '03 BMW KRS was the only animal that did that...

:hammer:

oldndumb · 03-15-2007, 12:13 PM

NickosR's diagnosis is exactly right. The dealer should do a scan to see if any fault(s) were recorded. In any case, do not run the engine if the light is illuminated. Lets hope that it was an isolated incident and not an intermittent problem

SR1 · 03-15-2007, 12:28 PM

Could be air in your cooling system. While mine will go up to 8 bars on the hottest summer day, it hasn't gone over that.

oldndumb · 03-15-2007, 12:47 PM

Being new and under warranty, get the dealer to scan it. Any trapped air from servicing should be expelled by now. Check the coolant level with the bike on level ground and in an upright position (not on side stand). According to Triumph, the normal temp range is between 3 and 6 bars. If the coolant temp gets too high it will show 9 bars and start to flash. The temp warning light in the tach will also illuminate. If the temp continues to increase all 10 bars will flash. I ride in Fla and stop and go traffic gives me 7 bars and then the fan comes on and handles it. I have never seen over 7 bars in 95+ days.
If someone tells you that they experience air in the system and have to service it all the time it is because they are not using the bleed screw and vac pump to syphon through the system.