ZX6R 2005 running temp & coolant questions for a n00b.

Soldato
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25 Sep 2006
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I picked up my first bike today a ZX6R 05 plate. It's been service though coolant looks, well low....

When the bike is upright:

20110622-mk1b2c51e22qa3116puikfjct8.jpg


Side stand:
20110622-j772fpjcw84qedcs3isj6fukfu.jpg


Being a newbie I obviously wasn't riding particularly hard except for one point and the temperate on my speedo was showing around 98 degrees which is quite high no? It did drop to nearer to 80 degrees at another point though.

What sort of running temperature should I expect to be seeing when riding sensibly? I think it's just a tad low on coolant hence the high temp so can pop back this weekend and get them to pop more in.

Thanks in advance,

BennyC

Edit: Google skills:

http://www.zxforums.com/forums/zx-6r-forum/12971-normal-operating-temp.html

Seems it's well within normal range though could obviously do with a top up.
 
Associate
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As said top up the coolent, as long as the fan kicks in the temps should be ok.
Lol i could cook an egg on the frame of me trike after 20 mins of riding :D
 
Soldato
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I asked the exact same question when I got my Z750 -(my first bike) it would creep over 100 if I got stuck in traffic. It's nothing to worry about but it does want a little top up to that level :)
 
Tea Drinker
Don
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Bikes run hot and varied I think the sensors are more sensitive than cars, as said top up when the bike is as if on the centre stand if you have one, then just keep an eye on it, you notice the heat so much more as your legs are round the engine and any fans wash the heat straight over you.

Think how disengaged you are from a car engine.
 
Soldato
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Thanks chaps. I'll take it back and get them to top it up, I'll watch as I need to learn how myself but I've just paid for the bike so they can service it properly! :p

It's a bit of an animal in comparison to the ER-5! :eek:
 
Soldato
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As everyone has said that's fairly standard temp for this time of year :) fan will kick in about 103-105 I think, pretty noisy so don't get worried the first time it kicks in :p

That's the coolant res, so as long as there's something in there its fine, but yea take it to the shop and watch them if you don't know how, they should check the actual rad level too.
 
Soldato
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Just spoke to them and will pop it in to them on Saturday after work. He said to check it when it's hot as it's an expansion tank, I explained when the bike was upright and after just having been ridden you couldn't see anything but could see a little when on it's side.

I checked the header bearings too and they are 'A-ok' :cool:

Does anybody here have ABBA stands? I brought the front and rear though have spotted that there's no actual front part of the bike to lift with the front stand as it's just fairing which will flex. The downpipes from the engine run about 100mm above the bottom of the fairing so was thinking of just popping a block of wood in between the downpipes and fairing to stop the fairing flexing and taking the weight of the front of the bike. Good idea or bad idea?
 
Soldato
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Just the fairing was flexing at the bottom so I don't want it to snap or shatter! I will take some snaps over the weekend.
 
Soldato
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Good shout.

One last thing. I would imagine that the oil has been changed during the service. There is plenty in there though it is black already. Should it not still look a bit like **** when you are dehydrated, if it was new oil...
 
Soldato
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When was it serviced? and how much mileage has it done since then?

It was serviced after I paid my deposit, so 6th of June, of which it's been sat in the workshop. I can't remember the exact milage (just over 21,500) when I left it after the test pillion ride but it's sub 50 since the service easily.
 
Soldato
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Should be still clean.Take a photo of some oil on a white kitchen towel.

Thanks, I had another gander today the backing behind the the glass which the oil sits between is dark in colour so might be skewing it slightly though when I next have it out I'll get some out. There is some in the breather/over flow reservoir not much which some looked dark and the rest looked newish from memory.

My fuel light came on on the motorway this afternoon. They must have only put about 5/6 litres in it :( I was struggling to see much in there! Topped up to about an inch below the housing for the cap.

One random question at roughly what revs would you normally change up? for bog standard riding. My instructor told me on the ER-5's not to change up before 6krpm ideally, these bikes had less power, though my ZX6R seems quite happy with changes around 3/4krpm as in it's not struggling or spluttering.
 
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