Bike too hot to ride

[qnbee]

this maybe a stupid question but here goes. I bought a brand new half faired Yamaha FZ800 7 days ago so she's still being run in, I've ridden her 3 days now in warm weather and the heat coming off the bike was so unbelievably hot, to the point where I couldn't even put my legs down to grip the tank as it was burning my inner thigh, now I know I've been riding a fully faired bike for years and this is my first semi naked, but is this normal and if so how do people ride without passing out from either the pain of burning or just being overheated? I've had people tell me it's because I rode her in traffic, yes this was the case the first time but the two other times have been on the highway and still was extremely hot, to the point I was trying to ride from the pillion seat position. The fan is kicking it when it's supposed to so that's not the problem, it's the air from the motor being directed up towards my legs that is the killer.
I rang my bike dealer and explained the situation to him and he rang Yamaha Australia to ask their opinion and they are saying apparently it is a design flaw not a happy biker

What I want to know if is this normal and will she settle down as she's bedded in or is this something I'm going to have to try to put up with, if so I don't know how I'm going to enjoy riding her?
Has anyone else had this problem or do I just have a faulty bike, if so I'm going to be gutted

 

[amccowan]

That is definitely not normal man, I have been stuck in traffic a few times and never felt what you are describing, especially not when riding at highway speeds. Not sure what the problem is but I would get back on the phone with your dealer.

 

[FastZ8]

Me either...I mean I can feel a little heat some times but normally I don't notice it...feels good on a cold day but shouldn't be that hot. What's your engine temp reading on the gauge?

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[FZ8Ryder]

Me either...I mean I can feel a little heat some times but normally I don't notice it...feels good on a cold day but shouldn't be that hot. What's your engine temp reading on the gauge?

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I second wondering what the temp on the gauge was. I wonder if it's possible that the temp sensor is malfunctioning and not activating cooling soon enough. I have gotten warm from my bike when stuck in traffic before but that was in Nevada when its 90 degrees or above. Never been as hot as you're describing.

 

[b-eock]

Yeah I've been in Texas when its over 100. And it could feel it. But it didn't bother me... That bike would always cool down fairly quickly. Also make sure you're wearing full length pants. If you go down, you'll thank yourself for that.

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[DSmith]

are you wearing pants? i wore shorts on my fz8 once around the neighborhood and the heat coming off the bike was unbearable. i hardly notice the heat with jeans or riding pants on

 

[fz8kansas]

I experienced this type of heat from my 8 this summer when the temps got well into the 90's. The tank was so hot from the engine it was untouchable along the lower sides. I would watch my temp gauge and while riding it would run in the mid 190's. But come to a stop and it would slowly heat up to as much as 210. If I could ride a block or 2 without hitting a light it would cool back down. I have a hearing problem so I could not tell if the fans were running. I could not see them from the seated position and determine if they were spinning. As soon has the summer extreme heat quit, so did the heat from between the legs.
I seem to remember a similar thread about this during the summer and seveal other people noticed the heat from the motor and the hot tank.

 

[DaKow]

The temp gauge will go up as high as around 216 before it starts cooling off when sitting in traffic on hot days, but I've never heard of anyone complaining of unbearable heat on their legs from the engine. That's a new one.

 

[villhelmromero]

here in san antonio the temp easily hits 110° F in the summer and I never had any heating problems. even sitting in traffick. and holy crap does it suck during rush hour. the highest the bike read was 214ish. it isn't unbearable to sit on though.

 

[Rotaryknight]

if you are wearing just shorts, the heat from the engine and the frame (soaking the heat) will scorch your thighs. I have ridden the FZ8 for short distances to my cousins house in shorts in 90+F temperature and it is really really hot with the hot air blowing against your thighs. When you are moving, it is somewhat better but I always make sure my legs arent touching the bike at all. After seeing how it was with shorts, I wear pants whenever I ride, no matter the temperature.

I've sat at long redlights with shorts on and the engine at 210f with the fan blowing the radiators....it sucks.

 

[qnbee]

are you wearing pants? i wore shorts on my fz8 once around the neighborhood and the heat coming off the bike was unbearable. i hardly notice the heat with jeans or riding pants on

Thanks for your thoughts guys.
Yes I was wearing pants all times, don't ever squid.

Gauge seemed to be reading right, I work in Celcius here so it gets up as high as 101 C, fans kick in when they are supposed too and yes it does cool down (the gauge) on the highway but still not enough to stop the heat from rising and burning me. I'm really not enjoying riding my bike at the moment and I've only had her a week and already regretting my decision. This was meant to be a new chapter for me and is turning out to be a nightmare so far.
Will see what the dealer has got to say tomorrow, he's not familiar with my model of bike so he's going to go for a ride just to see what I'm talking about and I guess we'll go from there. They had better not think I'm just a chick having a whinge cause I tell you now he'll get what for if he does!

Fingers crossed

 

[b-eock]

Thermostat replacement shouldn't be too much.

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[NoNine4me]

If the bike was overheating as you suspect, the radiator would have boiled over. 100 degrees C is a normal temperature for the fan to actuate. Mine sees about 216 F which is around 101 C. In other words, the bike is running normally, and if it were running so abnormally hot as to make as much heat as you describe the radiator cap would have blown off the excess pressure.

The unfortunate news is that you may be one of those folks that just cannot tolerate the heat from the faired bike. I've had a couple of bikes that really did generate some serious heat, the 2005 half-faired FZ1 being one of them. The answer is leather. Jeans don't do it and won't help at all if you crash. They will be about as much help as wearing tissue paper. This I learned the hard way.

Good luck with this; there is nothing much worse than getting a bike you think is going to work out for you and having a problem.

 

[NoNine4me]

Also see here...I have one of these bikes and have never noticed any heat. Always wear leather.

Engine heat relief - BMW F800 Riders Forum & Registry

 

[Woody146]

I " squid" up in the summer for gas station runs or beer runs...gets over 100 here...never had a heat problem unless you touch bare skin to hot exhaust or hot engine case...idk about running that hot...maybe not the right coolant?

 

[MrJesseHLee]

Ive got fz1n and my mate a fz8n. We both have that issue. Temp gets arnd 100c when hottest & can feel the heat. which is normal. Solution? Change the bike or man up.

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[lance2448]

This doesn't sound quite right. I commute about 35 miles each way in 115 degree traffic, and don't notice this.

Granted, touching metal, especially the frame, on the bike is going to be hot, but it shouldn't be 'too' hot.

I did notice mine would run warmer than expected new, but, after the first 500 miles, it was normal.

I would say either something somewhere is not working, or, you're super sensitive. Are there any mods to the bike?

 

[qnbee]

This doesn't sound quite right. I commute about 35 miles each way in 115 degree traffic, and don't notice this.

Granted, touching metal, especially the frame, on the bike is going to be hot, but it shouldn't be 'too' hot.

I did notice mine would run warmer than expected new, but, after the first 500 miles, it was normal.

I would say either something somewhere is not working, or, you're super sensitive. Are there any mods to the bike?

No mods yet, haven't even got a new pipe made for it she's that new. I'm on 550klms so far and first service will be at a 1000. There's a coolant here called Engine Ice which is supposedly great and will keep the temp down but they don't want to add it until the first service.

 

[cmbcp]

I've been riding in Canberra on 32 to 40 degree (Celsius) days the last few weeks, and the bike is in the 74 to 78 degree temp. range.
What's the engine temp. for your bike when you are finding it too hot to ride? (ok - I note from other posts your engine temp. Seems high compared to mine).
I only ride with full protective gear, and do not notice any heat from the engine.
Phil

 

[RD GUY]

engine ice really works,the only problem is you must fully flush the system of all old coolant as the ice does not mix w/it which is not a good thing ,unless you really trust your dealer to do a good job of flushing I would think twice about it.for it will cause bigger problems. I know this from past experience .