Coolant

[oldsmoboat]

Where did you find this 40-50 degree claim? On the water side generally the heat exchange is at most 15 degree between in and out of an engine.

http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/Engine_Ice_High-Performance_Motorcycle_Coolant/web1001459

Engine Ice has been proven to reduces operating temperatures by as much as 50 degrees Fahrenheit

There is also an oil additive, bottom of this page:
http://www.mondellotwister.com/OilingSystem.htm

[Summit670]

Interesting, at 2:48 in the Engine Ice Video, it says May Make Your Engine Run Cooler.  I'd like to see an independent test on this.

Oh, what's that wristband he has on?  Looks like the type they give you at beer gardens. 

[enim57]

None the less, in hot weather sitting at long red lights I can watch the needle climb and climb. If I let it, it will climb into the red, and coolant will begin to puke out the overflow. None of which should happen, if the system were adquate for the ambient conditions.

Hmmm, I still think something is not right. Check for blockages/restrictions, fuel pump for worn/corroded blades, fuel pump impeller is firmly attached to shaft and not slipping.

In summer I remove the fairing bottom half and belly pan but that's not the answer. At lights you will get hot and engine temp will rise but should not puke coolant.

Regards, Russell

[Roadhound]

I have had my pipes ceramic coated -- don't think that helped nearly as much as advertised.
To my mind, I shouldn't have to do anything to keep the gage away from the red -- other than normal maintainence and such, of course. My radiator is clear both inside and out, the fan blade is original and in good shape, the thermostat is proper and functional, and the fan switch operates as it should. None the less, in hot weather sitting at long red lights I can watch the needle climb and climb. If I let it, it will climb into the red, and coolant will begin to puke out the overflow. None of which should happen, if the system were adquate for the ambient conditions.
In every other way, my 2K is a pick of the litter bike. Low vibrations, good power, responded wonderfully to the SiSF exhaust cam gear, etc. Oh, alcohol has caused plugged pilots about three times now, but that's my fault.

You might want to think about replacing your radiator cap. It may not be able to hold the proper pressure.

[RFH87_Connie]

... and the fan switch operates as it should. None the less, in hot weather sitting at long red lights I can watch the needle climb and climb. If I let it, it will climb into the red, and coolant will begin to puke out the overflow.

When my fan switch started to go, it did this exact same thing.  It was in fact coming on to late so it really couldn't catch up.  As soon as I added extra air by driving, the gauge would go down and all was well.  Stop again, and it would sometimes spit some out.  In the end, it stopped working so I knew what I needed.  A new fan switch (from 1991 Honda Civic DX at $13) fixed the problem.  You only loose a few onces of coolant when changing it.  Even if you don't need it, its inexpensive.

[T Cro ®]

You might want to think about replacing your radiator cap. It may not be able to hold the proper pressure.

Don you are so right here as the cap is often the most overlooked item in the list as if it looks good it must be good right...... If the cap is not able to retain the proper pressure the coolant will boil over at a much lower temp. Here at work on two sister barges we have pairs of CAT 3516 diesel engines that from new would boil over on shut down; mind you they did not run hot (180ish) they just suffered from boil over at shutdown. On both barges I installed non-standard pressure caps (higher rating) and the boil over is gone. Oddly enough the barges were built ten years apart yet they both still suffered from the same issues.

[julianop]

To add a purely scientific perspective to this discussion - with no bike experience - the typical rise in pressure inside a pressurized vehicle cooling systems is about 14psi over atmospheric. For pure water that increases the boiling point around 45 degrees...
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cooling-system7.htm
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-point-water-d_926.html

A 50/50 antifreeze mix also increases boiling point by about 11 degrees F...
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cooling-system3.htm

[enim57]

Yeah, radiator cap. So obvious and so forgotten. Give it a go.

Regards, Russell