Overheating

Classic Goldwings

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The gauge doesn't state degrees it has cold on one side and hot on the other and it reaches the hot mark after only going 11 miles. However it does not always over heat on short or long trip. It only seems to do it when it is really hot outside.
 
There are lot of things that can cause this. Make sure your coolant level is full, make sure the radiator cooling fan comes on when it's suppose to, make sure there are no leaks. On the bottom of the transmission front cover, directly underneath the lower radiator hose spout about three inches towards rear of engine is a weep hole, make sure it is not stopped up and see if any water or oil is seeping from it. The other things, bad thermoswitch, clogged oil lines or pumps, lean settings on carbs, sticking thermostat, clogged fins on radiator, corrosion in radiator, bad radiator cap, carbon build up in cylinders can all cause overheating. So check the easiest, less expensive things first.
 
Normal moving temp is below mid gauge level.
About 3/4 gauge is when the fan should come on. It should only get there when stopped.

There is a voltage regulator powering both the gas gauge and temp gauge.
Does the fuel gauge seem to be reading accurate?
If not then the voltage regulator could be bad.

A blown head gasket will make it run hotter.
Do you see any bubbles coming into the coolant reservoir?

There are other possibilities for running hot,
Low coolant level,
clogged radiator,
damaged fins
Might be some other things I'm not thinking of.
 
Also check your coolant either in the radiator or the recovery tank for oily milky contamination. And, are the radiator side scoops still mounted on the bike, a lot of people take them off but they are really needed especially on really hot days, got to get all the air you can across those fins. Let us know what you find.
 
Fan switch would also be suspect if you find the fan doesn't run. run the bike and get it hot again and look for the fan operation, they are fairly quiet and I believe only operate when the bike is running so take a flashlight so you can observe the fan blades for movement.
 
MY 79 WAS actting weid saying it was running hot and the gas gage would read wrong it turned out to be the 7 volt regulater.. runs cool unless in really slow traffic and really hot out but i just turn my fan on and alla well.
 
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