2009 R6 temp question

**05RavenR6** · 08-03-2011, 09:49 AM

So my cousin just picked up a nice 2009 R6 with around 2000 miles on it. He came by last night with it to show me and I noticed that the thing is running really hot. Granted it was pretty hot yesterday in NY, but I noticed his temp gauge was sitting around 230 right when he parked and the bike was kicking off some mean heat. I have an 05 and in extreme heat I rarely saw my bike go past 215. Is this normal of the 09? I did a quick google search and some people say it is but Im kinda shocked. Any input?

**trix** · 08-03-2011, 11:50 AM

Can't say for that specific year and model, but I have an 06 R1. When I am riding it, it rarely ever goes above 220 unless I'm sitting in traffic. Our heat index most every day is around 110.

Pretty much every time I get home and park it, when I leave it running, open the gate, then bring it In to park, it'll get to around 230 then.

As long as it isn't that hot when he's cruising I'd say it's fine. Mine usually stays around 170 while riding leisurely. Now if it's 230 while he's cruising at 75, I'd be a bit worries.

**05RavenR6** · 08-03-2011, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by trix

As long as it isn't that hot when he's cruising I'd say it's fine. Mine usually stays around 170 while riding leisurely. Now if it's 230 while he's cruising at 75, I'd be a bit worries.

I took it out for a quick spin around the block last night but I couldnt really get a good idea on temps since it was already really hot. I dunno if its me, but the bike felt like shit compared to my 05. The clutch had such a high grab point and the bike just felt cheap

**Kyles R6** · 08-03-2011, 11:57 AM

Check the coolant level...was the fan kicking on? If they're both ok i wouldn't worry about it as long as it goes down when he rides. My 06 will get to like 227 on extremely hot days when I'm sitting

**05RavenR6** · 08-03-2011, 12:04 PM

yea fan was kicking on...ill keep an eye on it for him

**natedogg624** · 08-03-2011, 12:10 PM

the 06+ r6 is the hottest bike i've ridden (both literally and figuratively

) but the two fans blow that hot engine heat right out of the ports that are aimed right at the rider's legs.

normal riding temp is 170-180 depending on if you're straight water or anti-freeze.

**junior** · 08-03-2011, 12:49 PM

Yea mine goes up to 220s when im sitting at a stop light for a while it never went up like that till i changed the coolant maybe the brand has something to do with it..before i changed coolant it wouldnt pass 218 does it matter what coolant you use

**DangerDog** · 08-03-2011, 06:51 PM

Werd. Also check to see if one of the fan brackets is bent. It's been known to happen cuz the fan brackets are kinda flimsy. Binds the fan blade on the radiator which can prevent one of the fans from spinning. Happened on mine after I wadded it at the track and you just gotta tweak it back.

May also burp the cooling system and check the level as well. Ifsomeone did a coolant change and didnt burp the system there may be air in the water circuit. Burping it should help the temp a bit.

Swapping out regular glycol coolant for distilled water and Water Wetter will drop the temp as well. I found my bike ran between 5-10 degrees cooler or so. Just doesn't work as antifreeze, so keep that in mind if your pile see colder temps.

**SDoctorR6** · 08-03-2011, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by DangerDog

Maybe also burp the cooling system and check the level as well. If someone did a coolant change and didnt burp the system there may be air in the water circuit. Burping it should help the temp a bit.

Swapping out regular glycol coolant for distilled water and Water Wetter will drop the temp as well. I found my bike ran between 5-10 degrees cooler or so. Just doesn't work as antifreeze, so keep that in mind if your pile see colder temps.

I have an 07" R6 and noticed my bike ran 5-10 degrees cooler as well. I am running straight distilled water with about 2 fl. oz of water wetter myself. I plan on flushing it out every 6 months though to prevent deposits building up from water wetter (any longer and it may start leaving deposits as I read on this forum).

This leads me to a question I have for Danger Dog about the "burping" of the cooling system. My question is that when I recently flushed out my coolant for distilled water & water wetter I noticed that the Yamaha "Service Data" printout says the coolant capacity is it at 2.43 US qt? I barely got "2 fl qts" of distilled water in my system (filled radiator then the reservoir and it was pretty much all topped out). After putting in the "2 fl qts" I then put in my "2 fl. oz" of water wetter and the reservoir was filled well above the full mark. I ran the bike and the mix was still filled to the top of reservoir. So I guess the question is "can there be air trapped in my cooling system and is that why I am not able to put in the manual recommended "2.43 US qts"?. My bike runs like a champ, no issues at all with heat. Sometimes I notice when the bike is warming up to 170f it will crawl back down to 160f while still idling and then back to normal operating temps.

Thanks for any suggestions on the coolant capacity and "burping" question. Never "burped" my cooling system but it sounds pretty straight forward...

**Kyles R6** · 08-03-2011, 10:20 PM

That could be why but if you dont start it after you drain the system there's still some left in the block. What I do after it's drained is stick a garden hose in the radiator and let it run with the plug out til it's only water coming out. To burp it you just have to make sure the thermostat opens up. When it does it will "burp"