free website stats program '11' Nightrod Running HOT | Harley Davidson Forums

'11' Nightrod Running HOT

C

chiachio

Member
Has anyone else taken notice of their '11' Nightrod running hot, more often then not..?
I took a 4200 mile ride from the northeast (PA) to the southwest (N.M.) with a couple buddies last month. One buddy has an '07' Nightrod which ran well, with his fans kicking-on only after occasional hard-riding or during 90+ degree weather. The fans on my '11' bike were running more often then not, regardless of the type of riding or weather.
Any personal experience regarding this issue would be much appreciated...

chiachio
 
It would depend a lot on the setup of yours verses his. Fuel added or tuners will have an effect on the temps as well as stages of engine build. In some cases the coolant will have an effect too as well as the oil used (synthetic vs. dino oil). Also a tight engine on a new bike will be hotter than one with some miles on it.
 
chiachio said:
Has anyone else taken notice of their '11' Nightrod running hot, more often then not..?
I took a 4200 mile ride from the northeast (PA) to the southwest (N.M.) with a couple buddies last month. One buddy has an '07' Nightrod which ran well, with his fans kicking-on only after occasional hard-riding or during 90+ degree weather. The fans on my '11' bike were running more often then not, regardless of the type of riding or weather.
Any personal experience regarding this issue would be much appreciated...

chiachio
Click to expand...

As Glider said above. I would start by dumping and refilling the cooling system with the fluid specs and ratio called for in the Operator's Manual. I would also change the thermostat.

Then as Glider said, FULL synthetic engine oil (does not have to be VTwin since you have a liquid cooled engine).

Finally, if you know the condition of the coolant, thermostat and engine oil because you have just changed/replaced them, and the engine coolant cooling fans are still coming on too much, then I would suspect the temperature switches that are triggering the fans.

TQ
 
I have an '11 and only have the fan come on after sitting at a long light. Then once up above 35 mpg for a 30 seconds it's off again.
 
First of all the bike is a 2011 (under warrentee)
Don't dump and refill coolant, There have been a few new VRSC's where the coolant level is low (not in the expansion tank) Remove the rad cap under the airbox cover and check the level cold, There is a bleeder under the bottom of the lower airbox. There is no "coolant switch" for the fans, it is controlled by the ECM.
And as far as engine oil, the oil has to be wet clutch compatable, not just regular syn engine oil (for a car)
Too much misinformation will get you in trouble
Hope this helps.
 
First thing is that you cant compare the 07 to your 11 because it is a 1130cc engine yours is a 1250 cc engine , sound as though your Vrods cooling system is working just fine aslong as both fans are kicking in, not just one fan ,yes the tempeture fan kickin is controled by the ecm, so as long as its comming on and shuting off and your coolent level is good all is good with the cooling system, I have found on my 08 DX that as the oil brakes down and I get closer to needing a oil change my cooling fans come on more then when the oil life is fresher , I do reccomend syn over dino , and yes a oil that is JASO compatable is what you need, in the proper weight for the ambient conditions you ride in.
 
I appreciate the various opinions, but was hoping to hear any related experiences from other '11' Nightrod owners...and thanks to the few who've replied.

The NROD is my 6th V-twin, I've ridden since the early 70's...so I've got a few opinions of my own regarding the overheating. During the 1000 mile service I decided to switch-out the stock rubber hose above the water pump with the Braided Stainless Steel hose and continued to change the coolant as well.The coolant that I removed from the bike was orange, while the HD pre-mix coolant I replaced it with was pink. (FYI; this pre-mix only protects down to 40 degrees).

I've also mounted aftermarket screens over my air-dam openings on the radiator side covers. I switched-over to SYN-3 at break in as well as to the Platinum Plus plugs, so mechanically the bike is currently still stock. I've measured the head temperatures at idle and found the fans kicking-on when they should, unfortunately though, they'll only keep the head temps at around 220-230 degrees (at-idle) and this was done while the ambient temp was at 76 degrees. I tend to run my bike hard more often than-not so my fans are usually running, especially at this time of the year.

I've got the service manual and expect to get the bike running cooler once I get some time to spend working on it. I'll be installing an EFI controller along with aftermarket exhaust in the near future, and needed to hear from other NROD owners that I wasn't overlooking a common problem first, before digging-in myself.

Much appreciated...
chiachio
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top