what is normal operating temp of a 250?
- Thread starter Blaz1
- Start date
You should run a 50-50 mix of water and antifreeze. I never measured the temp of a motorcycle but most cars run anyplace from 180 to about 230 on the water temp anything over that and i think your asking for trouble. The metal surface of the engine should be someplace around 250 degrees. A good indicator would be if the water is boiling over it's running too hot!
Always use distilled water only. NEVER use tap water, salt and chlorine and a few other chemicals are a bad mix. Probably not good for us either, but that is another story. Vintage Bob
rmc_olderthandirt
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- Apr 18, 2006
- 1,533
- 8
Blaz1 said:
The primary purpose of antifreeze is to lower the temperature at which the coolant will freeze, which is a very important thing if you are in an area that gets cold.
Some of the coolants will also increase the temperature at which the mix will boil.
Extending the range at which the coolant remains a liquid will not necessarily change the rate at which it will remove heat from your engine. It is possible that a specific brand of coolant will do that, but I have not been able to get any specific information on that from any of the major brands of Antifreeze. Note that it is also possible that they actually are worse than just plain water in their "thermal resistance".
If your bike is suddenly running hotter than I expect you have a problem. A good antifreeze might keep you from boiling over but it isn't likely going to cool the engine any better.
Rod
I have a Trail Tech computer on my WR426. In the [Texas] winter, it will usually hover around 170. In the hot summer, it will hover around 190-200, but Ive seen it go to around 260 if I am riding slow technical terrain or waiting on one of my Newbie friends. I usually shut it off or speed up to get air running through the radiators when it gets around 260. I have done it all, 50/50 mix, only distilled water, and distilled water with Water Wetter, which they call a "super coolant". I had good luck with Water Wetter and Distilled Water in the past, so that would be my recommendation. By the way, I know a guy that ran his KTM 530 out of water...it stalled...it was super hot. He waited until it cooled, partially filled it up with water from a Camel Back, and drove the bike back to camp...didnt seem to hurt anything. My point is that bikes can handle higher temperatures than most realize.
The only point I would like to add is this...if you dont have an overflow tank, the coolant (antifreeze or super coolant) will increase the temperature it will boil and help prevent overflow on the ground. Over time, the radiators will contain a lower level of coolant which would likely cause the bike to run even hotter. This is why I chose to run the Water Wetter, it raises the boiling point and helps keep the coolant in the bike. If you have an overflow tank, as trail bikes should IMO, it is a moot point because the coolant will be stored and sucked back into the radiators.
The radiator itself, would have to be set up for recovery? A drop from full to the top, is normal, but not continued after every use.
