First Ride- Ups and downs - Help!

fundgh

Member
Feb 17, 2005
88
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Took my KDX for its first ride under a new butt today. All I can say is WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Thanks for all of the recommendations over in the What Bike Should I Get forum! I did have a problem though :ugg: I looped out on a uphill that tossed my bike over on its side and was kinda laying downhill. I notice radiator fluid and or gas spilling out. I also noticed the fluid in the reservoir was boiling. It sounded like it was boiling in the water pump as well. I righted the bike turned around and coasted to the bottom of the hill. We made our way back to the truck and it ran fine, and didn't seem abnormally hot. But the reservoir was empty and when it cooled and I took the radiator cap off, I couldn't see any fluid. I don't know if it was overheating before the fall, or if the fall somehow caused the boiling action that I observed and the water spilled out of the vent. The jetting might have been a little rich if anything, we were at 4000 ft, there are Devol radiator guards on the bike. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Other than that the bike was more perfect than I could have imagined. The low end power took up the hills with ease, the weight was easy to pickup when I dumped it a few times, and the ease of starting was great when I stalled it on the uphills. All in all a great experience for my first ride, as long as there aren't any serious problems related to my radiator.
 

CaptainObvious

Formally known as RV6Junkie
Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 8, 2000
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Glad you had a good ride. Falling is all part of a "normal" ride, don't give it a second thought.

Did you check the level before the ride? Maybe it was always low. In any event, it is normal for fuel and coolant to leak out when the bike is on its side. Good thing you have those top-quality radiator guards!
 

fundgh

Member
Feb 17, 2005
88
0
I enjoy the falling part, I am sure my riding buddy gets a kick out of watching me struggle up a hill and loop out. My concern is: why was the coolant boiling? And was the radiator guard comment sarcasm? Don't they impede cooling capacity? Should I remove them and put some stock fins on there?
 

ellandoh

dismount art student
~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Aug 29, 2004
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doubt it was sarcasm, i would not even worry about it till you go thru your new ride thoroughly previous owners are unpredictable he may have pulled it out of the barn filled it half full of water just enough for a test ride w/o spending any $$ for coolant and sold it.

my last bike came w/ 2 teaspoons of crankcase oil needless to say 2months later i needed a new clutch
 

Green Hornet

Member
Apr 2, 2005
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Moe, relax. Don't be so thin skinned. I read the comment and did not find sarcasim in regards to the radiator guard. But upon research it has been said that they could impede air flow.Sounds like your fluid was low though. Now fill her up & ride on. :aj:
 

Woodsquest

I love DRN!
Member
Dec 15, 2004
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The 220's run warmer than the 200's. Make sure you use a quality antifreeze mix and keep an eye on it. Also be sure to remove all air from the cooling system. Have the radiator cap checked for the proper rating.

Make sure you have the correct spark plug.
The spark plug has two primary functions:

* To ignite the air/fuel mixture
* To remove heat from the combustion chamber

The temperature of the spark plug's firing end must be kept low enough to prevent pre-ignition, but high enough to prevent fouling. This is called "Thermal Performance", and is determined by the heat range selected.

It is important to remember that spark plugs do not create heat, they can only remove heat. The spark plug works as a heat exchanger by pulling unwanted thermal energy away from the combustion chamber, and transferring the heat to the engine's cooling system. The heat range is defined as a plug's ability to dissipate heat.

The rate of heat transfer is determined by:

* The insulator nose length
* Gas volume around the insulator nose
* The materials/construction of the center electrode and porcelain insulator

BTW the seat foam will be shipping tomorrow.
 

fundgh

Member
Feb 17, 2005
88
0
The cooling system was full when I started the ride, but that is not to say that I didn't lose a little on my numerous get-offs. I will drain and replace the coolant (with some good stuff), check for proper plug, and inspect the radiator cap. I am still unshure about the Devol guards. It seems that they are known to contribute to overheating. Should I remove them, take a Dremmel to them, replace them with Side Braces, or fill the radiators and forget about em?
 

xsnrg

Member
Jul 20, 2004
728
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Woodsquest, you are either pulling our leg about the heat removal function of a spark plug, or you just taught me something I never knew. I thought the thermal rating was how much heat the spark plug could operate under reliably. Thanks for the education.

And fundgh, I would just do a full flush and refill, following the reccomendations above and if you don't see/hear anything out of the ordinary on the next rides, don't worry about it. It was probably just low on coolant when you got it.
 

Woodsquest

I love DRN!
Member
Dec 15, 2004
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Not pulling your leg xsnrg. The heat range is a measure of the spark plug's ability to remove heat from the combustion chamber. Engine temperature can affect the spark plug's operating temperature, but not the spark plug's heat range. Google "spark plug heat range " and start reading.
(BTW, that's how I found out; someone told me, I didn't believe it, then I read enough to convince me. Never take someone else's word but find out for yourself.)
 

matt-itude

Member
Jul 6, 2004
293
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I understand that by removing heat from the combustion chamber they mean the heat on the electrode its self. Like moving an iron further into or out of the fire it changes how much heat the end of it absorbs and how much the rest of the rod can dissipate. That is why too hot of a plug can cause preignition and put a hole in a piston and too cold of a plug does not get hot enough to burn off. Look at two plugs that are identical except for the heat range being at the hot and cold end of the spectrum and see if the electrode from down in the bottom to the tip isn't longer on the higher heat range plug.
 
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