Heat and the Bandit!

I'm reading some other posts and seeing the reports about the heatwave in WA, SA and VIC at the moment and it got me thinking of how well the Bandit deals with hot conditions and what conditions people have ridden in.

I took my 2005 through temps of about 34 deg in Gippsland last year on the way to the Island Classic. It was warm going but fine whilst I was still moving, different story when I stopped at traffic lights. It was hot in the leathers. Bikewise the engine performed well and the braided brake lines not a problem. I had the '05 in about 2 deg at Mt Hotham one year and the heaviest torrential rain near Cann River in 2012. Also, heavy fog blanketed my ride from Bairnsdale to Morwell in 2010. All I could do was site in behind a semi trailer and let him lead the way and clear a bit of fog out of the way.

Overall, I found the Bandit to perform well in all these conditions.

What have others experienced????

Same sort of thing, but I wouldn't know what the engine temp was doing.

Damn hot when stopped but ok when moving. Sometimes I even feel cold with the air flowing through my summer jacket and I'm wet with sweat.

And I done the same thing in fog near Yellingbo. Followed the trucks tail lights so I could see where I was going

I could let you know later today, but I think I'll be belly up in air-conditioned comfort, later on when it's over 40.  

I think the retrofit of a little LED to show when the cooling fan is on is a great idea.  I haven't got this fitted to mine yet, but it is on the way.

So far in the 6 or so weeks of riding my 07 1250 I have noticed it copes with hot weather pretty well.. only had the fan kick in at the odd traffic light n put putting around Glendale Supacentre at 15kph

Not seen the temp warning come on.. I guess thats a "she's gonna blow cap'n" light  

Coming along Bylong Valley way a couple of years ago, I nearly died but the 1200 was ok. Still I was thinking "thank goodness it doesn't have a temperature gauge" probably better not to know in that situation.   

The Bandit is handling it fine , the fan comes on when at the lights , or when I pull up at home & backing it down the driveway ................& the brake leavers have a little more travel , presumably from heat effected hoses .( If I use my imagination , there may also be a very slight surging at certain speeds , but this is not normally a problem with my bike so I'm not fussed enough about it to remove the secondaries ).....................If only the rider handled it as well as the bike  

Well you could always add air-conditioning

madmax wrote:Well you could always add air-conditioning

LOL is that reverse cycle ?  

Well it might be

Sucks and blows!

Bandit coping well in 46c+ Freeway and back country riding.

Hi I come back from holidays on the 4th of January from rollston to Barcauldine was well over 40 I think I was told 48 and 50 degress at places I stoped with dry hot wind. Didn't seem to bother my 2011 1250s and was hooking along in places fan only seemed to come on when pulling up and temp light never come on. I think the heat was more affecting me than the bike.

I leave for work at 12.50pm. over 40 degrees. just as well it's only 20 minutes

43 inside the shed at work yesterday and today with no air conditioning.

paul wrote:

madmax wrote:Well you could always add air-conditioning

LOL is that reverse cycle ?  

Only the Gold Wing version has "reverse" cycle.    

Come to the tropics, it's much cooler here. Darwin was the coolest city in Australia earlier this week. Now that's unusual.  

I've had no problems in Adelaide this week, to and from work every day, the only time the fans have come on was once stuck at lights for a couple of minutes when it was 43 deg C and 3 of 4 afternoons with it idling while I opened the shed up, hasn't missed a beat this year or the past 2 summers

I've never seen the second fan come on - on the FA. Anyone else? Is it only there to add weight?

NTBill wrote:I've never seen the second fan come on - on the FA. Anyone else? Is it only there to add weight?

  If the second fan kicks in and its not a very hot day at least you'll know that the main fan might be dodgy. I still think that the radiator on the 1250fa is too small for Australian conditions (especially for Darwin), and the heat from the oil gets shoved into it as well. I don't know how the 1250 engines that are modified for more power can cope with such a piddling radiator in hot conditions.

I have done a few 37 degree rides - not hot by current standards I know!

On my digital temp gauge (block) while on the highway cruise the indicated temp was up only about 2 degrees compared with more normal type 20 - 27 degs days.

Usually 81 - 82 block temp in the 20s and 83 - 84 deg on a 37 deg day.

But stop at road works and it melts - me too.

GG

phill north wrote:

NTBill wrote:I've never seen the second fan come on - on the FA. Anyone else? Is it only there to add weight?

  If the second fan kicks in and its not a very hot day at least you'll know that the main fan might be dodgy. I still think that the radiator on the 1250fa is too small for Australian conditions (especially for Darwin), and the heat from the oil gets shoved into it as well. I don't know how the 1250 engines that are modified for more power can cope with such a piddling radiator in hot conditions.

Done 24000kms of mostly commuting kms so far with a few 300-800km single day trippers thrown in (often two up) and the FA has always felt fine. Hottest we would generally see around here would be 38 to 39 coupled with highish (70-80%) humidity. Bike likes the denser air the humidity brings but the rider doesn't.

Did a 400km (return) brekky run the other day and it was about 39, had some road works along the way with those stand alone trailer based traffic lights. Kept us sitting there for 8 minutes after coming off a 130 to 140km/ hour constant cruise speed two up. I'd normally turn it off, but I was curious to see.  First fan cycled normally - came on, went off came on went off, second fan sat idle the whole time.  I'm curious to know what needs to be done to make that second fan come on cos I've never seen it and I'm wondering if anyone else has?
Maybe it's just a well attached spare... 

rode my hotted up 1200 (06) in close to 40 today. Ran fine at highway speed but once i hit the burbs started sputtering a bit.... heat or something else?

Fuel and air could be the issue Stu, engines like the mix to be cold going in not hot. Fuel is vaporizing in the heat as its going in.

Bought my '08 1250 in Adelaide last January and rode up the Stuart Highway to Darwin.
3 of the 4 days were 38+.
That be a pic of it at Devils Marbles next to my username.
No dramas.
The rider feels the heat more than the bike!

TropoBone wrote:Bought my '08 1250 in Adelaide last January and rode up the Stuart Highway to Darwin.
3 of the 4 days were 38+.
That be a pic of it at Devils Marbles next to my username.
No dramas.
The rider feels the heat more than the bike!

stu has the 1200 motor which has carbies , so may behave a bit different to the 1250s fuel injection . 
 
It may also be a small bit of crap in the carbies .....if it keeps doing it , try some carby cleaner

Also if Stu's is like my old beast theres no radiator/liquid cooling or fan so they're naturally cooled by forwards momentum. I never had an issue with mine and I live in a hot part of the country in summer (40-42 next 3 days ). Having said that, the cooling fins on Suzuki big blocks now are tiny. If you go back and have a look at the 80's motors like Katana 1100 or GS 1100 the fins are a much better size. I don't know how much difference this makes but you'd think the boffins at Suzuki have done the testing.
Like Peter said its probably best not to have a temp gauge. I have one on the TL and I can't stop looking at it when Im stopped on a hot day. Cruising temp is 86C and that hardly changes, but stop at a set of lights and within 2mins its upwards of 110C and it freaks me out. As soon as you start moving though it goes back down to where it should be. Does anyone know at what temp I should start to worry? Give me my clock back instead of the temp gauge anyday.

I think most of you will probably know that all engines are built and tested to tolerences that we will never hopefully reach. The only real clincher is the lack of cooling fluid. ie, oil or water.  Lose that and it's game over. All bikes will feel hotter at a stand still. That's where it is good that the likes of the 1250 has a cooloing fan. The very few times that owners see or hear the fan come on is testament to the engines ability to withstand heat.  To a point.